


II: Prophecy

by Red Centurion (RedCenturionG)



Series: For A Better Tomorrow [2]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Adventure, Alliance, Citadel Council, Collector campaign, Collectors, F/M, Future segments, Geth, Idenna incident, Intrigue, ME2 Blood Pack, ME2 Blue Suns, ME2 Cerberus, ME2 Eclipse, Project Overlord, Reapers, Romance, Talimance, Violence, plot heavy, suicide mission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-14 20:43:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 55
Words: 453,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18483997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedCenturionG/pseuds/Red%20Centurion
Summary: Many thought the destruction of Sovereign and the defeat of the genocidal geth would spark a new era of peace, prosperity and unity. They were wrong. A month has followed since the events of Enigma and the war is far from over; it's only just begun. A new enemy has arisen from it's hiding place and is ready to declare total war on one enemy alone; humanity. Let the harvest begin.Work was originally published between May 28, 2013 and December 18, 2013.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Normandy is on a routine patrol over Alchera when a new enemy attacks. The crew loses their commander.

****

**PROPHECY**

**PROLOGUE**

_August 14, 2183_

_1852 hours._

_Engineering, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate SSV Normandy SR-1, In Orbit over Alchera, Amada System, Omega Nebula._

_Machinist Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Chief Engineer Gregory Adams._

Tali gave a long, tired sigh as she finished her diagnostic, leaning on the control circuit board and staring deep into the pulsing blue engine core of the Normandy; spinning and spinning like the gears on an old steam engine. She felt herself get lost in the entrancing glow, peace found in it's depths. Adams' voice broke her thoughts.

"Zorah, Zorah! Tali!" Tali ripped her eyes away from the drive core and turned to see Adams merely a meter away to her right, leaning on the railing and staring at her with a frustrated look.

"Sorry Adams, I got distracted, it won't happen again." Tali apologized.

"It's okay," Adams responded, smiling warmly at her, "Run a vessel-scale scan and then correct any errors you find. There shouldn't be anything major and if there is, just report it to me and I'll help you correct it." Nodding to the human engineer, Tali spun back to face her console, her slim, three-fingered hands gliding over the terminal like a precise piano player; at least she hoped that's what the phrase was. Adams nodded to her and walked back towards Jeremy and Douglas, continuing his lecture.

It had been little over a month since the Battle of the Citadel. Humanity had joined the Citadel Council, becoming the fourth member of the collection of races that governed galactic policy. The volus had been outraged by this; as they had been gunning for the position for decades, but all riots by their people were quelled and Irune remained silent, not breaking away from the Citadel Races; they still needed turian military assets and the turians still needed their economical prowess.

Repairs were still being conducted on the superstation; the debris from Sovereign's destroyed hulk was still being cleared out, piece by piece and it would be years before the Citadel was returned to it's previous state of civilized beauty. The Council had promised Marcus that they would assemble an armada to prepare for the Reapers, and that was all they needed.

After a two week shore leave on Noveria, where Tali got to spend some quality time with her friends and develop her relationship with Marcus, the Normandy had docked at Arcturus and Marcus had had a meeting with the alliance brass, soley Admiral Hackett, the leader of the fifth fleet that destroyed Sovereign and the geth fleet. Receiving their new orders, they left the alliance capital and headed for Alchera.

Their new mission was to scour the galaxy and rid it of the last remnants of the geth forces. With Saren dead and Sovereign destroyed, the geth had lost their leadership and thus their cohesion collapsed. Remaining Council and Alliance forces managed to rout them and whatever pockets of resistance was left were left to them to be rooted out and terminated. The war was over; this was just clean up duty.

But that puzzled her; they were the Heroes of the Citadel, saviors of the galaxy. They should be celebrating and helping to prepare for the imminent reaper invasion. Instead, these heroes and heroines, the people who defeated a reaper, killed a rogue spectre, fought an army of geth and defeated an army of krogan soldiers, were being sent to wipe scum off the walls. All they did and this is what they got as a reward?

Tali decided it wasn't important. They had their mission and when it was over, Tali was going to take Marcus to the Migrant Fleet and introduce him to Auntie Raan and father. Father wouldn't accept him, but she was sure Shala would be open to it. I wondered what Meru would think, but dropped that as soon as it popped up, not wanting to memorize her mother's death all over again. All Tali knew is that she would finally find the happiness she longed for.

She ran her scans of the ship. Nothing conclusive, aside from a momentary heat bloom that surrounded the ship, but that had ended within seconds of it appearing and she dismissed it as a computer glitch. Then, Joker's voice came over Adams' comm.

"Adams, what the hell is going on down there?" Joker demanded, "Pressly just reported a momentary heat bloom that enveloped the ship. It's gone now but it's got him spooked."

"Wait a sec," Adams responded before turning to Tali, "Zorah, you got anything?"

"Yes, I picked up the heat bloom too," Tali answered, "It might be just a systems glitch."

"Exactly my thoughts," Adams responded, giving the young quarian a thumbs up before rethumbing his comm to Joker, "Tali says she saw it too. Tell Pressly it was most likely a glitch in the system. I'll have the VI run a systems diagnostic just to be on the safe side." Adams then ordered Douglas to run up to his console and inform the VI of it's new task.

Tali gulped.  _Could it be a systems glitch? I don't know. That heat bloom...only a certain type of device could do that. A scanner. But how is that possible? Nothing can pick us up or see us when we're in stealth mode. You would only be able to see us if you looked out a window and even then you'd have to acquire a precise location on the vessel to scan it, which would require high-tech multi-modulator scanning VI's to do. Even the geth don't have those, and they're AI!_

Joker seemed just as worried, "Pressly isn't so sure. He's running scans of his own. I'll keep you updated on what he finds. Joker out." With that, the pilot's voice fell off the comms and Tali returned to her work, shutting off her own comm to Adams. All she could hear was the dull throb of the ship's engines and Douglas giving orders to the ship's VI.

Before she could run another simulation she was ripped from her feet as a sound like that of thunder tore through the ship. She was tossed to the ground as the ship shook violently for a few seconds, before shaking once more and then stopping. Looking up, she saw her console had exploded and sparks flew out of it. Turning to her right, she yelped as she stared into the blank face of Douglas; a piece of solid metal wedged in his forehead, red blood oozing from the wound.

Crawling away, she felt the ship shudder a final time and turned just in time to see a bright orange light pierce through the engine room, blocking her sight of the engine core. It was gone and she looked on in horror as the engine core disappeared in a great explosion of the light; the blast throwing her against the doors to engineering. Looking up, she was petrified by the sight before her; space. She was looking into space.

What had been the engine core was now nothing but jammed circuits and processors; the blue glow was absent and the spinning of the wheels gone. The drive core had been destroyed. A large hole, about twenty-seven meters across had been ripped through the ceiling, bits of piping, circuits and holopanels torn apart from the blast and a sister hole lying on the floor. Her console was nonexistent; a matter of fact, the deck of which her console resided on was gone, blasted apart in the explosion.

The room was illuminated red as the ship alarms went off, followed by a yellow glow. A second siren went off and this was one she didn't like at all; the evacuation siren. They were being ordered to abandon ship. Whatever weapons had crippled the ship were not of geth origin. They weren't of any known species. No, only one species could be capable of destroying the ship so easily; of being to bypass the stealth systems.

A Reaper was attacking them.

Many questions were raised in her head, but none of them mattered as she climbed to her feet, moving to open the door to the cargo hold. She wanted to save the ship, but there wasn't an engineering left to save it with. Half the deck was gone and the bodies of half the engineering crew floated around in space, suffocating or already dead. Fires that raged in the room winked out of existence as the lack of oxygen killed them off.

As the door opened, someone else rushed up to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her into the cargo hold. She heard the door slide shut and all sound returned to her. Opening her eyes, she saw Adams with a oxygen mask on, nodding at her as he pulled her towards the elevator. She was mortified to see the cargo hold hadn't fared any better; the middle of the room was non-existent, having been ripped apart in the blast. What was left of the armoury floated around in space while the Mako dangled in it's position, tied down by the harnessing cables.

She was hefted into the elevator, the lift covered in total darkness as the door closed and took them up to the Crew Deck. During their visit at Arcturus, the Alliance had retrofitted the ship with a new Mako due to the old one being wrecked during the Battle of the Citadel. Unfortunately, they would never get to use it. She heard a voice come over the comms that brought immediate relief to her.

"All hands, this is Commander Shepard speaking. I'm ordering an immediate evacuation of all ship-board personnel. Abandon ship, I repeat, abandon ship. All active personnel are to report to escape pods immediately. Shepard out." Tali sighed as she stood up, letting Adams know she was okay. She looked around frantically and saw only two wounded engineers and Johnson; everyone else on the lower decks had perished.

As they reached the Crew Deck, they saw the situation here was no different. The area was enveloped with flames. The status update panel inbetween the stairs was frantic with information. She ran around to get an assesment of the damage and it wasn't pretty. The Mess Hall was gone; one of the main bulkhead support frames had collapsed and crushed the table while the Captain's Quarters looked untouched, but that didn't matter.

The deck containing the sleeper pods was covered in flames; most of the pods were blown to pieces, tumbled over or were still active but burning. She could see a male figure working on the evacuation suite at the end of the deck. She turned to see that the medical bay door was jammed shut, but this changed when a biotic glow threw them back, revealing Liara, holding a unconscious Chakwas.

She ran over to check on the woman but Liara assured her she was alright, "Go! Find any other survivors and get them to the escape pods!" The asari ordered and Tali nodded, moving towards the vicinity of Marcus' quarters; their quarters. Before she could though, she heard Marcus call out her name.

"Tali! Tali!" He shouted and turning around, she saw him stop next to her. He had been the figure working at the evacuation terminal.

His voice was laced with concern, "You need to get to an escape pod." Tali nodded and followed him to the escape pods, where numerous people were already climbing into them. Kaidan herded people into the pods, making sure they moved in a hurried fashion. The ship shook violenty once more as their unknown enemy continued it's assault.

She stepped out of the way as she saw Garrus leap into an escape pod, his talons gripping the titantium harness and pulling it down, locking it in place. Liara quickly joined him, placing Doctor Chakwas next to her. Kaidan tried to get Johnson into an escape pod but he wasn't budging, insisting they wait for his friend, Jeremy.

Jeremy appeared out of the blue and Johnson helped him towards an escape pod. Before they reached it however, a support strut fell on both of them, crushing them under it's weight. The speed and force of it would have killed them both instantly.

"Fred! No!" Tali screamed but Marcus held his arm around her waist, pulling her back.

"There's nothing we can do! Get into an escape pod!" Marcus barked, seeing Kaidan climb into the last pod with Adams, "There's the last escape pod! Get inside!" With that, he took Tali's hand and they rushed towards the final pod, getting there just in time to see Kaidan seat the harness over himself, watching the two of them approach. There was one seat left.

Looking around the pod, Marcus cursed, "Damn it, where the hell is Joker?"

Kaidan shook his head, "He refused to abandon ship. He thinks he can still save the Normandy." Marcus cursed once again as he looked back at Tali and the last seat on the pod. Finally, he pulled Tali into the pod, seating her next to a disorientated woman and seating the harness over her. Tali, freaking out, noticing that she had the only seat, squeezed Marcus' hand.

"Where are you going!?" Tali demanded.

Marcus smiled warmly for her and stroked the side of her hood, "I have to save Joker and Pressly. They're still in the cockpit," Marcus informed her before kissing her visor.

"Don't go. Please...," Tali begged, feeling tears brim in her eyes.  _I only just got you..._

"Don't worry," Marcus reassured her, hugging her gently but lovingly, "There's an escape pod on the flight deck. Once I get Joker and Pressly's sorry asses onboard it, I'll make my escape. I'll be fine. You're not getting rid of me that easily." Marcus teased

Tali laughed through tears, "Promise me you'll be on that damn pod."

Marcus nodded, smiling, "I promise." With that, he gave her another peck on the vocalizer for good measure before leaping out of the pod. Hitting the seal button, he watched all the pods seal shut. Inhaling a deep breath, he hit the control panel for each pod, launching them one by one. When he was sure all pods were launched, he turned towards the stairs and ran towards them, making sure his armor was set for EVA.

Another blast rocked the ship, sending another explosion up the length of it. He watched in horror as the mess hall disappeared in a bright orange light, the thanix weapon tearing through the deck and ripping it apart. Now, only a gaping hole remained. A hole was ripped into the medbay and his quarters had been disintegrated.

Running up the stairs to his left, he found cabling dangling loosely and blocking his path. Pushing past them, he hit the door but it didn't open; it was airlocked. Overriding the door controls, he opened it to find the ruined CIC. The galaxy map and the panels that surrounded it now ceased to exist; just a gaping hole in it's place allowing a free look into the ruins of the crew deck and below that, the cargo hold.

He took deep and sharp breaths, conserving his oxygen. The Debriefing Room was blocked off by a collapsed bulkhead and the stairs to his new left were locked down completely and jammed; it mattered little. He needed to rescue his crew and get the hell off this ship; he had a promise to his girlfriend to keep. Be damned if he broke it now.

Slowly, he walked through the CIC ruins, finally reaching the flight deck as he walked across it, all the holographic panels now absent of color and chairs floating around in space, batted aside whenever they came into contact with the spectre. He noticed a mass effect forcefield surrounding the entrance to the cockpit; clever Joker. But he also noticed the escape pod hatch was outside the field's reach.

He turned to see that the airlock was dim and dark, but that wasn't his concern. With renewed vigor, he walked through the field. He found himself in a ruined cockpit, with dimmed holopanels and dead crew members. He sighed in mourning as he saw Pressly's limp body sitting in a seat next to Joker, his eyes closed. The navigator was dead, but what about Joker?

Moving closer he looked over and was relieved to see Joker frantically typing at his terminal. His cap was thrown to the ground and he now wore a fully sealed marine helmet. Putting an arm on Joker's shoulder, the pilot looked to see who it was and smiled, seeing it was Marcus. That was until he returned to trying to save his beloved frigate.

"Joker, we need to leave now," Marcus informed him.

"I'm not leaving! I'm not giving up on the Normandy! I can still save her!" Joker insisted, slamming his fists against the panel in frustration and most of the Normandy's sub systems continued to die. The ship was doomed and unless they abandoned it immediately, so were they.

"The Normandy's lost! Don't you get that!" Marcus barked, turning Joker around to face him, "If we don't get the hell off this ship now then you can consider ourselves space meat! Mister, we. Are. Leaving!"

"But I-" Joker tried to object.

"I'm giving you a direct order, Flight Lieutenant!" Marcus declared.

Joker looked down in defeat, "I-I-yeah, okay..." The panel started beeping and Joker widened his eyes as he looked at it.

"Enemy ship coming around for another attack!" Joker informed him, looking into the spectre's eyes with a look of fear, "We can't take another hit! Structural integrity is already too weakened!" Seeing the peril in their situation, Marcus picked up Joker from the seat and held him in his arms, the pilot yelling in discontent, annoyed about his dignity being violated.

Running through the field, Marcus hit the control panel for the pod and it opened, allowing him to seat Joker inside. Pulling the harness around him, Marcus went to also do his but before he could, another blast ripped through the ship, tossing him around the pod.

"Oh shit!" Joker exclaimed, "Commander! Grab hold of something! Anythi-Commander! NO!" The pilot screamed as Marcus was sucked out of the pod and thrown into space. As a final act of defiance, seeing as he wasn't going to survive this, Marcus hit the panel for the pod, sealing it shut and activating the launch sequence. He watched as Joker's pod shot out into space, joining it's fellow brethen.

Marcus felt a tear pass down his cheek as another shot hit the vessel and the resulting explosion tossed him out of the ship's exposed airlock and out into the openess of the void. He was being blown towards Alchera and he began to panic.

 _I'm sorry Tali. I'm so, so sorry. I broke my promise. Just...lead a happy life. I-I-_ Marcus never finished that thought as he finally caught sight of their attacker's vessel. It wasn't a reaper, at least not a design of reaper he's seen and it wasn't a geth ship. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. It was massive, easily reaching the size of Sovereign if not slightly larger. It was shaped like a cylinder, with a honeycomb like structure. It was covered in rotating rings and at the bow of the ship was one large cannon; the thanix cannon.

Marcus closed his eyes as she heard the Normandy's escape pods begin to broadcast a distress call to the Alliance. It would be a week before anyone got to them, that was depending on that the unknown enemy vessel didn't destroy the pods first. He watched as the same orange, yellowish beam charged in the bow of the vessel, ready to eat through the Normandy's remains. He watched in horror; hopeless, defenseless and most of all, lost.

The gigantic vessel fired, a tongue of hot, molten metal reaching out and striking through the wrecked frigate he once called the most advanced ship in the galaxy. It was nothing but a molten wreck now. He began broadcasting his own SOS to the pods; hopefully one could come and rescue him. He wasn't giving up on her yet. He wasn't ready to die.

Multiple explosions ripped through the ship until one final flash of light marked the end of the stealth frigate, the resulting explosion sending debris flying in all directions, but most of it went falling into Alchera's atmosphere. Marcus' eyes widened in terror as the explosion propelled him into Alchera's atmosphere.  _No! No no no no no! I can't die! Not now! Please not now!_ Tali's face appeared before him, along with his mother.  _No...I can't leave them. It's too early..._

Then something else to acellerate it. He watched as his oxygen filter dangled infront of him, his oxygen spilling out into the empty void of space. He tried desperately to put it back together, but it was hopeless. He screamed in pain as pure heat enveloped his back; he was entering the atmosphere. Everything started going black before his eyes.  _Tali, I-_

Blinding pain enveloped his body before everything went black.

**{Loading...}**

_August 14, 2183_

_1912 hours._

_Main Compartment, Hyena-Class Lifeboat, In Orbit over Alchera, Amada System, Omega Nebula._

_Machinist Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko._

Silence entered the pod after the launch. Trepidation and terror were frozen emotions upon everyone's faces; the sound of heavy breathing and sighs of relief were the only things heard. Tali's eyes examined the pod; it was small and cramped, with only barely enough room between them. Five seats aligned both sides of the vehicle, titantium security harnesses on each seat. A dull, red glow illuminated the pod's interior, the only source of light.

Tali peared over at Kaidan, who had taken his helmet off and disengaged his harness, standing up to approach a control console at the front of the lifeboat. Tapping a view buttons, he brought up a holographic panel allowing him to communicate with the other pods.

"This is Normandy SR-1 Lifeboat 8, does anyone read me?" Kaidan requested. The end of the line was immediately answered by a welcomed voice.

"Normandy SR-1 Lifeboat 9 here," Garrus responded.

"Normandy SR-1 Lifeboat 5, still alive and breathing," Adams declared.

"Normandy-SR-1 Lifeboat 3, unkillable," responded another crewman.

It wasn't long before all fifteen lifeboats had checked in and Tali breathed a sigh of relief. Marcus was alive. She hadn't heard his voice respond over the comm, but she knew he was alive. All the lifeboats had reported in, which meant all had escaped. She hoped Pressly and Joker were okay, but she hoped Marcus was better for wear.

"Normandy SR-1 Lifeboat 16, please report," Kaidan demanded and everyone looked towards him. Tali felt worry pang in her chest.  _Of course! The lifeboat on the cockpit isn't among the fifteen. The first fifteen are for standard personnel while the sixteenth is for the piloting crew. Marcus would have gone for that pod._ She released her harness and pushed it up, leaping out of her seat and moving to stand beside Kaidan. He gave her a passing glance before repeating what he said once again.

She was about to give up when Joker's voice came through.

"Normandy SR-1 Lifeboat 16...here," Joker reported, but something in his voice sounded regretful.

Kaidan breathed a sigh of relief, "Did all the piloting crew get out?"

A few seconds of deathly silence.

"Negative. I'm the only survivor of the piloting crew. Susannah and Pressly were killed by the first explosion. And...and..." The pilot broke up and stopped talking. The sound of metal getting hit and a gasp of pain was heard over the comm.

Tali shoved Kaidan out of the way. No, it couldn't be. She refused to believe it. She knew what Joker meant to say, but she refused to listen. She felt tears brimming in her eyes.

"Joker! Tell me! And what!?" Tali demanded.

"I...I can't-" Joker tried to say.

"Tell me!" Tali practically growled and everyone in the pod just stared at her in shock, Kaidan deciding to back off instead of reprimanding her.

"Shepard...he got me to the escape pod but the enemy ship had already fired the last shot. The explosion threw him out of the ship and he got spaced. He's gone."

Tali couldn't believe it. She refused. But there it was, the pilot had seen it with his own eyes. Marcus...her mate, was gone. He was dead. Taken from life; the great hero of the citadel, the seemingly invincible force of nature, the one chance the galaxy had at stopping the coming reaper invasion was gone. Words were nothing but noise. Her mouth refused to work. She mumbled her objections to the truth.

She looked around the room frantically, looking for some sort of consolation. She found none. She was only reminded that her lover was gone. Everyone looked at her with shocked expressions, Kaidan tried to comfort her, but she didn't care. She wanted revenge. She wanted to hurl a nuclear bomb at the heart of the enemy ship and personally rip the crew apart; limb from limb.

Tears couldn't be held back; they flowed freely down her cheeks, but she did not weep. She did not cry. No, she lashed out. Her fist clenched and impacted the titantium harness of her seat, a snarl of rage erupting from her throat. Pure blood rage took over as she tried to rip the harness from it's threshold and use it as a battering ram for her enemies. Kaidan to calm her down, but her arm swung around in a fit of fury, knocking him back.

She wished she could rip her mask off and just die of infection. She wished she could join him. No, No. Not until he was avenged. But how could she fight a two-kilometer enemy with weapons capable of decimating entire fleets? Eventually she just fell into her seat, her energy sapped. The love of her life was suffocating in space, noone to comfort or rescue him and she was trapped in this damn pod, unable to help. She felt useless. She felt empty.

She felt hollow.

Finally, her blood rage ended and all that was left was just her melancholy. She was helpless to fight it. She let her head fall into her hands as she sobbed, tears flowing from her eyes like blood oozing from a wound. In many ways, that's how she felt. Wounded, gutted, destroyed. She weeped, long and loudly, her cries of melancholy heard by all in the pod. She continued to whisper her objections of the truth through her weeping as everyone tried to avert their eyes from the mourning quarian.

"Ish'ko lasi'ti!" Tali shouted.

_I am alone, I am empty._

**Author's Note:**

**I am back guys and ready to kick off with the second installment: Prophecy. This is the longest of the story arcs and, per my decision, will have alot of it changed from Mass Effect 2. Most, if not all, characters from the previous installment will be returning, even the ones that weren't featured in ME2 to begin with.**

**The first section of this will deal with how the crew seperate and get on with their lives and shows how Tali comes to terms with Marcus' death. This will go on for less than ten chapters before getting back into the action.**

**And if you enjoy Prophecy, then you'll love the third installment. It'll be the most action-packed one yet. But hey, let's get through Prophecy first.**


	2. Catalogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the year 2250, the galaxy is a bleak place. Seventy years after the Reaper War, Tali interrogates the husband she thought to be dead.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER ONE:**

**CATALOGUE**

_May 31, 2251_

_2342 hours._

_Main Living Room, Shepard Residence, Savior's Canyon, Rannoch._

_Terra-Rannoch War._

_Mistress of the High Senate Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch._

The sound of thunder woke Tali from her slumber. Her eyes shot open and she could only see the timber of her working table. She slowly rose her head up and looked around the room. It was fairly large; it had a single holographic terminal that served as a television that sat at the back of the wooden room.

A single, five by one and a half meter table sat in the middle, in which she now occupied. The room was illuminated by a single, flashing, yellow light. The design was intricate and when she asked Legion to investigate it, she found out it was called a 'chandlier.' Marcus must have added it in the design. A wooden cardboard with three draws and two glass door sat behind her, with numerous family photos stored in it, from her children's birth to the day they grew up.

The television sat ontop of another cardboard which held numerous movies, speakers and other electronically related tech. She never told anyone, but she had kept Chiktika hidden in there since the end of the war. Somewhere noone would know except her. If she ever needed Chiktika's assistance again, which was unlikely, she could find her.

An empty saucer sat to her left, originally housing her favourite dextro soup and a multitude of datapads sat before her. She had been reviewing the coalition's, and if the krogan join, soon to be the Dominion's, political policies and she was sure that the boredom had caused her to fall asleep.  _Your too old! You should be doing less work and more rest. It won't be long now, you old fool._

Tali sighed as she pushed the datapads away. She could hear the familiar whirring of Legion's machinery from behind her, obviously coming from the stairway due to the distant sound of the...sound.

"Ma'am," Legion pondered, "You appear to be fatigued."

Tali let out a confused hybrid of a groan and a chuckle, "Legion, how many times! It's just Tali! And yes, I'm pretty much exhausted."

Legion moved to sit down in the seat next to the quarian and once he had, he cocked his head.

"If you're that tired, you should get some rest," Legion informed her, taking the datapads, one by one, "I will finish the data correlation and present the results in the morning."

Tali's eyes widened as she studied her geth friend, "You don't have to do that! You get some rest. I would never get you to do a woman's work."

"The geth do not have a gender diffrentiation and do not require rest, only battery recharge," Legion retorted, "Now, get some sleep or I will be forced to force you into bed."

Tali laughed as she remembered the old days. She had just turned thirty when Legion started doing it. Whenever she refused to go to bed or not stop working, Legion would always pick her up and literally, carry her to the bedroom. They always used to play around, but when she reached forty, Legion stopped the playing, but kept carrying her to the bed.

It was all out of good conscience. Legion had kept doing that until she was seventy, when she was too old to be doing it. Not only did it cause mass pains in her back, but her body was too frail to be doing it anymore. She hardly even pick up her own shotgun now without dropping it out of the inability to handle such weight.

However, Legion's carrying had side effects. She never told him, but it always used to remind her of the days when she had Marcus. He always used to carry her to their cabin, but the one time that stuck out was just after they got married and when he had carried her to his cabin, still in her bonding suit and they had stayed their for a whole day. Ken and Gabby had never been happy about it, but she never regretted it. Secretly, when Legion had said goodnight to her, she would then silently cry herself to sleep. Of course now, now she had gotten over it and no longer cried herself to sleep.

However, a tear would always appear every now and then. But ever since discovering Mark in that horrible interrogation center, she started to question where her loyalties lay. Her people and the humans were holding her husband tied up in an interrogation room with programmed amnesia. She didn't know who she was more loyal to anymore; the dominion or Mark.

She had directly found Prometheus, the organization was meant to be the Dominion's sword and shield against the Covenant, or 'infidels' as they called them politically, were responsible for finding and torturing her husband and if that weren't enough, he was the reason the Dominion existed to begin with. Without him, they'd all be extinct by this point.

Marcus deserved at least the chance to die quickly. Instead, they were labotimizing him and slowly interrogating him. He was nothing but a lifeless husk, devoid of any kind of life or coherent memory.

"Tali? Tali? Tali!" Legion shouted.

Realizing she had drifted into distant thoughts, she snapped out of her musings and looked at Legion, sighing heavily, "Yes, yes. Bed it is. I'm getting there." Tali then slowly stood out of her chair and began walking towards the stairway leading up to the second storey of the house, where her bedroom was. The walk up the stairway was long, but when she reached the top she walked down the corridor ahead and pushed open the wooden door to her right at the end of the passage way.

The room was extravagant, as Marcus had sure when both of them designed the house. She still remembered the time they spent on Rannoch, just after having liberated it from the Reapers, both of them sitting next to the defeated reaper destroyer and both designing the plans for their house. It was finally a memory she could hold onto without crying; but instead smiling.

The left side of the room had two glass doors, both flanked by glass panels that allowed a clear view of the ocean nearby. The two doors opened out onto a balcony with two wooden chairs and a table where they could read at night or enjoy a breakfast, lunch or dinner outside. Back on the inside, a queen-sized bed lay in the center back of the room, two plush cushions and a thick blanket wrapped over it, sporting the colors and patterns of her clan, Clan Zorah.

A single drawer lay on Tali's side of the bed; the right, and ontop of it a lamp along with a KAZ hand cannon on the top, there for emergencies; being the widow of late Marcus Shepard, the mother of many dangerous engineers, techs and soldiers and the mistress of the high senate meant she was near the top of many assassin's hit lists. Of course there was a geth dropship that monitored the skies once every day and the geth prime, going by the name of Moses, would patrol her house at night, as Legion would always be deactivated at that time, but she couldn't always rely on them.

A single light illuminated the room and a wardrobe was located to the right of the room, housing numerous dresses and other clothes and attire. To the left of the bed was the entrance to their, her, private bathroom. It housed a shower, a bathtub and toilet, along with a sink for brushing her teeth. The decontamination unit was still linked to the bedroom's systems, but had long since been collecting dust ever since her immune system adapted to Rannoch's climate.

She slowly approached her wardrobe, ready for the memories to return. Littered around the room's walls was the numerous photos of herself with her husband, along with special pictures of herself with her children. She couldn't help but let tears fall down her cheeks at the sight of that. Marcus never even got to meet his children. In everyone of those photos, he was completely absent.

She stopped her approach to the wardrobe and approached her bedside table. She picked up the picture frame positioned on it and smiled at the memory. It was a picture of herself and Mark; Tali still in her white, bonding suit, mask off and hood down, smiling widely and warmly at the camera. Marcus had what was more akin to a grin, but it was there and it radiated the happiness of the moment. His arm was wrapped around Tali's waist as she stood to the right of the picture and Marcus to the left. He was in the black tuxedo that he absolutely despised wearing, but had worn it for Tali's sake.

It was taken on their union day, when they both got married on the Rayya. Shala had been there, along with the Normandy crew and many of her childhood friends. Alot of them were dead now; killed in the Reaper War or the current Terran-Rannochian War, or died of old age. As far as she knew, only Garrus, Liara and Wrex were the ones she knew were still alive and well. Wrex was basically a century from his deathbed while Liara still had eight centuries left. Garrus was closer to death than herself, so in the end, she would be the second to die out of all of them.

It wasn't how she planned to die either. When she planned to die of old age, she planned on doing it in bed, alongside her bondmate. That was now no longer possible. Keelah, her own husband's body was preserved well enough to be sixty years younger than her.

She laughed at the fond memories she had of the old gang as she set the picture frame back down and rebegan her approach towards the closet. Her small hands clenched around the closet handles and she pulled them open. At first, all that could be seen were clotheshangers holding the numerous dresses, shirts, skirts, miniskirts, bras and swimsuits of her youth, along with her current attire. There was also the N7 hoodie that Marcus once owned.

But then she split the clothes apart with her hands, revealing the back of the closet. Steadily, she pulled out not one, but five different suits that she had worn during her time trapped in them. She lay them on the floor and kneeled before them, smiling as she picked up the suit she had worn as a child. It was the exact same one she had worn during her pilgrimage right up until she joined the crew of the Neema and received her adult suit.

It was kept in prime condition mostly by Legion or Penya, as they insisted on housekeeping. Tali assured them she could look after herself, but even her self-confidence was dwindling. She then checked the second suit; her adult suit. Many had said it was the prettiest suit; Mark had once commented on it, and in his exact words it was 'multiplying your already astounding beauty tenfold.' It was different in many ways from her old suit.

It kept the purple colored veil she loved so much, as it had been given to her when she was born as a wrapping for her suit by Auntie Raan. The mask had a slightly darker tint, but allowed her eyes to glow even more, apparently, then it's predecessor. This one also had a golden colored neckbrace, which extended into semi-rings that protruded around her cleavage. The suit was more skintight than the last, which in essence had made her breasts look smaller than they actually were. She still laughed at that; Mark's surprise during their first time had made her smile.

The veil also a sort of 'skirt' like formation around her legs, held there by a utility belt with numerous pouches and pockets, along with a magnetic clamp for her weapons and pouches for thermal clips and grenades. She also took feminine pleasure in knowing that the suit made her butt show alot more. She chuckled lightly, so as to not alert Legion to the fact that she was indeed not sleeping, but indulging in her own nostalgia.

The third suit was her bonding suit, having been weaved by Shala and Meru themselves. Meru had helped Shala make the plans for it before she died, hoping it would be used when her daughter got married in the future. It was also designed as a care unit, to help with breast-feeding for the first month after giving birth to a child before she was put in a sterile bubble. The suit was the same as her last, except the cloth was pure white. It had originally been just purple, but Mark had insisted on it, saying he wanted at least somepart of the ceremony to be human. She admitted later that she liked it.

The fourth and fifth suits were ones she despised. They were the suits she had worn into combat during the reaper war. Her 'CQB suits', Marcus had joked, a homage to her love of shotguns and the suit design. The first had a sheet of flexible steel that served as the 'veil' and 'hood' replacement, which was colored purple on her request. The mask was slightly less dark to increase combat performance and had state of the art, built-in combat statistics and squad communicators, designed to link to other quarian visors.

The whole suit, except the veil, was a golden color and covered in armored plating, along with a better utility belt, more pockets and more pouches. The armor at her legs and waist was lighter, to allow her better speed and stamina. The armored suit was covered in scorch marks and bullet holes, along with numerous cracks on her mask where she had taken damage.

The fifth suit was the suit she had had built to replace her fourth when it went out of commission. She had used it during the early days of the Terran-Rannochian conflict when the Coalition declared war against the Covenant. She had personally lead entire battalions into battle in this suit and it had seen its final combat during the Battle of Jaxto. Legends had been made about her prowess on the battlefield about the suit and even rumors of her having fought the batarian emperor, Si Pel, in hand-to-hand combat and emerged victorious had spread around. She had denied them, knowing them to be true, well, half true, but not wanting to become more of a celebrity than she already was.

The suit, many humans had commented on, made her look like a 'duck.' Apparently it was somekind of earth animal, Mark had told her. Many quarians said it made her look like the 'guardian vanguard of the ancestor's fury,' while the batarians said it made her look like a idiotic bafoon. Either way, it had served her well.

The suit was exactly like the fourth, but with a completely purple exterior. The armoured plating had been doubled, turning it into heavy armor, and the armor doubled around her legs. The visor was covered in microarmor plating, which thickened the glass and effectively made it 'bulletproof.' Unfortunately, this made seeing through it impossible, so a 'Y' was cut through the visor, allowing two slits for her to see through. Overall, the suit was better than the last.

She had intended to pass it down to Penya or Ashley, depending on which one joined the military. However, neither of them did, or at least not Ash. Ashley had gotten a doctorate from the Unversity of Idenna and became a doctor working at a hospital on Virmire, in the capital of Williams. She smiled. When the colony had been formed on Virmire, they had troubles on what to name the capital. When it came to it, Tali had suggested the name, in honor of her friend who had died on that world. Ironic that her daughter, also christened in her friend's name, would choose to live and work there.

Penya had become a battlefield nurse, not an active soldier, marine, infiltrator or orbital trooper, just a nurse. The suit Tali had worn was meant for combat engineers and was built for frontline assaults, not medical aid where a wall of soldiers and heavy kinetic shielding would protect her. As Tali thought of her numerous children, she hadn't heard Legion standing in the doorway.

"You're reminiscing again, Mrs. Shepard."

Tali was startled as she looked up to see the geth standing in the doorway, hands behind his back. She smiled kindly as she began picking up the suits to put them away, but keeping the second suit out. She wanted to hang that up on her wall; a final lament to her past and to her future with Mark in the afterlife. It was the suit she had worn when Mark and herself had finally joined in physical matrimony. She intended for it to be her guardian into the afterlife.

Laying the suit next to her bed, she slipped under the covers and gently lay her head on the pillow. It was soft; a feeling she greatly enjoyed during her days as a old woman. It allowed her obsolete and old muscles to relax and sleep and for soft, kind memories to envelop memories. Sometimes however, they couldn't save her from the memories of her dead friends.

Legion approached her bedside and sat next to her, tucking her in. She groaned, but the geth silenced her with a finger. Then an itch built up in her throat and she sighed mentally. First a cough, then another, followed by a coughing fit. She had been having many of these and she didn't know why. Legion had said it was due to her old age, but she had dismissed it as simple miscalculation on his part.

"Are you okay, Tali? Would you like me to put this suit away?" Legion asked, motioning it's optics towards the suit.

Tali shook her head, "No Legion, I want it there," she then yawned, "Goodnight, Legion." Legion nodded, leaving the room and closing the door behind him, turning off the light as it went. Consumed by darkness, Tali fell asleep. It was a long and peaceful sleep. She had a dream about Mark, herself and their children on the beach. Mark and herself sat on the beach while their children played in the water.

It was a dream she wished could have been true.

**{Loading...}**

_June 1, 2251_

_1743 hours._

_Entering General Vicinity, Shepard Residence, Savior's Canyon, Rannoch._

_Terra-Rannoch War._

_Drill Instructor Reby'Reegar pav Rannoch, Reserve Cadet Thane'Shepard pav Rannoch._

"Come on Cadet, seeing your mother isn't exactly the worst thing I could ask you to do." Reby stated as she drove the skycar towards the Shepard residence. It was a fairly large house and she was aware that it had originally been intended for two spouses and alot of children. Sitting next to her in the skycar was one of those children, most of them having grown up and left.

Reby shared a glance at Thane. She knew she had feelings for him, but she never showed them due to her military training. As a marine, love wasn't particulary something that was allowed on the battlefield, let alone authorized. If she developed any attachment to Thane, they'd both be transferred. Reby was planning on retiring from the military anyway and Thane, as they were both best friends, would probably follow her.

She switched her sight back to the windscreen as they begun their descent towards the house when she saw Thane turn to face her.

"Yes, but I've got a military duty. I-" Thane tried to object.

"Your mother knows more about military protocol than you do. She served during this ancestors forsaken war too you know," Reby interrupted him, "Keelah, she was admiral of the seventeenth battle fleet, you know. Lead it into battle many times before retiring." Reby told him.

Thane rolled his eyes, "She was a military stategist, I know. But that's only because of dad. Without him, she'd still be getting squads killed, let alone a fleet." Thane pessimistically answered.

Reby didn't bother to refute that. Thane's response was blunt and curt, but it was true. Tali had once been a terrible commander and tactician, but when she met Marcus and got used to being admiral of the board during the reaper conflict, she had grasped leadership very quickly and even learned to embrace it. She was also famous for having lead her flagship, the Idenna, into a geth battlegroup during the Battle of Rannoch and managed to distract them long enough to allow the Rayya breathing room. She abandoned ship later on, but was rescued by the Normandy crew, where she was reunited with her husband.

It hadn't taken long for the skycar to touch down outside the house, parking just alongside Tali's skycar. Both of them opened the doors and stood out into the harsh sun of Tikkun, both of them turning to approach the house. A single geth prime stood guard outside the house, it's siege pulse and combat drone keeping guard; a formidable sight.

The only sound that could be heard apart from their quiet footsteps was the sound of the  _raluk_ birds cries in the sky as they glided past, the gentle Rannochian wind and the sound of the waves crashing on the beach only a kilometer away. It was quite peaceful in this area of Rannoch; with this residence being the only sign of civilization for miles. For a couple and their children to live in peace, it was the perfect spot.

They were halted by the prime platform as he ordered his combat drone to scan them. He introduced himself as Moses. When the drone had reported back the results, they had waited another minute before another geth, this being an ex-infiltrator model, came out to greet them. Legion, if she remembered correctly, was the current caretaker of the residence and was tasked with looking after Mistress Tali; a job it had catered to willingly.

"Mr and , welcome. Mistress Tali will join you in a moment." Legion greeted.

Before she could blush, Reby looked at Thane, who shared the same stare as she did, before turning back to Legion.

"We're not married." The two of them said at the same time.

Legion cocked it's head flaps, "So you are not engaged yet?"

"We're not together either." They said, once again, simultaneously.

"But you're body movements-" Legion attempted to press.

"Legion, don't try and be a love detector. You're horrible at it." Tali ordered and Legion immediately stopped, reentering the house. Shaking her head, Tali moved forward and hugged Thane, before turning to hug Reby as well, "I haven't seen you two in a while." Finishing her hug, she motioned them to move inside.

"We're off duty," Reby explained, "Thought we'd give you some company."

"Funnily enough, I've invited someone else as well," Tali declared, "I think you'll like him."

All of a sudden, an intimidating but croaky voice sounded from behind her, "You mean me?"

Tali's face lit up and she shot past them. Reby and Thane turned to see a large krogan embracing the old woman, both of them laughing.

"Wrex! You came!" Tali shouted as she let go.

"Of course," Wrex stated like it was obvious he'd come, "You maybe a little quarian, but your  _my_ little quarian  _sister._ " Both of them chuckled for a moment longer before Wrex noticed Thane, moving up to Tali's son and pulling him into a hug as well.

"Hi, Uncle Wrex." Thane acknowledged the krogan, ending the embrace.

"You been remembering what I taught you?" Wrex asked.

"Which one? The shotgun, the hand-to-hand, or how to throw a YMIR? Which I still can't do, by the way." Thane answered snarkily, a grin creasing his lips.

Wrex shook his head in amusement, "You've still got your father's smartass attitude." Then he turned towards Reby and grunted, "This your girlfriend? Or is it wife?"

Reby and Thane exasperated but this time, only Reby answered and in a irritated tone, "Do we really look like a couple to everyone? What makes people think we're together?"  _Despite the fact that I am actually interested._

"You're as bad at hiding it as Tali and Marcus were at hiding theirs," Wrex bluntly stated.

"We're not married and we're not in a relationship! We're just friends!" Reby insisted.

Wrex shared a glance with Tali, who shrugged her shoulders and the krogan rolled his eyes. Tali then motioned them inside and into the lounge room, before moving to make them some drinks. She had insisted on doing it, but Reby eventually convinced her to sit down while she got the drinks. When she returned, they sat down and chatted.

"So...how's the situation with Upper Coalition Space? Do we expect a dominion at some point?" Tali asked solemnly.

Wrex nodded gravely, "That's why I'm here; I'm acting as the representative for the krogan confederacy that will sign the Terran-Rannochian-Aralakh Treaty binds us. When it's done, it'll be the Galactic Dominion, with the krogan as official members. We'll get a spot on the Central Parliament and Tuchanka will be recognized as a fully militarized and dangerous superpower. It also means that the Covenant are our enemies now."

"The situation is sounding more and more desperate every day," Reby added, "This war has to end at some point. It's been going ever since 2204. It's like the perputual war."

Wrex nodded, "Which is why the confederacy is vouching to sanction an invasion force."

Tali spat out her tea, "They're finally doing it?"

Wrex shook his head, "Praetor isn't budging, but he will soon. The Covenant is slowly realizing that they can't keep playing it safe and it won't be long before the Praetor stops playing around and strikes first. It's them or us. Cold and ruthless, but it's the truth."

"The amount of deaths..." Tali murmured in horror.

"Would be acceptable," Wrex stated in his usual cold demeanour, "Either we finish this conflict once and for all or we continue on for another five decades. Think about what Marcus would want."

Tali shook her head, "He'd find a way to negoitate. He'd have ended this damn war forty years ago like it should have been."

Wrex huffed, "He didn't do much diplomacy during the reaper war, or the eden prime war."

"Because the reapers didn't care! They wanted us wiped out! Plain and simple!"

"Aha!" Wrex emphasized, punctuating this by pointing directly at her, "That's why we have to strike at Khar'Shan and end this! The Covenant don't care about peace talks! For all we know, they're consolidating their troops right now! That and they could be moving mass relays to interconnect with heavily populated systems. We strike them, or they strike us. Look at the fundamentals for yourself."

Tali did and she found herself, disturbingly, agreeing with the krogan. All out assault on the Covenant-held systems was the only way to secure victory and stop the covenant threat. It would also allow the the Dominion to liberate Thessia as well as well as secure a supply route with it's trapped colonies and the Sanctum-occupied worlds. It would end the stalemate that had been going on for decades.

"I cannot believe what this galaxy has come to," Tali finally stated, taking a final sip of her drink, "It's destroyed everything Mark worked for. If he were here, he'd have stopped this by now."

Wrex chuckled, "Always said he'd make a fantastic praetor."

Tali smiled at that. Mark had become a celebrity in many cultures.  _Battlemaster to the krogan. Vanguard to the quarians. Warrior to the turians. Goddess' sword to the asari. So many names...and he wanted none of it. All he wanted was..._

Tali didn't dare think about that. Instead, she enveloped herself into speaking with her friends. She knew just what she wanted to request for the next interrogation. She didn't care what the spooks at Prometheus said, she was a Mistress of the High Senate and if she had to use her pull in the parliament to get what she wanted, then so be it.

He may have been a husk, but he was  _her_ husk.

**{Loading...}**

_June 1,_

_2035 hours._

_CLASSIFIED LOCATION_

_Terra-Rannoch War._

_Special Tasks Group Operative Carter Dielheart, Commander Reia'Inas pav Earth._

"Having her interrogate the man was one thing," Carter complained, "Now she wants to relocate him? What does she think we run, a postal service? She can't just relocate subjects wherever she damn pleases," Carter then took a second to remember who he was talking to and exasperated, "You're not even listening are you?"

"Not at all," Reia responded, "I was busy ordering a squad of geth and quarian heavy troopers to secure the interrogation cell."

Carter stopped at that and turned to her. The quarian hadn't seen him stop when he did, so she herself stopped infront of him, her assault rifle displaced in her open arms. She turned to him, seeing his raised brow, "What?" she asked.

"You have an entire squad of heavy troopers; people trained to take down a platoon of yahg; moving to escort a mentally handicapped, half-dead, soldier?" Carter asked.

Reia sighed, "Handicapped or not, the man still packs muscle. Let's not forget that we don't know the extents of his memory loss. If he were to have a mental spasm at some point, he could remember enough to kill an entire platoon of ill-prepared soldiers. The squad I'm sending all have N7 training. They are my most elite operatives; perfect for an escort like this."

Carter shook his head and waved a dismissive hand as he pushed past the quarian commander, continuing towards the interrogation cell that 001 was held in. When he arrived, he could see that the soldiers had arrived already, ever present. They looked like scarred veterans; a dozen quarians and geth with battle scars and hardened looks, wearing heavy armor and heavier weapons.

"Be ready," Reia ordered her men as they all stood beside the doors. Carter rolled his eyes as he punched in the codes to the vault and waited a minute for all the firewalls to be disabled and the locks to disengage. They had built this vault to hold in yahg and the best hackers in the galaxy couldn't break through it; not even Tali'Shepard.

When the vault finally opened, Marcus Lee Shepard himself was in the center, blindfolded as per usual. Moving inside, Carter moved his wheelchair outside where it was taken over by Reia.

"We'll this from here, sweetie." Reia then gave him her biggest smug grin before motioning her troopers to follow her to the shuttle, smiling at Carter's annoyed expression as she went. She'd never tire of it. Carter just grunted and left, seeing if there was anything for lunch or if any reports needed to be finalized.

**{Loading...}**

_June 2, 2251_

_1233 hours._

_Main Living Room, Shepard Residence, Savior's Canyon, Rannoch._

_Terra-Rannoch War._

_Mistress of the High Senate Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch, Commander Reia'Inas pav Earth, Interrogation Subject 001, Confederate Overlord Urdnot Wrex._

Tali watched as the door opened to her living room and Moses stepped inside, followed by two geth N7 infiltrators and two quarian infiltrators; one male and one female. Their faces were clean of emotions as they took positions on either side of the table; the geth behind Tali and the quarians at the other end of the table. The rest of the squad had the house under lockdown; troops placed around it.

She watched with a glare as Reia'Inas approached, wheeling in her mentally blank husband. Tali looked at Reia as she entered a parade rest next to the wheelchair.

"You really think an old woman is going to be much of a threat to N7 soldiers, Reia? Give me a break." Tali snarled, coughing afterwards. Reia and Tali hadn't been on the best of terms. Reia's father had been a harsh critic of the Zorah clan for quite a while, and the Inas clan wasn't exactly popular with them either.

Reia smiled, "I'm less worried about you and more worried him. Handicapped he maybe, but I'm not taking any chances of you getting emotionally broken and trying to run off with him. He's Prometheus property."

Tali growled gutturally, "He's not property...he's my husband..."

"He's a husk of your  _dead_ husband," Reia corrected, "Now, don't you have an interrogation to continue?"

Tali glared at Reia before moving back in her seat and arching her back. After a pop, she dismissed Reia with a nod of her head; the quarian leaving the room as Tali turned back to Mark. He looked so peaceful. She hadn't seen peace like that since the interval between the collector battles and the reaper war. It was tranquility she missed.

With a sigh, she got out her datapad and got ready to take notes. She brought Marcus here for a reason. She wanted to be with him in what was supposed to be home.

**"So, are you ready to begin again, 001?"**

**Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"That voice again. That...pretty voice. What's your name again?"**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Like I said the first time we met; I'm Tali and I'm here to help you, 001."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"I remember that name."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"You would. I'm...someone you cared about very much. Now, are you ready to begin again?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Yes."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Then let's jump a month after the Battle of the Citadel and the destruction of the Normandy. What happened next?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"I came back."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Well, maybe I can fill the gaps for you. This is what happened while you were gone..."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**For the people knew to this series, I recommend reading Enigma first before going into this. It will help you understand the story and plot a little bit more.**


	3. Hero of the Citadel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew splits and goes their separate ways after Shepard's death. A friend offers Tali a ride home.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER TWO:**

**HERO OF THE CITADEL**

_August 21, 2183_

_1500 hours._

_Citadel Memorial, Main Chamber, Shalta Wards, The Citadel._

_Marksman Garrus Vakarian, Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, Medical Chief Karin Chakwas, Prothean Researcher Liara T'Soni, Chief Engineer Gregory Adams, Machinist Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Councilor Tevos, Councilor Sparatus, Councilor Valern, Councilor David Edward Anderson, Ambassador Donnel Udina._

Tali stood in complete silence. Nothing was said as the group just stood there, eyes either scanning the councilors' faces or looking at the coffin that held Marcus' body. To Tali, her attention was firmly fixed on that coffin, her face ragged with tears. Liara had soothed the quarian, but had soon left her alone to let her get herself together.

But Tali couldn't. The pain of her loss was still too fresh; time hadn't passed sufficiently for her wound to heal. It would take years for the quarian to move on. Even now, she was still in shock at all of it. How quick it had happened; the Normandy's destruction, the mysterious enemy vessel and Marcus' death. All of it happened in the one day; it was the worst day of Tali's life, even rivalling her mother's death.

So all the young engineer did was stand there; stand there and sob as the coffin lay there. When the councilors had finished their speeches and Anderson, who had basically been the only one out of the four councilors to not downplay his death, which the bosh'tets were doing alot of, the seven of the surviving Normandy crew members saluted, before raising their weapons and firing a two round burst into the air.

Lowering her pistol, Tali watched as four alliance marines picked up Marcus' coffin and took it to a skycar, where it would be taken to Earth to be properly buried. The Council had suggested the morgue, but Hannah Shepard, Marcus' mother, would be having none of it. When she looked along the line, she could see the look of sorrow and loss on her comrade's face but most of all; fury.

Every since their rescue, the Council had been quick to announce her lover's death, going to the extremes of almost saying it in a way that made them sound happy about it. What happened next was the final match to light the fire; they ceased the amassing of their ships and declared the reapers a 'myth', stating that Sovereign was merely a geth creation; a geth superdreadnought.

Anderson had tried to convince the councilors otherwise, but he was one councilor against three others. Udina was quick to agree, the council kissass that he was and soon, everything Marcus had fought for had fallen apart. The Council were essentially spitting on his dead corpse and it made her more angry than ever before.

When the funeral was over, Tali and the gang had gone to Flux to contemplate what had happened. The mix of emotions was deadly. On one hand, they were still recovering from the events that lead to Shepard's death, while on the other hand, they were enraged by how the Council had disowned them so quickly. How they could disrespect the lives thrown out Sovereign to save them and then just ignore their sacrifices.

They were quiet. None of them said a word as their drinks just sat in front of them; untouched and undisturbed. They all exchanged glances with each other; words weren't needed. All they needed was the looks passed around, to know that neither of them were alone in their sorrow. Tali sniffed occassionally, but the majority of her weeping had ceased sometime after the ceremony.

Finally, Garrus broke the silence, "I can't even explain how pissed off I am right now."

"Wait until Wrex hears this," Kaidan added, "He'll go ballistic. To think everything we fought for, just...thrown out the window! Like...none of it mattered!"

Silence again. It was a growing occurance with this group. Tali turned her head to see that Chakwas and Adams were idly shifting their drinks, not saying a word. Marcus wasn't the only fatality on the Normandy; many crew members had died, most notably Pressly and Johnson. What was left was the splintered remains of their team. If Wrex had still been onboard...she didn't want to think of what  _might_ have happened.

"Well...someone's got to break the bad news to him, I guess," Liara stated.

Silence again.

Tali slammed her fists on the table, "It isn't fair! Why does the Council have to be so ignorant? Why did Marcus have to die?" The quarian slamming her fists into the table hadn't been something the group had expected and it made Garrus and Kaidan jump a little, but Chakwas was immediately at Tali's side, rubbing the quarian's shoulders.

Garrus shook his head, "Since when was it 'Marcus?' Since when did any of us know his first name?"

"I did," Kaidan stated.

Garrus rolled his eyes and huffed, " _Except_ you."

Liara saved Tali the trouble of answering, "They were together awhile before the attack on the Normandy."

Garrus' look of surprise was barely hidden but Kaidan just nodded, having been the first one to know about the obvious 'chemistry' between the spectre and the machinist. Tali just looked at the table as Chakwas continued to sooth her, but eventually the doctor backed off to give the quarian some room to blow off steam.

"So...now what?" Garrus asked.

Kaidan sighed heavily, sitting up, "I've been reassigned," Kaidan stated, "Alliance has me on colonial duty; protecting the natives and commanding a small unit. I'm scheduled to move to Arcturus to receive my assignment tomorrow," The human sentinel then turned towards Garrus, "What about you, dino?"

Garrus huffed, "I'll continue what Shepard started. I'm going to try and run for spectre."

Everyone stopped. Tali looked up at Garrus and gave a weak smile.  _Garrus is going to continue Shepard's legacy? I don't just respect him now, I adore him._ "It's a great goal. Wish I could, but I doubt the council would allow a quarian spectre." Tali spoke up.

Garrus shrugged, "I'll raise my own team and keep fighting for the good cause. You're welcome to join Tali," he then turned to Liara, "You too, Liara."

"Not for me I'm afraid," Liara declared, "I've still got prothean data troves to dig up. I have to do my part in preparing for the reapers and the protheans may have developed weapons to fight them during their war. It's a long shot, but worth it. I'll keep in contact."

"What about you, Tali?" Garrus asked the machinist.

"I'll return to the fleet," Tali said immediately, "There's nothing else for me here. Marcus is dead, the Normandy is destroyed and I don't know what to do anymore. I suppose I should warn the admiralty about the reapers. If the Council won't mobilize, you can be sure the fleet will. AI hatred runs in our blood. The Migrant Fleet will be ready to fight off the Reapers."

"Me and Chakwas have been reassigned too," Adams spoke up, "Don't know where she's running off to, but I've got a post aboard the McKinley as it's chief engineer."

Chakwas nodded, "I've gone colonial; apparently command wants me working as the chief medical officer at the Mars medical center. It's not military and its not the medbay on a starship, but its something. Can't say I won't miss healing wounded soldiers though."

"So I guess this is goodbye for all of us," Garrus added, "It's been an honor working with all of you. When I joined the Normandy crew, I was weary at first. But as I grew to know you all, you became my comrades, my friends," With that, the turian raised his glass in the air, "And a toast, to the hero of the citadel!"

Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together, before taking a sip of their drinks. Conversation continued amongst them for a while. It wasn't long before Garrus excused himself, saying one final goodbye while promising to keep in contact with them via the extranet. Afterall, they were friends now. An inseperable team. Tali had wished him luck in becoming a spectre, while he had reciprocated the gesture.

Eventually, Tali and Liara took their leave as well, preferring to get to their new tasks quickly and efficiently. Like it or not, they were all soldiers now, doing the things that the Council was too weak-willed to do. Politicians; completely unreliable. Except maybe when it comes to the migrant fleet. When you want action, the flotilla will react immediately.

Tali and Liara walked silently side by side for awhile until they reached a rapid transit terminal, where they called a taxi to take them to the D24 docks. They had conversed about minor things on the taxi ride there; things that revolved around personal stories, not melancholy and depression following the destruction of the ship they called home at one point. There would be other frigates like it, but none would be the same or live up to that ship's legacy.

When they finally reached the docks, they had walked up the docking tube before Liara spun around to say her final goodbye, hugging the quarian snugly.

"We'll keep in contact," Liara promised, "I might even visit you at some point."

Tali laughed, "Not likely. I think the fleet's patrols will shoot you down."

Liara gave a grim smile, "I'll think about purchasing stealth systems then."

With that, they both broke into laughter before hugging each other one final time. When the final boarding call for Liara's transport was given, the asari waved the quarian and left, the doors closing behind her and leaving the quarian on her own. Once again; like the time after Keenah's death and right up to her first meeting with Marcus, she was alone.

She stood there for two minutes, not knowing what to do. Many strangers gave her odd or suspicious looks, but she ignored them. In the end, she gave a sigh and left to get a drink at the Dark Star Lounge. She needed to clear her thoughts.

Getting another taxi ride to the Zakera Ward hadn't taken very long and it had taken even less to actually get to the Dark Star. Due to the population still recovering from the aftermath of Sovereign's attack on the Citadel, the Dark Star wasn't as heavily populated as it might have been, but there was a large amount of alliance officers.

They all gave her odd looks as she ordered a dextro brandy, using what funds she had acquired from the alliance during her previous mission to buy it. When her drink was delivered to her, she didn't drink it immediately. In fact, she just stared at it blankly for a solid five minutes. As if lost in a different world.

All of a sudden, she felt a firm grip clasp on her left shoulder. Jumping in surprise, she turned, ready to defend herself, only to find an alliance officer; captain by the insignia on her uniform, who had grey hair and looked oddly familiar.

"Are you Tali'Zorah?" The woman asked and Tali widened her eyes in surprise. Who was this human and how did she know her name?

"Y-yes." Tali hesitantly said.

The woman smiled gravely, "Captain Hannah Shepard of the SSV Orizaba and before you ask...yes, I'm related. I...I was your commander's mother."

Tali gulped. Did his mother not approve of her relationship with her son? Or for starters, did the captain even know? And if she did, how did she find out? It's not like Marcus made their relationship a public affair. Sighing, she decided she knew how to respond.

"Captain Shepard, I'm so sorry for your loss." Tali responded, watching as Hannah plopped down on a stool next to her.

"Please Tali, call me Hannah. And don't act like I'm the only one who's mourning," Hannah said grimly, her eyes getting watery, deciding the bench looked very interesting, "Besides, you were my son's first girlfriend. Has to count for something."

Tali was so shocked she didn't know what to do next or how to respond. Captain Shepard... _Hannah_... _did_ know. But how? Did Marcus secretly tell his mother without warning her? If they were telling their families about their relationship, then he should have told her. He would have informed Shala and father immediately. There was no need to hide it from her. This confusion was replaced with sympathy when she saw just how watery Hannah's eyes were.

"H-how-how did you know?" Tali asked.

Hannah laughed, "He told me. Should have seen the message. It was a laugh. The way he worded it, you would have thought he was the happiest man in the world," she then paused for a second, "Uh, I mean galaxy."

Tali couldn't help but lightly chuckle at that mishap but out of instinct and thought of what she was doing, she wrapped her arm around Hannah's shoulders and gripped them tightly in a soothing manner.  _I'm treating her like a relative of mine. Do I really have the right?_

Either way, the quarian's heart one out and continued her gesture, slowly and steadily. Finally, Hannah laughed.

"You know, he seemed to make you out to be some kind of angel. He said you were sweet, kind, cute, nervous, dangerous in battle, protective. I always thought he was exaggerating," Hannah then turned to look Tali directly in the eyes, "But maybe he wasn't..."

Then Tali said something she thought she never would have said infront of someone, especially Marcus' mother, "I miss him alot. He meant alot to me when I first met him...now the feeling is multiplied tenfold. I miss him so much."

Hannah smiled warmly, watching as Tali's arm returned to the quarian's side, "You sound like a nice girl Tali. It's just a pity I couldn't have seen how much my son cared for you in person. So, are you staying with your crewmates or what?"

Tali shook her head, "They've gone seperate ways. I'm going back home to the flotilla. I have to complete my pilgrimage and present my gift."

Hannah raised a brow, "Pilgrimage? Do you mean a religious right of passage kind of pilgrimage?"

Tali raised her own brow, "Religious?"

Hannah guffawed, "What's unknown is better kept that way. So, tell me about this pilgrimage. What significance is it to your people's wellbeing? You quarians have always fascinated me. You were something of an enigma during history class back on Earth."

Tali explained what pilgrimages were and when she finished, Hannah creased her face into one of impression, "There's the signs of an adapted culture. Had the Council actually gotten of their asses and done something, I don't think you'd have to go on such risky adventures. God bless 'em. In a way."

"What do you mean?" Tali asked.  _Was she thanking the Council for letting my people get exiled?_

"It's okay, I never meant offense," Hannah held her hands up in defense, "What I meant is that had you still had a homeworld, you wouldn't need to go on pilgrimage, which would suck, but pilgrimages are about a sense of adventure. It lets you kids get out into the real galaxy. See things most children don't bother to see. In ways, you're better off than you were before."

"I fail to see your logic," Tali argued, "My people want our homeworld back. Without it, we're left with dying vessels, suit and bubble prisons, tight confines and barely any privacy. Keelah, a suit puncture is lethal to us depending on the limit of exposure."

"It's hard to explain really," Hannah began before stopping, "Here we are, arguing over pilgrimages and opinions on your people's culture, when before we were weeping over the death of my son. Conversations can really go full circle, can't they?"

Seeing Tali's silent posture, Hannah decided to ask a seperate question, "So how do you plan on getting back to the fleet?"

Tali sighed, "I don't know. I'll probably book passage on another ship. Hope I'm not kicked off due to my race."

Hannah looked insulted, "Excuse me?"

Tali was suddenly very alarmed, "I didn't mean offense! I'm sure your people are nice-"

Hannah guffawed once again, her laugh echoing the room, "Not that! No, trust me, it takes real tryhards to offend me, so don't worry. No, I was talking about the ship you wanted to book passage on."

"What about it?" Tali wearily asked. She wasn't looking forward to travelling in a cargo compartment. On transports, there was first class, second class, third class and then cargo. Quarians and vorcha got cargo. Krogan just barely make third class.

Hannah gave her a sneaky grin, "I'm not going to standby and watch as your thrown into a cargo compartment. No, I'll be giving you a ride in my dreadnought if anything."

Tali was flabbergasted, "You wouldn't!"

"I would," Hannah retorted, "I'm on shore leave, so technically I can go wherever I wish. I was planning on rendevousing with some frigates in the Tyiran System of Farlile Cluster, but I think they wouldn't mind if I made a slight detour."

Tali was more than happy, she was beaming. She was getting a ride back home on an alliance dreadnought and of which was captained by her dead boyfriend's mother.

"Thank you so much!" Tali thanked the human, throwing her arms around the woman. However, she suddenly let go and sat back, "But I don't think the fleet would let you in! We have a defense system..."

Hannah gave her a cocked expression, "No offense Tali, but you don't think a bunch of rusty old ships are going to want to stand in the way of a state-of-the-art Killmanjaro-class alliance dreadnought with enough firepower to disable a fleet of turian venator-class destroyers do you?"

Tali giggled, "I suppose not. Besides, I could just give them my code."

"Code?"

"Oh, it's a special code. I have two in fact. Whenever a quarian leaves the flotilla and wishes to return, he/she must present a code to the defending ships. One lets us through and lets us know we're fine while the second let's them know that we are either a hostage and are being held prisoner by an enemy force intending to bring harm to the fleet."

"What do they do if you give them the second code?"

"Simple," Tali responded instantly, "They open fire. They destroy the ship."

Hannah was shocked, "That's it? They don't make attempts to save their people?"

Tali shook her head, "A quarian's first thought is the survival of the fleet. We are all patriots...or at least most of us," The quarian took a breath, "When we give that code, we know we must die for the continuity of the flotilla. Their sacrifice would be one honored among the fleet for years to come. We remember our own."

"So what's your code to get in safely?"

Tali laughed and whispered, "You'll find out when we get there."

Hannah smiled as they continued to drink. Eventually the conversations turned back to Marcus and the fresh wounds were too much for both of them. Hannah was the first to break into a fit of tears, Tali cradling the woman as she cried. Tali eventually began her sobbing and the two women, as if they'd known each other for decades, held each other as they cried, both offering their own reassuring words to each other.

Eventually they both had drinks, singing quarian and human folk songs alike.

There was time for mourning, but for now, they could get to know each other.

**{Loading...}**

_August 23, 2183 {Translated Khelish Time}_

_Thirteen Hours, Twenty-Five Minutes._

_Conclave's Chamber, Liveship Rayya, Migrant Fleet, Zulu System, Wilbak Nebula._

_Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Huzzi, Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema, Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib, Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh, Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay._

Rael just sat in his chair as he watched the numerous admirals stroll in. Han'Gerrel, with his usual posture of parade rest with straightened back took a seat next to Rael, nodding at him as they shook hands. Zaal'Koris had a strong posture as well, but his presence reeked of his apologist personality. He took a seat next to Raan.

Shala'Raan herself had always been the neutral person; she didn't know if she preferred peace, war or experimentation on the geth. She just wanted her homeworld back and that made her a loose end to be tied up. She was basically the betting card on which side would win in the political game.

Daro'Xen was just...sinister. Her husband had since been living in seperate quarters to Xen due to her request and ever since she had been obsessed with finding ways to conquer the geth and reprogram them. Xen was called the 'madwoman' of the admiralty board, but she was respected as well. Her breakthroughs brough them closer and closer to the reclamation of their homeworld.

Rael was on both Daro's and Gerrel's side; he wanted war but he also wanted to bring the geth firmly back under quarian control. As far as he knew, his wife had been on Koris' side and the more the days went on, it appeared Raan was slowly entering Zaal's camp as well. Rael didn't care; as long as support kept reining in for Han and Daro's sides, which was ever increasing, then Shala and Zaal would be outvoted and the war for their homeworld would begin.

In a way, the attack on the Citadel recently had opened up new pathways for his people and potential new allies arose. Not only would alot of people want revenge upon the geth, but they would want them wiped out and that's when the quarian sympathsizers would start reining in their own support for a Perseus invasion.

When everyone was seated, the meeting began, mostly with Daro opening up, as she always did.

"With the Council still recovering from the geth attack, it should open up new oppurtunities for us," Xen declared.

"We'll be able to rally new support for our war efforts against the geth," Gerrel added, "More ships, more resources."

Xen laughed, "You don't think that's what I meant, is it Gerrel?" Xen responded, "No, the Council are too stubborn to help us and I don't think the conclave would accept it, given our history with the Citadel fools. No, what I meant is that a greater number of geth would be made available for my...experiments."

"You and your experiments," Koris spoke up, "What do we hope to achieve by continuing this charade? What should be doing is looking for a new world to colonize, not getting in false sentimentality and already lost dreams."

"Oh shut it Koris," Gerrel shot back, "Your apologetic policies won't ever work. The geth only want to wipe us out. Stop being such a suit wetter and just embrace the bigger picture. Rannoch is within our grasp! Three hundred years of warfare have prepared the fleet for this very moment! The Perseus will be ours once again, just you wait."

"All of you act as if the conclave has decided yet," Raan finally spoke, wanting to slit the throat of the argument before it could continue, "Until the conclave  _has_ decided on the course of action we should take, a liberation of Rannoch or peace with the geth is out of the question. For now, we should be discussing the problems with the Uhaz."

"Must we discuss such mundane subjects?" Xen spoke up, glaring at Raan, "You cannot dodge this topic forever."

Raan narrowed her eyes into slits, "I can dodge it for as much as I like," Raan retorted before turning to Rael, giving him a look that was readable even under her mask.  _Back me up here._

Sighing, Rael spoke, "Unfortunately, Admiral Raan is correct. The discussion on Rannoch is not the current topic and we must await the conclave's decision. For now, we should discuss fleet matters. Now Raan, you mentioned the Uhaz?"

Raan nodded, bringing up a holographic image of the ship in question. It was a repurposed elcor medical transport, having been decommissioned for nearly sixty-two years and now converted into a home ship; housing 11,071 quarian men, women and children. Schematics began to pop up for the vessel. It was of odd design, being an elcor ship, with the bow looking akin to a cube and the stern section looking like a tail. Due to the 'Gerrel' protocol, all ships were outfitted with some form of weaponry and this ship had two Mark II GARDIAN laser turrets; vastly outdated compared to the new Mark VI GARDIANs, but still usable.

"According to the Uhaz's captain, the ship had started getting quieter just an hour ago. When one of his engineers went to check, she reported back saying that the air filters were starting to fail. The captain is requesting extra resources to repair it."

Rael wanted to rubble his temples right now. He could tell this was going to be a long. tedious meeting and was getting headaches already because of it, "Which ship does he require the resources from?" Rael asked.

"Your ship, admiral," Raan reported.

Rael sighed, "Validate the request. Inform the Uhaz's captain that the resources will be sent to her ship immediately."

Raan nodded as the hologram of the ship disappeared and she entered the message into her terminal. "Sent," Raan reported.

"Now, how about the matters on the Nee-" Gerrel began to speak up but before he could continue, one of Rael's adjutants stormed in and stopped next to the table, saluting the admiral.

"What is it, corporal?" Rael asked the marine.

Lowering his salute, the quarian spoke, "Admiral sir, you won't believe this. The Iktomi just intercepted an alliance dreadnought that was attempting to gain access to the fleet sir. They claim to have your daughter aboard sir."

Rael's eyes widened, "What ship did they request to dock with?"

The marine hesitated and glanced in Gerrel's direction, "The Neema, sir."

Gerrel started at that and immediately stood up, heading out the door, "I'll take a shuttle their immediately. Just don't engage that dreadnought; our ships won't stand a chance against the firepower that thing packs."

Turning to the group, he saw Xen gave an exasperated sigh as she reclined on the table, hands folded in her lap. Raan seemed overly excited and was waiting the chance for Rael to dismiss her. No doubt she would be wanting to greet his daughter upon her return. Nodding his head, Raan professionally left the room. Koris on the other hand; he was just staring at his console.

Rael didn't have time for this, but he knew that without anything to do, he would have to confront the daughter he had neglected since his wife's death. With a overly done sigh, he also got up and left the room, breaking into a jog so as to catch up with Raan and Gerrel before their shuttle departed.

As he jogged, he remembered just now that he should be surprised.

_She managed to catch a ride - on an alliance DREADNOUGHT? Now this...this I have to see._

**{Loading...}**

_August 23, 2183_

_1336 hours._

_Main Bridge, Killmanjaro-Class Dreadnought SSV Orizaba HA-2, Entering Fleet Perimeter, Zulu System._

_Captain Hannah Rila Shepard, Commander Phillipo Coniglione, Machinist Tali'Zorah nar Rayya._

The entire bridge crew of the Orizaba watched as the dreadnought was surrounded by at least twenty quarian warships; mostly destroyers and frigates. Suddenly, they were hailed and the communications officer turned to the captain. Nodding, a female quarian voice came through the comm, one Tali recognized. It was Doroli'Ker vas Ulzabyk. Her ship was an outdated human freighter, converted into a prefab quarian destroyer.

"This is the Ulzabyk to the alliance dreadnought. Identify yourself and your business immediately or you will be fired upon."

Hannah cleared her throat, "This is the Killmanjaro-class dreadnought, SSV Orizaba HA-2 of the Systems Alliance Navy. I come with the intent of returning on your pilgrims; Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. How copy?"

The response took a while to come back. They were most likely trying to verify the story. Tali didn't blame them; the thought of a quarian pilgrim returning on an alliance naval warship, not to mention a engine-bound juggernaut, was hard to believe and they were right to be suspicious. Before long, Doroli returned.

"Have your passenger step forward and identify herself," Doroli demanded.

Tali didn't need prompting. Stepping forward, she spoke.

"This is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, daughter of Admiral Rael'Zorah, requesting permission to dock with the Neema."

"Verify," Doroli ordered.

Tali cleared her throat, "After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began." Finished, Tali turned to Hannah and winked and Hannah simply smiled. Tali had just recited her 'I'm safe' code.

The answer was instant, "Permission granted. Welcome Home, Pilgrim. Your docking request with the Neema has been granted. Admirals Han'Gerrel, Shala'Raan and Rael'Zorah will await your return."

Tali had widened her eyes at hearing that her father would actually come to welcome her home.  _He took time off work to see me? That's a first._ Tali slipped a hand to the pouch that contained the OSD that held the geth data on it. A second data disk held information on alliance stealth drive technology, given to her by Adams before saying goodbye. It was a gesture of goodwill. Tali smiled.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to Hannah and gave her a hug, seeing as it would be the last time she saw her...or at least for a while.

"You've got my extranet address," Hannah stated, letting go of the quarian, "Your father causes trouble for you, I'll make sure to shove my dreadnought right up his sorry ass."

Tali giggled, "I'll be sure to do that. Goodbye, Hannah. It was nice to meet you."

Hannah smiled, giving Tali a peck on her visor, "You're my daughter-in-law now; well, sorta. Either way, we'll keep in touch. Stay safe, Tali."

Waving her goodbye, Tali departed for the airlock, a two-man squad of marines escorting her there. She stated it wasn't nessacary, but they insisted for some reason. Oh well, at least she would look extravagant. Show her father she was capable. She hoped.

{ **Loading...}**

_August 23, 2183_

_1336 hours._

_'Humanity's Sanctum', Upper Levels, Cronos Station, Anadius System._

_The Illusive Man, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Lazarus Science Chief Albert Wilson._

Miranda inhaled deeply as she opened the door into the 'Humanity's Sanctum.' The door slid open with a hiss as she stood into the circular room. She hastily approached the Illusive Man's seat, who had another scientist, a man by the name of Wilson, standing next to him and reviewing information on a holographic screen before him. As Miranda finally reached his seat and stood to her leader's right, she saw the screens had Shepard's face on it.

"I'm sure you've heard about Commander Shepard's death, sir," Miranda stated.

A puff of smoke was heard before the enigmatic leader responded, "Yes, most unfortunate. This does ruin my original plan, but luckily, I had a more refined, better imposed, continegency plan in order. Wilson, show the data."

Wilson nodded and with a flick of his wrist, the holos changed from the news reports to data on reaper technology, depicting an image of Sovereign during the attack on the Citadel and a picture of Saren.

"I'm confused. I thought Shepard was our ultimate plan to defeat the reapers. But from the looks of it, you just want the reaper tech." Miranda asked; not questioning his plan, just confused by the sudden change of goal.

TIM shook his head, "Shepard still is our ultimate goal. Wilson and the majority of the Lazarus Cell had devised a foolproof away to replicate the reaper nanotech used to convert organics into husks and reverse engineer it to create cybernetic much like Saren's, except much more advanced and effective. Injected into anyone and combat performance would be greatly increased. The perfect supersoldier."

"And this connects to Shepard...how?" Miranda asked.

TIM held up a hand for her to cease talking, "I'm getting there. Now, we can't begin the implantation as it has...potential dangers," he then turned to Wilson, prompting the man to read out the hazards.

"The risks all range from tissue damage, mental degradation, huskification, cell degeneration, physical disablation and many other things. In layman's terms, the risks are too high to try on a live test subject. But if we were to attempt it on something that is dead..."

Miranda hit her epiphany, "You want to locate Shepard's body and use it as a lab rat for a cybernetic implantation?"

TIM smiled, "That and we wish to...resurrect him. Hence the name 'Lazarus.'"

Miranda was flabbergasted, "Necromancy? Sir, you're fully aware that resurrection is scientifically impossible. Reanimating something that is dead just can't be done."

Wilson shook his head, "Had it still been the 21st Century, you'd be right. But you're forgetting something; this is reaper technology we're talking about. They are millions of years ahead of us in technological achievement. If the reapers can reanimate a dead corpse and turn it into a husk, then we can do the same."

"Except this time, we cut the process off at the 50 percent mark," TIM cut in, "Shepard doesn't have to be a husk; we can sufficiently convert him just enough so that he's resurrected, but not a husk."

Miranda shook her head, "So many theories, not enough accuracies. We'd be pouring billions of credits into something we don't even know is going to work. We could turn him into a supersoldier that's indoctrinated by the reapers for all we know."

"Nothing has ever succeeded without trying," TIM responded, "Think about it. Not only would Shepard be risen from the dead, but he would be able to fight the reapers in ways we can't imagine. The amount of cybernetics in his body would turn him into the perfect supersoldier. He would be the first of thousands. We could create an army capable of defeating the reapers."

"But that all depends on us actually succeeding with Shepard," Wilson butted in, "He's the two kilometer long obstacle we have to get past. He's the gateway. We pass him and its clear roads from here."

TIM nodded, taking a drag from his cigarette, "Which is why I'm officially christening the latest Cerberus space station, 'Lazarus.' I've sent a recon team to Alchera to retrieve what's left of Shepard's body so it can be transferred to Lazarus to begin the experiments. Wilson will be second-in-command of the project."

Miranda nodded, "And who will be in the command?"

TIM took a sip of his whiskey, "You will be."

"Me sir?" Miranda asked, shocked.

"I need your scientific skill and perfection," TIM declared, "You were genetically engineered to be perfect, which makes you an excellent candidate to head the project. I'm putting Shepard's life in your hands, First Lieutenant Lawson."

Miranda nodded, "You won't be disappointed sir."

"I've also assigned a security detail of Cerberus officers to the station," TIM continued, "They are under the command of Sergeant Major Taylor, who I've recently promoted to Second Lieutenant. His failure at Noveria means he is to be posted there until the project is concluded, which I expect will take many years."

"Years, sir?" Miranda asked.

"Shepard was spaced and dropped into the atmosphere of a planet, Miss Lawson," TIM answered cooly, "I don't expect there to be much left of him but boiled slabs of meat. Your first priority will be to reconstruct his entire body; I don't care if you have to genetically grow his skeletal structure, but he has to be rebuilt before you go sticking cybernetics into him. I want his mind and memories to be preserved perfectly as well. I want him exactly as he was before; same morals, same personality. And no control implants, understood?"

Miranda had to object to that, "You know Shepard sir. He would never assist Cerberus even if we had resurrected him. A control chip would ensure that he stays loyal."

TIM shook his head, "Absolutely not. I want him to be exactly as he was before. I need that fire inside of him to destroy the reapers; his ability to inspire loyalty in his troops is what made him such a good leader. Inserting a control chip into his brain would only cost more money and make him a useless, mindless drone. No, no chips."

Miranda sighed in defeat, "As you wish sir. Should attempts to contact his former team be made sir?"

TIM took a while to think about that, "No, not all of them at least. Contact Chief Engineer Adams, Doctor Chakwas and his pilot, Jeff Moreau. Leave the others in the dark, though. I don't want them getting involved; their prejudice against our goals would only cause trouble that we don't need. And by no means contact that quarian, Tali'Zorah."

Miranda gave a sneer of agreement at the mention of the quarian that had served under Shepard, "Yes, sir. They shall be kept in the dark. Anything else?"

"No, that'll be all," TIM declared, "You're both dismissed. I'll have a shuttle prepped to take you to Lazarus Station. You'll have your body soon."

Nodding, Wilson and Miranda left, leaving the Illusive Man in the quiet space of his headquarters. Shepard would be resurrected by Cerberus. When he woke up in a couple years time, he would likely have questions and doubts about helping them, but he would make sure those questions were answered.

And meanwhile, he had reports of human colonies disappearing in the Amada system to investigate. The enemy that had destroyed the Normandy had been unknown, being able to see through the Normandy's stealth drive. Noone in the galaxy, not even the geth, had the technology to see through alliance stealth tech. Only the Reapers had the technology and as far as they knew, the entire reaper fleet was light years away from the galaxy, the only reaper that was here was Sovereign, and it was now scattered over the Citadel.

Whatever had attacked the Normandy had the power and size of a reaper and the prowess of a geth. Whatever had been guility of destroying the frigate, it wasn't Reaper or Geth.

So who did destroy the Normandy?

It was an answer the Illusive Man would endeavour to find out.

But meanwhile, he had Reaper tech to study. He wanted to see just how the Normandy had defeated Sovereign and how to exploit the reaper's weakness so it could be used on other reaper ships in the coming war.

Because war was coming and when it arrived...

Shepard and Cerberus would lead the galaxy into battle.

**"The years that followed your death were hard, I won't lie..."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"But you recovered..."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"I certainly did. But we'll get to that later. Right now, I had a pilgrimage to finalize..."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**


	4. Welcome Home, Pilgrim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tali receives a hero's welcome on the Migrant Fleet. On Tuchanka, Wrex receives word of Shepard's death.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER THREE:**

**WELCOME HOME, PILGRIM**

_August 23, 2183 {Translated Khelish Time}_

_Thirteen Hours, Forty-Three Minutes._

_Main Bridge, Zarasis-Class Light Cruiser QMFV Neema, Migrant Fleet, Zulu System._

_Machinist Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay, Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Huzzi, Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema, Major Kal'Reegar vas Rayya, Mechanic Peta'Yala vas Neema._

Tali took a deep breath as the door to the Neema's bridge flew open. Stepping inside, the entire bridge crew of the ship erupted in cheers and shouts, the quarians welcoming back the pilgrim from her journey. Tali instantly noticed Han'Gerrel standing beside his command chair, his hands not in parade rest (surprisingly) and clapping. Han'Gerrel was a long time best friend of her father's, so he was one of many who welcomed her back the most.

She could then see Shala down below and to his right, also clapping. Upon seeing her niece, Shala rushed forward and embraced Tali, who returned the hug happily. Shala was like a mother to Tali and she had the overprotective urge to worry. When she had gone on pilgrimage, Shala had worried alot, but she tried alot to hide it.

When Shala let go and followed behind Tali, the quarian was able to see that even Veetor had come. Veetor was one of the 'psychological embalanced' people on the fleet. Like Kal, he had grown up on the Rayya and was a childhood friend of Tali's. He was always afraid of large crowds and was alittle bit 'loopy' in the mind, but he was okay. Seeing him here was a surprise; he must have been terrified. Even now she could see him melting into the background.

Tali also saw Kal standing in the left side of the crowd, the major standing in parade rest with his best friend and second-in-command, Madi'Soi vas Ceresa, a female quarian who just happened to be an EOD specialist. Kal's kind of woman. He gave her a quick nod as he went past; his version of saying 'it's good to have you back.'

And standing not too far away, and evidently the most excited about Tali's return, was her wannabe boyfriend. She sighed in exasperation as Peta desperately tried to make himself known to her and let her know he was there. Of all the things in the fleet, he was the least she was looking forward to coming back to.

It wasn't Peta's personality she hated; he was actually a nice guy. He was friendly (although alittle overzealously friend around her), resourceful and an adept mechanic. The Yala clan had always been known for their mechanical genius; just like the Zorah clan was known for their engineering marvels and ability to produce amazing machinists, such as herself. He had completed his pilgrimage merely a year ago and finished it in a week, having used his mechanic abilities to get a quick temp job.

His personality was fine; his infatuation with her wasn't. They had met when she was ten years old, at which he was already thirteen and just hit puberty. It had been some time after her mother's death and Rael had taken her to the Buku to talk with the ship's captain; who just happened to be Peta's mother. His father had been killed earlier when a feud on the ship had broken out between the Yala clan and the Nara clan.

But, she digressed. When they met, it appeared that Peta had an immediate obsession with her, which really creeped her out, especially since she was ten years old. She hadn't seen him again until he popped up on the Rayya over a year later. He made the excuse that his mother wanted to give him better schooling, but she knew he had managed to persuade her into letting him go to the Rayya just so he could be near her.

And that's when he pestered her to no end. When Tali was sixteen, he had asked her out to watch the stars on the observation deck. Being a teenager, she accepted. However, after he tried to remove her mask to kiss her, that had been the end of any successful attempts by him to get into a relationship with her. During class, he would catch glimpses of him checking out her body; mostly her breasts or buttocks. She simply ignored him.

When he finally left on his pilgrimage, he promised to bring 'something special back for her', to which she had basically told him to not bother. When he returned, he had given her an upgraded omni-tool, to which she reluctantly accepted. Afterwards however, she had seen its uses and it continued to serve her until Marcus had bought the crew new, spectre ones. However, she had kept Peta's omni-tool purely out of kindness.

And now, the man would stop at nothing until Tali was his wife and was sleeping in his bed. Unfortunately for him, he would be waiting all eternity, as Tali had already found true love in one man, and he was now gone. Once upon a time, she may have had feelings for Kal, but those either never developed or just never happened and were just used as an excuse to shake Peta off.

Ignoring Peta's attempts to garner her attention, she continued towards Han'Gerrel's command console. The cheering stopped when Han'Gerrel raised his hand. Shala joined the crowd as did the quarian marines previously escorting her. Tali could see Doroli in the crowd now and her heart stopped when she caught a glimpse of her father's red veil.

Stepping forward, Han'Gerrel came within a meter of Tali. This was it. This was Tali's big moment; when she would leave childhood and become a fully-fledged adult.

"Pilgrim," Gerrel started, "You have come aboard my ship for unknown reasons on a ship of extravagance and power not witnessed within the fleet's ranks. What is your intention here?"

It was the first question. Tali was nervous and was slightly shaking; not enough to attract the crowd's or Gerrel's attention however.

"Captain of the Neema, I have come far and wide," Tali answered, following tradition, "I have travelled among the stars and through shoals of dust to come here. As my journey came to an end, I realized, I must find a home to which I can join. I would find family in that home. I seek that home here on your ship, captain."

Gerrel huffed, "My ship? And what makes you think I want you on my ship? You may have come far and wide, but how do I know you will not be a burden upon my family? Upon my ship?"

Taking a deep breath, she answered calmly, "I bring gifts of good fortune. They come with my intention of joining your home, your family, your crew. And so, I can become mature."

"Present these gifts so I may gaze upon them and deem them worthy of my time," Gerrel demanded.

Tali nodded and kneeled on the ground; her left leg forward and right leg on the ground, behind her. She lowered her head in respect as she rifled her pockets, finally locating her first gift; the geth data. She then stood up and looked towards the crowd and held it up in both hands as was customary.

"Crew of the Neema, I bring forth my gift!" She then turned back towards Gerrel, "I give you information on our most wretched nemesis; the geth. I present to you fleet positions, current geth evolution strains, geth weaknesses and strengths and strategic data."

Everyone gasped in amazement as they began chatting amongst themselves. Shala widened her eyes in amazement and Kal told Madi about how he knew Tali would do good. When looking at Kal, the marine turned and gave her a thumbs up, which was his way of saying 'you did good.' Peta just didn't care; he was too busy gazing upon her. She rolled her eyes and turned back as Gerrel just looked blankly at the data.

Then she remembered something else, "And that's not all, captain," Tali stated, "I bring a second gift. One not equal in value, but still very significant."

Everyone gave a 'whoo' of curiosity and the room was silent as he repeated her kneeling action from before, holding the second OSD up.

"I present to you; data on alliance prototype stealth technology. On this disk is information containing classified alliance research that will allow for the creation of stealth drive technology, rendering us invisible to geth sensors."

This time, Gerrel wasn't happy, "We informed you that pilgrims are not to bring stolen items!"

Tali shook her head, "Not stolen, given. A friend of mine; a man named Engineer Adams, entrusted me with the data. Confirmation can be provided if nessacary, but this has not been stolen, I assure you."

Everyone, once again, gasped in amazement.

Kal's voice rose in the background, "Damn Tali, not only did you bring us data on the geth and stealth drive tech, you were also one of the Heroes of the Citadel that kicked Saren's ass and sent the geth running," Kal then raised his hand and raised his hand to his fellow marines.

"I declare Tali a honorary marine and not only that but I christen her," Kal paused for effect for pumping his fist in the air, "Tali, the geth  _slayer_!"

The marines began cheering Tali's name and she blushed a deep red. She hadn't received such praise before and it wasn't long before the entire crowd began cheering, even Shala. When the crowd had quitened, Tali turned back to Gerrel.

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," Gerrel began, "You have brought gifts and a reputation that not only make you the most dangerous and acclaimed quarian in this room," There were a few chuckles in the room at that, "But they make you a member worth having. You have proven yourself to be a valuable asset to this crew and that you would not be a waste of resources."

"As we join together to rejoice in this momentous moment, I give Tali my own christening," With that, he put a hand on Tali's right shoulder and urged her down the steps until they were at the bottom. As he raised Tali's hand into the air, similiar to Kal's fist pump, he cheered.

"Tali'Zorah  _vas Neema_!" The entire room erupted in cheers and Shala hugged Tali once again and to the quarian's surprise, her father approached her. Shala let go and walked off to let her have some time with her father.

The moment was awkward. They hadn't ever talked much and now that they were mask to mask, there wasn't anything to say. Nothing could be said to explain how frustrated she was with her dad at how he neglected her. Eventually, it was Rael who spoke first.

"Tali, I know words can't be issued to explain how much I've neglected you but..."

Tali just stood quiet, waiting for him to say the three words she so desperately wanted to hear.

"But I just want you to know that I'm so very proud of you right now," Rael continued, "The things you have brought forth, it makes me envyious of this vessel. You've chosen a fine ship and crew and a damn fine captain. I've known Han for a long time, he's an excellent captain. Listen to him and you'll do just fine Tali."

Tali sighed in frustration at his reluctance to just say that he loved her. How hard was it to tell your daughter this? However, the fact that he said he was proud of her was something of a surprise and a bittersweet event.

"Thanks dad..." Tali said, trying to keep the disappointment and sarcasm out of her voice. She succeeded mildly.

Rael laughed, "Come here, this asshole of a father has a hug for you."

With that, the two embraced. It was a rare occurence. To have her father hugging in such a fatherly manner was something that mostly never happened during her time on the fleet. When they let go, they both laughed. However, the embrace had reminded her of the fact that she had never informed Rael of her relationship with Marcus and it caused fresh tears to form. As they fell, she thanked the mask once again.

"Tali'Zorah," Gerrel said and Tali turned to talk to him. The crowd had since dispersed and Kal and Peta had stayed behind to speak with Tali. Rael nodded to his daughter, patted her shoulder and then hastily left.

"Yes, captain?" Tali asked.

"You should go to the ship's clean room," Gerrel stated, handing her the access codes, "Your new suit is awaiting you. I think your current one is a little to...childish, don't you think? I had my wife model it for you. She says it should bring the 'inner woman' out on you, whatever that means. But first, I think a couple of people would like to speak to you. I'll have you report to me tomorrow morning for your duties. For today, get some rest. You earned it."

"Thank you, captain." Saluting Gerrel, she then turned and headed towards Kal and Peta; Gerrel returning to the shuttle bay; he had a meeting to continue.

"Excellent job out there ma'am," Kal announced, holding out his hand to shake Tali's. Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, she ignored the hand and hugged Kal, who reciprocated it hesitantly. When they were done, Tali nodded.

"I think you showed them who was boss," Kal continued, "Just be careful, I might start taking commands from you soon, the rate you're going. Had you done any of those things as a marine, you'd have been shot up to captain immediately. You sure you'd rather not be a marine?"

Tali shook her head, "I've had my share of combat and to be honest, it wouldn't be the same without the team I served in. Besides, I think an engine room is just my kind of environment."

Kal raised a brow behind his mask, "Old team ma'am?"

Tali sighed, "You don't think I defeated Saren and the geth by myself did you? I served in a team and the bonds I made with them; inseperable."

"Who were they?" Peta eagerly asked.

"Well, there was Ashley, who I guess was the group's hardass soldier. She was a bit racist to start off with but we grew to be close friends. Unfortunately, she sacrificed herself on Virmire to make sure the bomb went off to destroy the geth base."

"She's a damn hero in my books, then," Kal declared.

"Then there was Kaidan," Tali continued, "Who was the group's sentinel. Him and his tech armor. You should have seen him; he was a blazing devil on the battlefield. He made killing geth troopers seem like a simple temp task. And there was Wrex, he was the team's krogan."

"A krogan?" Peta asked with surprise.

"Don't worry, he was still the brutally ruthless kind," Tali joked, "But he was the one who helped me build up my shotgun skills and made me tougher. So if I fight like a krogan, you know where I got it from. He was also a biotic and loved shotguns; so I guess he was great. He left after the battle of the citadel though. Had to unite the krogan clans."

"Oh, and there was Garrus, he was the team's turian. He was an excellent sniper and he was quite the joker. We both used to argue over which weapon was better; his sniper rifle or my shotgun."

"There was also Liara, who was our little asari researcher. She was kinda shy but she got used to combat real quickly. Packs a punch with her biotics too. We had to kill her mother though, because she was indoctrinated by Sovereign."

"Indoctrinated? Sovereign?" Kal and Peta seemed to ask in unison.

"Tell ya later," Tali stated, "And finally, there was the commander. Marcus Lee Shepard."

"The Hero of the Citadel," Kal continued, "Tough son of a bitch was the Liberator of Elysium, Butcher of Torfan and Survivor of Akuze before he saved the galaxy from those geth assholes. My respects to him. Heard he died a couple of days ago."

"I know, I was there," Tali said melancholicly, "But you said he was the survivor of Akuze? He never mentioned that. How did you know?"

Kal huffed, "Because I was there. Went there for my pilgrimage. Witnessed first hand what the thresher maws did to his squad. I was the one who gave him a ride out of there on my shuttle. Poor bastard was traumatized to shit. Looked like he had just seen  _Tasula_ herself."

Tali was fully aware just how dangerous thresher maws were. If you took a worm, enlarged it until it was the size of a a human football field, gave it teeth and pincers, natural armor and the ability to spit acid, then you had a thresher maw. They bred incredibly fast too; a single spore was all that was needed to make a single thresher; and those spores always came in hundreds. Tasula was also one of the quarian ancestors; however, she was mostly compared to being the ancestor you 'didn't stuff around with or you'd find yourself in hell.'

"So yeah, I'm not surprised he didn't mention Akuze," Kal finished, interrupting Tali's musings, "It was pretty damn ugly; seeing human limbs and blood flying all over the place is enough to make anyone sick to the stomach," Kal stopped for a second and looked at Peta then Tali before sighing, "Well, I hate to cut the celebration short but I've got to return to the Rayya. Got marines to train. I'll see you around, Tali."

Tali nodded but stopped Kal before he left, whispering into her secure comm link with him, "Please make sure you take Peta with you when you leave. I don't have time for his...obsessions."

Kal chuckled lightly as he answered, "Ha, don't blame you. If I were you I wouldn't have time for his bullshit either. I'll get rid of him for ya."

Tali nodded her gratitude as Kal put a firm grip on Peta's shoulder and steered him away. He objected, but Kal continued to shove him away anyway, the two of them disappearing behind one of the doors to the bridge, leading to the shuttle bay. Sighing, Tali left the room, heading for the Neema's clean room.

She had to ask for directions numerous times as it had been a while since her last visit to the Neema and she had gotten used to the layout of the Normandy. She was still testing out her new name in her mind.  _Tali'Zorah vas Neema. I like it. Has a nice ring to it._ After weaving in and out of numerous populated areas, she finally located the ship's clean room.

After uploading the required code to gain access, she stepped into the room to find the suit set up on the 'mating' bed (It's called that because that's usually what clean rooms are used for). Tali was quick to approach it and pick it up. She was absolutely amazed by it. The veil was her favourite color as well, which was an added bonus. Without hesitation, she activated the clean room's decontamination unit and once it had finished, immediately began stripping off her suit.

A few minutes later, her old suit lay in a heap on the floor and she was stark naked. It wasn't a feeling she got to enjoy all the time; this was probably the second time it had happened; the first being after her birth. She felt sadness when she realized that she would have liked this moment to have been reserved to when she revealed herself to Marcus. She gave a sigh at the realization of how that was, now, never going to happen.

Picking up the new suit, she spent a while learning where all the new accessories went and how the new systems worked. When the suit was finally on and all the clasps and seals had been sealed, she looked in the room's mirror to see a much different Tali. Not only did she look like a more mature woman, but she looked...sexier.

She tossed the last thought away as she gathered her old suit and visor, deciding to keep them in memorial to her old self. Stepping outside, she began to head towards her predesignated quarters, which were also provided by Gerrel on the OSD. When she arrived, she found her bunk cramped inbetween two others. Placing her stuff under it, she hopped into it and closed her eyes, going to sleep.

She dreamt of her future on the fleet.

It wasn't a good dream.

**{Loading...}**

_August 23, 2183_

_1313 hours._

_Apartment 21, S Block, Hyperion Apartments, Shalta Wards, The Citadel._

_Marksman Garrus Vakarian._

Garrus cursed to himself numerous times as he entered his apartment on the Citadel. A mere forty minutes ago he was striding into the Council chambers, with the intention of becoming a turian spectre and forming his own team to fight injustice and crime, but also stop the reapers, in honor of Shepard.

But all that came crashing down in an instant. Not only did the Council reject his request to become a spectre, but he was also given a warning by C-Sec that if he caused any trouble, he would be immediately arrested. With no spectre status and no team, he was left with nowhere to start. Sighing, he began to strip off his armor when a knock resounded on the door he just entered through.

Turning around, he looked at the door as if getting read for it's imminent attack. Eventually, after a second knock, he opened the door, the interface sliding open to reveal another turian standing behind it. He wore a shirt that had a single red line aligned vertically on the front with numerous yellow stripes; the rest of it was blue. His facepaint was also completely blue; the colony of Ygumbu.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Garrus asked curtly, his frustration from the last few minutes radiating in his voice.

"My name's Lantar Sidonis," The turian stated, wringing his hands while constantly looking behind him, "I need your help. You're Garrus Vakarian, one of the heroes of the citadel, right?"

Garrus nodded his head, albeit slowly, "Yes. What's the problem?"

"Well, I-"

"There he is!"

Sidonis' head snapped behind him in an instant and Garrus had to look around the turian to see who it was. A krogan, leading two vorcha, were at the bottom of the alleyway, wearing no armor but holding pistols at their side. Upon seeing Sidonis, the trio charged. Sidonis yelped and ran behind Garrus, but the marksman wasn't about to retreat.

From the way the krogan commanded the vorcha, he guessed they were affiliated with Blood Pack; one of the three major mercenary organizations. Blood Pack ranked lowest of the three when it came to well-trained troops, mechs and weapons, but they ranked highest in terms of sheer numerical superiority. Only two known species were allowed to join Blood Pack; krogan and vorcha.

Vorcha weren't a very popular; some could say that even quarians looked down on them. They were feral and not very intelligent creatures, mostly keeping to themselves or raiding worlds in the Terminus Systems, where their homeworld was located. They had no military or fleet to speak of, no government, no civilian populace, no economy, no nothing. They were essentially renegade idiots who had nothing to live for except be used as cannon fodder or to find something to kill.

Their eyes were something creepy though; they were naturally bloodshot, which meant they were always the same, blood red color. Their body was scaly and very reptillian, with a head much like an asari's if the tentacles stuck out in all directions and was scaly. The vorcha also had deadly canine teeth; razors that were a testament to the vorcha's carnivorous status quo; they literally ate the flesh of their enemies, dead or alive.

The krogan ordered the vorcha to attack and, the morons they were, they let out a war cry before charging forward, pistols raised. They fired, but their shots missed almost completely and Garrus countered their attacks in hand-to-hand fluidly. He had learned alot from Marcus, but the vorcha weren't bright enough for martial arts to begin with anyway. Grabbing the pistol out of the right hand of the left vorcha, he shot and killed it, before finishing off it's companion.

The krogan charged forward, but quickly met his hand to a steady burst of pistol fire to his head, killing him faster than he could regenerate. Dropping the pistol, he closed the door and turned to Sidonis, who cowered nearby.

Garrus shook his head as he reassured the turian, "It's okay Sidonis, I took care of them. But how the hell did you wind up on Blood Pack's priority list? You have to piss them off quite alot to get their full attention."

Sidonis was hesitant to answer, "I was on Omega when it happened. I can't remember exactly how it happened; I was drunk at the time, but I somehow got myself into the situation of owing this Blood Pack merc; I think his name was Troug. He was a krogan of course. I couldn't pay up, so I fled to the Citadel. I knew they'd come after me, so I came here for your help."

"You were on Omega?" Garrus asked. Everyone knew where and what Omega was. It was called the galaxy's 'crime capital' for a reason. And, ironically, it served as the defacto capital of the Terminus Systems, located in the Omega Nebula. It had once been one gigantic asteriod; 44.7 kilometers in diameter. However, when the asari discovered it, they had built one gigantic mining platform and following that, a city, ontop of it. However, a mercenary attack on the station thousands of years ago forced the Council to abandon it; round about the time when the Terminus systems broke off from Council space and formed their own region of space.

Omega was now nothing but a disgusting hellhole. The mining centers had long been put out of operation and last he heard, an asari by the name of Aria T'Loak served as the defacto ruler of it. She kept the mercenaries who used it as a headquarters in place and made sure nothing messed with her. Apart from that, Omega was lawless. A criminal's paradise. If you wanted the worst kinds of rapists, pedophiles, murderers, thieves, mercenaries and the lot? You came to Omega, because that's where they basically  _lived._

Omega had a population of seven point eight million. That was over seven million of the galaxy's scum and criminal masterminds.

"Yeah," Sidonis admitted, "My parents promised me a new future on Omega. That was before they told me they were mercenaries working for the Blue Suns."

Blue Suns. Another of the three major merc businesses. They rated top of the rank and file in terms of well-trained soldiers and had a budget to fit; they had alot of gunships. As it stood, the Blue Suns was the most wealthy and most influentical of the three organizations. They had an economical empire to match too. They only hired batarians, humans and turians. Three of the galaxy's deadliest military powers. How fitting. However, it was occassional that a quarian on pilgrimage looking for easy money would become a Blue Suns merc.

It was now that Garrus realized just how much he hated crime. He hated all the injustice and severity of it all. It's one of the reasons he wanted to follow in Shepard's footsteps; he wanted to be like him; an intelligent leader with the decision making skills to command a large squad into battle against a powerful foe. Instead, his spectre status was rejected and his attempts to build a team rendered moot.

Then he thought of the possibilities of forming his team on Omega. The one had most outstanding feature of this choice was plain and simple; Omega was lawless. The Citadel had a bunch of regulations that ruled out viglanteism, but on Omega that wasn't a problem. As long as you didn't make Aria's life a misery, you were free to do what you wanted. It was also the base of operations for the main mercenary companies; perfect.

When it came down to it, Omega was the best place to conduct his operations. He would be undetered, he wouldn't have to worry about security getting in the way and he could find the weapons he needed in the station's black market trade. Garrus smiled as he turned to look at Sidonis.  _And Sidonis could be my second-in-command. He's managed to severely piss off the Blood Pack, so I guess he's okay. Plus, he'll be safer if he stayed with me._

"Sidonis, how would you like to help me put a stop to crime on Omega?" Garrus asked.

Sidonis creased his brow at the turian viglante, "How would I help you with that?"

"Easy. You've messed with Blood Pack and lived," Garrus answered simply, "I want you as my second-in-command. We'll go to Omega and form a team. You can help me. We'll take the best of the best and form the best squad to take on the mercenaries of Omega. We'll put a stop to crime for good."

Sidonis seemed to consider this for a minute, "Well, I can't deny that it sounds tempting."

Another minute of silence passed before Sidonis spoke up again, "Okay, I'm in. So, we're heading to Omega, you said?"

Garrus nodded as he headed towards his bedroom to pack. Due to his new status as a hero, he had plenty of credits, which meant enough to purchase a ticket to Omega, "Yes, it's the best place to fight crime without being hindered by C-Sec regulations or the lot. It also means better access to weapons and deadly people willing to help us out. Trust me, as much as Omega has criminals, it'll have a decent amount of people looking for merc blood."

It didn't take long for the turian to pack. He only had some personal items and his reaper sniper rifle. He had heard on the extranet about rumors of numerous militaries taking a 'step forward' and switching from mass effect field powered weapons to one's utilizing the geth's thermal clip systems. Garrus saw the advantages and disadvantages of this, but he still kept his sniper. Besides, a professional gunsmith like himself could easily modify the weapon so it was compatible with thermal clips. Simple.

After checking that his apartment was secure and making sure Sidonis was well fed, the two turians set out for the spaceport.

A new life of viglanteism. He was looking forward to it. It was time to make a difference.

**{Loading...}**

_August 24, 2183_

_1659 hours._

_Main Laboratory, Level 13, Lazarus Station, Remus System._

_Lazarus Science Chief Albert Wilson, The Illusive Man._

Wilson waited as the quantum entanglement communicator completed the visual upload. Quantum Entanglement communications were a complex thing; however, in layman's terms, it was a holopad that allowed the hologram of someone to be uploaded to another location, allowing for visual communications on a broader scale. Right now, he was setting up communications with the head of Cerberus himself; the Illusive Man.

Finally, the visual feed completed and the holographic figure of the Illusive Man stood before him. He was surprised to see TIM standing to begin with; he always usually sitting down sipping his whiskey or smoking his cigar. However, he still kept his lit cigar in his hand, so Wilson knew that not everything had changed.

"Wilson, I presume you have a status update," TIM assumed.

Wilson nodded while activating his omni-tool, "I've managed to contact Doctor Chakwas and Jeff Moreau and we're just waiting on their reply."

TIM nodded as he lit another cigar, "Excellent, but I've also begun construction of Project: Phoenix. When Shepard wakes up, he's going to need a ship and a crew. Give me a list of potential candidates."

Wilson rushed through his list of Lazarus units before finding what he needed, "Well, the list is as follows; Sarah Patel, Vadim Rolston, Jenny Goldstein, Thomas Hawthorne, Richard Hadley, Zach Matthews, Burt Cartwell, Bernard Patricks, Brynn Cole, Willow and Jon Pertwee. We also have two new recruits; Gabriella Daniels and Kenneth Donnelly. They recently signed on after hearing about Shepard's downplayed death. They're loyal supporters of his, sir."

TIM seemed to hesitate for a moment, "I want Patel, Rolston, Goldstein, Hawthorne, Hadley, Matthews, Cartwell, Patricks, Daniels and Donnelly assigned to the Phoenix. Also, if Moreau, Chakwas and Adams accept our offer, have them assigned to the Phoenix as well. Moreau has an excellent flight record and it will do us good if Shepard has familiar faces on his crew. Also, the ship will need an AI interface, so I can keep a watch on him and his crew."

Wilson visibly flinched at the mention of an AI, "You want to incorporate what into the Phoenix's design?"

"An AI," TIM repeated, "As bad as AI history is, this one will be under Cerberus control. I've already had personnel capture the one that went rogue on X57 and had a look at it. Apparently it had developed self-awareness, not common in VI's and they were intrigued. I've sent it over to you so it can be transformed into an AI. We'll call it the 'Enhanced Defense Intelligence,' or EDI for short. I'll send you the exact specs I want on it when you've received the VI."

Wilson nodded but wanted to ask one more thing before the Illusive Man cut the link, "Sir, just what are we going to call Shepard's ship? I mean, Phoenix is just a temp name, isn't it?"

TIM nodded, "Yes of course, it's a placeholder title and nothing else. The official name, should Shepard agree, will be something he'll be comfortable." TIM then smiled a big grin, taking another puff of his cigar.

"We're calling it the Normandy SR-2."

**{Loading...}**

_August 24, 2183_

_1731 hours._

_Urdnot Camp, Hagalok City Ruins, Que'k Wastelands, Tuchanka._

_Chieftain Urdnot Wrex, Overlord Urdnot Wreav, Chieftain Gatatog Uvenk._

Wrex sighed loudly as Uvenk continued his rambling. The krogan was half his age and was a child compared to Wrex, but he knew that without Uvenk, he wouldn't be able to unite Clan Gatatog under his rule, so he let him live. Uvenk's father was Verx, the krogan battlemaster he had destroyed on Therum during the Eden Prime War. Of course, Uvenk was kept unaware of this. If he found out, war between Urdnot and Gatatog would break out. For all Uvenk knew, he thought it had been humans who killed his father.

Wrex shared a glance with his blood brother, Wreav, who gave him the same irritated glance that showed that the both of them were sick to death with Uvenk's ramblings. Clan Gatatog had made it clear that they demanded alot of things for this alliance to work, but just how much hadn't been certain until now. Uvenk's demands were just a nuisance now.

Wreav may have been Wrex's blood brother, but that didn't mean they liked each other. In fact, they hated each other. Wreav had never gotten over the fact that their father treated Wrex with more respect then he did Wreav. Wreav, unlike Wrex, wasn't a biotic, so it was unfit to become a battlemaster and forced to take the position as Chieftain's adjutant. However, when Wrex 'murdered' Jarrod and left Tuchanka, Wreav had immediately assumed control, becoming chieftain of Clan Urdnot.

That all changed years later when Wrex returned just over a month ago. Wrex had ordered Wreav to surrender his position, but he refused, deciding to follow tradition and fight over the throne. It had been obvious who had won. Wreav was dangerous with a shotgun, but Wrex had more experience and was a seasoned battlemaster. With Wrex in control, Wreav quickly found himself as an adjutant once more. And he hated every second of it.

However, it was a time like this where two foes had to share agreement. Both of them hated Uvenk, both of them wanted him to shut up and more importantly, just wanted this over with. The majority of Urdnot had been welcoming of Wrex's unification idea, but a small minority weren't, including Wreav. With majority consensus, Wrex assembled a meeting among the clans. Most accepted, some, specifically Clan Weyrloc, decided to remain in their own ways. So far, all have changed that motion except Weyrloc.

All the major clans, including Urdnot, Drau, Forsan, Ganar, Gatatog, Hailot, Jorgal, Jurdon, Jax, Khel, Nakmor, Quash, Raik, Ravanor and Thax had accepted the peace agreement, with only a few needing to refine a few things. All the clans had chosen the Urdnot Camp as their capital and now had ambassadors living there, along with a few clan shamans. Clan Ganar had problems initially, but quickly rectified them, which wasn't surprising, as Ganar's 12th Chieftain had been the founder of the Blood Pack.

When Uvenk was finally finished, Wrex sat up in his throne and nodded curtly, "Yes, yes, all these demands will be met. Now go squabble somewhere else where noone can hear you." Wrex dismissed.

Uvenk grunted with frustration as he left the throne room, storming down the ramp and back into the camp, pushing past the two guards stationed there. The Urdnot camp was anything but impressive. The throne he sat in was just cracked stone, with a large hole in the ceiling revealing the harsh sun of Aralakh itself. The place was a testament to the state the krogan were in; the whole place looked like it had been bombed five times over.

In fact, the camp was set up in what used to be a krogan traffic tunnel, where large amounts of civilian vehicles travelled through or, during the krogan civil wars, where a regiment of armoured vehicles or troops could advance through. Now it was nothing but emptiness, one half having been blocked off by collapsed rubble, where his throne now resided.

He sat on a elevated platform where a small ramp lay to his left. This lead down into a krogan atrium sort of place. Down to his left was a varren pit; where krogan would pit their varren pets against each other for credits. Ahead of this was a firing range, where the krogan armourer worked and tested new weapons on the local pyjak infestation.

To the right and above the shooting range was a large garage where they kept the transports; mostly being tomkahs. To the left of that was the 'research lab', where what could quite possibly be the only krogan scientist alive, Fortack, resided, still looking for that cure to the genophage. It was a goal that could never be achieved, not with the CDEM (Council Demilitarization Enforcement Mission) battlestations orbitting up above and watching their every move.

Before Wrex could move, one of the krogan comm techs ran up to him, shouting.

"Chieftain, you have a message coming in from a...Tali'Zorah?" The krogan reported, handing the chieftain a datapad before running off.

Wreav scoffed, "You deal with quarian filth? You really have grown soft Wrex."

Wrex just dismissed his brother with a wave of his hand, too busy reading the contents of the datapad. Wreav grunted before leaving, deciding that he would rather not waste his time on his brother. Wrex was glad he did; the overlord was starting to get on his nerves.

Which he regretted doing. Rediculing his brother would have been ten times better then reading what he just read. He collapsed in his chair from his standing pose, absolutely shocked by the news he was reading. His eyes were stuck on that one paragraph.  _...there was nothing we could do. He went to save Joker and did so, but he was spaced in the process. Shepard's dead, Wrex. He's gone. We're the only ones who can stop the Reapers now. I hope you're okay and please, try not to get yourself killed old friend. Tali._

Wrex shook his head as he tossed the datapad away. He couldn't believe his battle brother was dead. It was unthinkable. He had always seemed so indomitable. Now he was dead and he had to mourn him. With a sigh, he got up and moved towards the garage. He would take a tomkah to the hollows and honor the death of his battle brother. It was all he could do.

**"So, as you can guess, those were pretty depressing times."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Tell me more. I want to know what happened following the days Shepard died."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Um...you are Shepard, remember? First person perspective."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**\- Oh, right. Sorry. Anyway, tell me what happened."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Well, the events following your death were pretty empty of any real stuff happening until probably November in the same year. It was the day the Omega wars began..."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**


	5. Lazarus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few months later, a new threat begins abducting entire human colonies: Kaidan is assigned to help Horizon brace against an attack. Garrus forms a new team. Cerberus plans for the impossible. Tali tries to move on.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FOUR:**

**LAZARUS**

_November 11, 2183_

_1940 hours._

_Colony Center, Colony Grandeur, Northern Hemisphere, Horizon._

_Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Colony President Lilith Abraham._

It had been a total of four months since Shepard's death and the destruction of the Normandy. Four long months that might as well have been decades. It was four long periods of hell for the former staff lieutenant.

The day after everyone left, Kaidan said his final goodbye to Doctor Chakwas. Adams had already been transferred and left hours before, so it was just him and Chakwas left. After giving a last farewell to the good doctor, he had boarded one of the alliance shuttles in the area and left on the SSV Perugia for Arcturus Station.

A day after leaving the Citadel, the alliance cruiser arrived at Arcturus and he was immediately debriefed by his superiors, accompanied by Admiral Hackett and the Admiral of the Navy. It was determined he would be deployed to Feros to help with efforts to repair the infrastucture. After accepting his assignment, he had immediately left for the colony, not hesitating in getting back to duty.

The mission to Feros was dull; all he did was lead a small, fireteam of marines to help defend the colony from any mercenaries or pirates in the area. His posting there had barely last a fortnight before he was reposted to a shipboard garrison aboard the Tokyo. That lasted about two months before he was ordered back to Arcturus.

Apparently the alliance had begun a colonial negoitation program with any existing human colonies in the Traverse and Terminus. They wanted to make sure their colonies were adequately defended from enemy attack, as colonies in both regions had been mysteriously disappearing. The Alliance's SIA (Systems Intelligence Administration) had been smart enough to link the disappearences with the Normandy's destruction; they started just after the attack.

The Alliance was able to narrow it down to three possible factions; the batarian hegemony, the geth or cerberus. Any one of them could be involved, which was why Kaidan and a small marine garrison were being stationed on Horizon; a major human colony on the edge of the Terminus; if the unknown enemy attacked, Kaidan would be able to identify them and confirm. The Alliance also had a tech team deploy on the planet to set up GARDIAN defense towers; additional firepower always came in handy.

And up until now; Horizon was where Kaidan was assigned. Prior to Horizon however, he had been promoted to Staff Commander, mostly out of necessity to create a better image for the Alliance; it would look bad to the public if a hero of the citadel wasn't promoted for his actions. It would seem like discreditation. Kaidan simply didn't care.

Night after night, Kaidan would think about Ash. Her sacrifice on Virmire had been a big topic among the crew, but eventually they learnt to come to grips with it and moved on. However, they weren't as close to Ashley as he had been. Their relationship had barely developed before she was cruelly taken away from her in a blaze of atomic fire.

He kept telling himself she did the right thing; that she sacrificed herself to stop the geth. He knew full well. But it didn't change the fact that he had only just fallen for the marine before she went out and got herself blown up. He had almost made the rash decision of blaming Shepard; of pinning the blame on him and saying that had he moved quickly enough, they could have saved her.

But with Saren's interruption and the time they had left before the bomb detonated, he knew that Shepard couldn't have gotten to her in time. And now, throughout Kaidan's dreams, he would always hear Ashley's final words. How she wanted to say it, but never got the chance. Wasn't allowed the chance. It was then that he realized just how lucky Shepard had been; Tali had survived the campaign with Saren unharmed.

Then he remembered that Shepard was dead and now, like him, Tali mourned her dead lover, although a little more...painfully. Kaidan hadn't known Ashley for very long and so their relationship never developed to that stage; but Tali and Shepard had alot of time; enough time to develop a bond that proved to be utterly devastating to the quarian.

He was brought out of his musings as the door to his cabin opened. He had been playing a game of chess with Lilith Abraham, the colony's leader, when the door had opened. He wasn't all that good at strategy games; give him a weapon and soldiers, and he would direct. Give him chess pieces and a board, and he would fluster. It just wasn't him. But Lilith had insisted it would help kill the time, so he had given in. It had proven quite fun, but as expected, Lilith beat him every single time.

Looking up, he saw Gunnery Sergeant Kahleigh Waters standing in the doorway, her pose stiff and jointed. She was popular among her troops; she was snappy and prone to frustration, but she was generally kind and easy going. Her past was a long and dark one; apparently she had run away from home when she was six as her parents had planned on selling her to batarians just to gain enough money to feed themselves. She was then rescued by another marine, he took care of her until she was old enough to sign up.

Returning the sergeant's salute, he stood up to address the soldier, "Come in and sit down sergeant, we were just about to start another game.

Kahleigh held up her hands, "That won't be nessacary sir. I came to grab you; it's happening again."

Kaidan sighed, "I'm getting sick of these little riots," He gave an apologetic nod to Lilith as he moved to leave, taking his pistol with him, "We'll continue this later." Lilith nodded, not even bothering to clean up the game set as she left with him, the human giving her own frustrated sigh as she followed quietly behind the two marines towards the GARDIAN tower.

The colonists of Horizon weren't big Alliance fans; they blamed them for their troubles and firmly believed they were the reason the colonies were being abducted. So, naturally, when the Tokyo appeared over their world to drop off a squad of alliance marines and techies, they were expectedingly unhappy.

Ever since then, they had tried their best to disrupt the construction of the GARDIAN towers. Their riots were mostly headed by the colony's mechanic, Delan, who was one of the biggest critics of the systems alliance. He constantly made it clear just how much he despised their polices and how he would stop at nothing to remove their 'stink' from their colonies.

Finally reaching the site of the tower, he saw a large group of colonists surrounding the central tower. A squad of marines were in a tight circle, all wielding riot shields as they held off the rioters. Delan encouraged his fellow colonists to keep attacking, hoping to wittle down the marine's morale so they collapsed. Kaidan was having none of it.

Raising his pistol into the air, he fired multiple times into the air, moving forward as he did. Every time he fired, the colonists would move out of the way, not willing to attack a marine who was armed. Hearing the click of an empty weapon, he grabbed a fresh thermal clip from his waist and slipped it into the slot on his predator pistol, reloading it. It had been three months since all weapons had been fitted out with thermal clips and the general consumer response hadn't been friendly.

Rising his predator into the air one more time, he fired three shots, making sure the colonists were completely backed off before summoning Lilith to the center stage. He was good at halting a crowd, but he couldn't convince them to stand down. They wouldn't listen to a member of the alliance. However, Lilith, as the colony's leader, would be able to convince them. They would listen to her.

"Everyone, stop this now!" Lilith demanded.

"Get out of the way, Abraham!" a female colonist shouted, "We need to get rid of the alliance scum! We'll all be taken if this keeps up!"

"They're only taking colonies with alliance influence in them," Another shouted, "If they see we're not connected with them, they won't take us! We need to get rid of them!"

"The alliance only wants to protect us!" Lilith negoitated.

"Like hell they do!" Delan spoke up, "They're only doing this to protect their own political self-image! They don't give a damn about us! Get rid of them!"

It was time Kaidan stepped in and stopped this, "ENOUGH!" Everyone fell silent at the sound of the marine speaking up. Clearing his throat, he continued, "Stop this immediately. You may not like it, but we're here to stay. The Alliance is doing everything in it's power to stop these attacks and unless you cooperate, you'll be taken just like the others. We don't know who's doing it, but we'll get to the bottom of it."

Delan shook his head, "And why should we trust you? How do we know this isn't the politicians at Arcturus' words?"

"Because you don't have much of a choice," Kaidan deadpanned, "It's either us or them. Whatever  _they_ are. You either cooperate with us or be taken. Take it or lose it, but the alliance has already decided."

With a huff, everyone began to clear out. Delan gave one last shout.

"Nothing but bloody dictators, you alliance morons are," Delan declared, "Every. Last. One of you. You might as well switch to dictatorships now. Don't even given us the chance to dictate the future of our own colony. You twindle your thumbs and do nothing. You're useless. The lot of you."

"It's for your own good," Kaidan stated simply.

"Up yours!" Delan spat, leaving the area. Kaidan sighed, letting his predator slip into the holster on his hip.

Yeah. This was hell alright.

**{Loading...}**

_November 13, 2183_

_1111 hours._

_Upper Atrium, Abandoned Hotel, Housing District, Omega._

_Merc Leader Garrus 'Archangel' Vakarian, Lieutenant Lantar Sidonis, EOD Specialist Fal Pash, Marksman Talan Huvik, Machinist Mak'Var nar Terez, CQB Specialist Caity Matthews._

Garrus watched as his squad got into position. It had been four months since Sidonis ran into his apartment and told him he was being chased by Blood Pack mercenaries. Alot had happened since then. The two turians had travelled to Omega where they were forced to meet with Aria, who apparently recognized Garrus as one of Shepard's cohorts. She then gave him free rein of Omega and one rule; don't mess with her. Simple enough.

Without intention, they headed to the lower section of Afterlife; one of Omega's most popular strip clubs and Aria's HQ on the station. There, they met Fal Pash, a batarian who had a score to settle with Eclipse; the third of the major mercenary organizations that specialized with tech and mechanized warfare. Only salarians, asari, humans and elcor could join. You also, like other merc companies, got the occassional quarian.

Pash also had an obsession with explosions and therefore the trio became the basis for his counter-merc squad. Garrus was the leader, Sidonis was his second-in-command and Pash was his demolitions expert. It hadn't taken long for a sizable squad to form and within a month, he had formed a twelve-man squad filled with some of Omega's most hated criminal haters. You had batarians, turians, salarians, humans, a hanar and hell, even a quarian tech! It was perfect.

After being rejected his spectre status back on the Citadel, Garrus had overheard Bailey talking to one of his clients about something and he said '...I'll come down on that asshole like a servant of Archangel...' Upon that, Garrus had immediately looked it up on the extranet. Apparently, in human religions, Archangel was the title given to the angel Michael, who lead an army of angels to defeat Satan's armies of hell. So, essentially, Michael was a fighter for justice. It suited him.

So when Garrus and his squad began their unrelenting gang war against the mercenary bands of Omega, they all knew him as Archangel; the man who was a bane to merc operations and feared across all the station. Bounties were put on his head and all three of the major merc groups, including a few of the lesser minors, were out to kill him and his team. Garrus specialized in two fields; disrupting merc drug-running operations and protecting civilians from mercs.

The citizens of Omega had dubbed him a hero; like a space batman, they would ironically say, a homage to his nickname within C-Sec. Many called him and his squad heroes; others called them guardians, sentinels, angels and many more. But their enemies only called him Archangel, wanting him dead more than anything else.

And now, right here, he was about to raid a Blood Pack operation. The Blood Pack district commander on Omega, a krogan by the simple name of Weyrloc Garm, was among the blood pack forces that were taking part in the operation. Numerous vorcha pyros and troops aligned the walls of the bridge, all lead by six krogan warriors, all armed to the teeth with heavy shotguns, pistols and even rocket launchers.

Weaponry had evolved alot over the months; many of the major weapon manufacturing companies had died out and only the major ones survived to keep building weapons; and by were they devastating; the M-920 Cain was proof of that. It was a huge rocket launcher that fired a tiny nuclear warhead. It didn't had the same devastating impact of a full-scale ICBM (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missle), but it was enough to devastate everything within a three hundred and ninety meter radius.

Of course, there was nothing that deadly on Omega; but he sure wish there was. His old, outdoubtedbly outdated, reaper sniper rifle rested in his hands, the scope peering over Garm. He watched as his squad continued to assume the directed positions. Blood Pack would cross the bridge where Pash had deployed numerous C10 explosive charges.

Talan, the team's salarian marksman, sat behind a barricade down below, with a ample view of the bridge ahead. Mak'Var, the team's quarian engineer, sat to the left of the bridge, just a few meters inside the building to keep him away from the coming firefight, sat with his back to his cover, ready to deploy his drone and unleash total fury on the enemy ranks with his powerful and obsolete M-7 Lancer assault rifle.

Caity Matthews, the team's human close-quarters specialist, had her scimitar shotgun at the ready and was twitching for a fight. Having lost her husband and children to Garm in a Blood Pack raid on her home, she was just itching to kill the bastard. Her eyes had lit up with old fury long past. She longed for that krogan's blood and today, she would get it.

And finally; Sidonis. He stood with his tactical cloaking device at the ready, sitting behind a piece of cover exactly thirty meters from the bridge's center. He had a carnifex hand cannon model pistol at the ready, being the commander of the forces down below. The rest of the squad were in flanking positions surrounding the mercs and were waiting for the order to unleash hell on the enemy.

Carefully, Garrus calculated how long it would take for the Blood Pack to reach the halfway point on the bridge. If he timed it right, the explosion would mortally wound Garm and leave the mercs confused. With his fire support from the upper level, they would take care of the enemy quicker than they could say 'oh shit, it's Archangel!' Textbook work.

He just had to time it right. Just had to wait for the right momen-

He heard a krogan's voice crackle over the comm, "Halt! We've got explosives! It's Archangel!"

Garrus cursed under his breath in turian.  _Well shit. No point now._ Signalling Pash on the comms, the batarian detonated the C10 charges. The bright flash that followed shredded the bridge completely and totally, destroying it and killing numerous vorcha and the two krogan at the front of the pack. They had inflicted fatalities on them, but Garm had survived, unscratched.

Without missing a beat, his team rose from their dens like the dead from a grave and a tsunami of gunfire pounded the blood pack from all sides. Garrus managed to take down a vorcha with a headshot, the animal's head exploding in a shower of gore. Some of the merc's varren tried to get a meal from his squad, but they never got within a meter before being gunned down or blown up from rocket explosions.

Finally, his scope landed over Garm's thick head. Before he could fire the killing blow however, Caity rushed in, shotgun in hand. He spun around and Garrus' round whizzed past his head. Now aware that Archangel had a bead on him, he rolled out of the way, sending Caity hurling in the other direction and into a wall.

Seeing his position now breached by a very large krogan, Talan began his immediate retreat, switching to his own carnifex pistol and trying to slow the krogan's advance. This proved unnessacary. Pash, with a overly large missile launcher, game from the left and fired missile after missile at the juggernaut.

Blue streaks of light streamed towards Garm, but he easily sidestepped them and rushed towards Pash, smashing the launcher out of his hands and sending him hurling into a wall. Having had enough, Garrus decided he needed to finish Garm off himself. Dropping his rifle, he equipped his vindicator battle rifle and jumped over the ledge, landing on the first floor below. He was wearing his helmet, to keep his identity a secret.

Looking up, he saw Garm's glare lock with his. The krogan entered a battle stance as he equipped his shotgun, lowering it upon the turian. Garrus followed suit with his vindicator and pretty soon, they found themselves in a locked position. Garm was using a claymore heavy shotgun and that made Garrus wince. Claymores were of krogan design and were probably the most lethal shotguns available. What was worse, was that only a krogan could use them. Anyone else would have their arm broken from the recoil.

Garrus watched Garm closely as his team members fought the blood pack in the background. Garm had a nasty sneer across his face, his claymore at his side and ready to fire.

"You've lost Archangel," Garm spat, "My reinforcements will be here soon and you and your team will die. I'm going to rip you limb from limb, turian."

Garrus didn't respond. He just kept watching the krogan, waiting for the blood pack leader to make his move. He'd have to be extremely careful; he couldn't engage him in close quarters, as that shotgun of his would rip through his shields, armor and flesh with a single shot. He could run, but that wouldn't help defeat Garm in the long run. In the end, he went right for the...explosive approach.

Without warning, he popped a frag grenade from his belt, primed and threw it at the krogan's feet. Garm's attention changed to the explosive device inbetween his legs and he immediately dove for cover, his shields shattering as they took the blast head on. This gave Garrus enough time to leap into cover of his own, firing a steady, four-round burst into Garm's cover to keep him suppressed before reloading.

"You can't hide forever Archangel!" Garm spat as he peeked over his cover to see that Garrus wasn't waiting to shoot him, "You'll have to fight me eventually!"

With a snort, he fired another burst at Garm's cover, the krogan falling back behind his cover, "True, doesn't mean I can't delay the inevitable though."

Garm just growled as he prepared to charge forward. He wasn't a battlemaster, so he had no biotics to utilize. He wasn't an engineer or a infiltrator and certainly no vanguard or adept. Some would call him the ultimate shock trooper. Krogan could regenerate damaged flesh pretty damn well, but Garm was a freak of nature. He had medical implants that allowed him to regenerate ten times faster than any other vorcha or krogan, making him close to unstoppable. Invincible would be a little farfetched, but it wouldn't be far from the truth.

Just as Garrus prepared another shot, the blood pack leader's claymore popped up from his cover and fired, a deep, resounding boom echoing through the room as the weapon of mass destruction fired. Garrus had a mere second to duck from the shot and he did it just in time. Had he not moved instantly, his head would have been torn right from his torso. Scratch that; his torso would be nonexistent.

The shotgun slug instead hit the wall behind him, penetrating deep, continuing for at least 120 milimeters. He almost shat himself when he caught a glimpse of Garm charging for his cover. Garrus attempted to slow him down by firing a two round burst into the krogan's torso, but despite the large amount of blood, it barely halted him. Regenerating faster than he could say 'oh shit', the krogan rammed into Garrus and threw him into a wall.

Garrus was sure his shoulder was dislocated when he hit the wall, but it didn't matter. If he didn't break the krogan's hold, he was fucked. Without hesitation, he remembered one of Wrex's tips for dealing with a krogan when pinned like this. First, aim for the krogan's balls. Since they had two testicles more than other species, it would be double the pain.

Garrus felt his foot connect with the area inbetween the krogan's leg and he yelped in suppressed pain. Following this, he jabbed his talons into the krogan's eyesockets, causing the krogan to not even bother in suppressing his cry of agony as blood oozed from the sockets. Garm lessened his grip, allowing Garrus to worm out of it and retrieve his discarded vindicator. And before he escaped, he fired a single round into Garm's hand, causing him to drop the claymore.

Kicking the shotgun away, he backed away five meters. The krogan had already recovered from the attack. Turning, Garrus saw that the krogan wasn't even bothered by the steady flow of blood from his eyes. A matter of fact, he had already regenerated and the blood stopped flowing. With a toothy grin, he began to approach the turian.

_What does it take to wound this son of a bitch. I need explosives. Lots of explosives._

He keyed his comm as he began his retreat, "Pash, talk to me. I need explosives right about now."

A moan came from the comm, "As in?"

He rolled his eyes, "Enough to take out a krogan who can regenerate his wounds faster than a human could piss."

"Argh...too much information," Pash responded, "I'll see what I can cook up. But we've got to wrap this up quick; Talan spotted Blood Pack reinforcements inbound towards us on hegemony-model kodiak shuttles. They'll be here in less than three minutes."

Nodding his confirmation, he cut the comm and retreated up the stairs. Hopefully he'd be able to give Pash more time to set up the charges if he took Garm to a more closely walled area...or that could end up being the turian's downfall.

Finally, Garrus found himself backed up against a door and his talon squeezed against the trigger of his battle rifle, never letting go as he pumped round after round into the krogan. Garm knew when to quit; he took cover just as the last round penetrated his left kneecap. He could regenerate fast, but nowhere near THAT fast.

Garrus fell to the ground and took out his predator pistol, firing round after round into Garm's cover, keeping him suppressed. Eventually, he was forced to stop to reload his vindicator. When he had, he continued his suppression fire. It wasn't long before Pash came to the rescue, missile launcher in hand. Garm widened his eyes at the sight of the batarian wielding the heavy weapon and jumped off the balcony just as the first missile impacted his former position, ripping it apart.

Garrus nodded his thanks and strained to pull himself up, a painful throb in his arm. With Pash's help, he was able to get up and armed his battle rifle in his non-disabled arm, moving down the steps in pursuit of Garm. Before they could catch up though, they could here the familiar sounds of kodiak shuttles approaching. Time was out.

Cursing, he shouted into his comm, "Everybody split up and exfil! Regroup at the Den, but make sure you've lost them first! Archangel out." With that, Pash and himself ran for their lives, not looking back as numerous vorcha, varren and krogan mercs flooded the building. By the time Garm returned, holding his claymore again, the team had disappeared.

The krogan simply took out his rage on his vorcha neighbour, crushing the creature's head under his foot as he left the room, trailing vorcha blood from his appendage as his blood pack boarded the shuttles and left. He would fight Archangel again and when he did, he would finish him off, once and for all.

**{Loading...}**

_November 19, 2183_

_1217 hours._

_Security Wing, Level 13, Lazarus Station, Remus System._

_Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

Lazarus Station. A Cerberus Facility. The place where they were making miracles happen. Four months ago, Cerberus had located Shepard's body on Alchera. Well, if 'locating' can even be the right term. For one, Shepard's body wasn't even in the one area. It was scattered all over the Normandy's crash site and even beyond that. It had taken a solid week to find  _every single_  piece of flesh that was left of Shepard's body.

Secondly, it wasn't even his body anymore. What was left was just bits of molten flesh. His brain had been burnt to a crisp and what few bones were found weren't even essential. Just a few phanlanges and a piece of toe bone. However, this was useful as all the Lazarus team had to do was clone the DNA found on the bones (or what's left) and use it to flashclone exact copies of the original product through a process called 'bio-synthetic fusion'.

Ever since bringing the ex-spectre's remains back to the station, he had been locked away on an operating table in the main laboratory and they had been working on him ever since. As a security officer, he didn't have authorization to access the labs unless it was an emergency, and therefore he wasn't able to witness what went on in there. Only a few select scientists with the proper clearence, Wilson and Miranda were allowed inside.

Rumors spread like wildfire that the process was going well and that the process of rebuilding Shepard's body was almost complete. But that was defintely all it was; wild speculation. The process of rebuilding a body had never been done before and would take at least another three months to finalize. They had to reconstruct dead body tissue, replace all vital organs, rebuild all bone marrow, regenerate his brain structure and a bunch of other scientific shit.

And then it would take another six months at best to even awaken him. Bringing back the dead was a delicate process and one never attempted before; it was extremely imporant that they not mess it up or they could risk turning him into a husk or overload his brain. Apparently the cybernetics would reanimate his body while also keeping his memories and free will intact, but he just wasn't sure anymore. He put faith in the doctors.

And now he walked alongside Miranda as they approached the research wing. They crossed a narrow bridge threw the last section of the security wing, where numerous LOKI security mechs stood on guard. Boy were they basic toys with SMGs, but they were useful as cannon fodder. LOKI mechs had essentially no armor and no shields, with just a shuriken model SMG at their disposal. They had shit for brains and if compared, were probably dumber than even vorcha.

Luckily, the mechs were programmed to recognize humans as friendlies. All Cerberus personnel on the station had IFF (Identify Friend-Foe) tags that allowed them to be recognized by the mechs. Anyone non-human would be identified as hostile and fired upon. And LOKIs weren't the only form of security on this damn station; they had FENRIS mechs, which served as robotic attack dogs that would destroy enemy shields and YMIR mechs, which were the tanks. They had heavy weaponry built to take on a squad of krogan. For Cerberus, they were cheap too.

On their way inside the research wing, they passed numerous cerberus security officers as well, along with the occassional combat machinist. Most of them didn't even have armor; they wore standard cerberus uniform with a predator or carnifex pistol at their hip. The machinists had omni-tools, but that was about it. Only Jacob had any kind of combat experience and he was deadly with a shotgun.

Finally, they reached the main lab. It wasn't overly big and it was situated right beside one of the station's observation decks, allowing them a clear view of Parnack, the yahg's homeworld, outside. The yahg were a primitive species that hadn't achieved spaceflight yet; but they were five times worse than a krogan. They were taller, stronger and more bloodthirsty. The planet was quarantined as a 'no-fly zone' after a council diplomat team was murdered by the yahg after attempting contact. Perfect plase for a disclosed Cerberus facility.

Just before Miranda hit the panel on the door to open it, she turned towards Jacob and leaned against the door, crossing her arms.

Jacob huffed, "Come on Miri, just one peek? It can't hurt." Jacob pleaded.

Miranda shook her head, "I've said it before, No. I'll say it again. No. One more time. No! Want one more?" Miranda stated, with her often cold 'ice queen' act. Jacob and Miranda had known each other for a while and had once been close, but that relationship dissolved quickly after the Council assassination incident years ago. Miranda was nice underneath, to an extent, but she kept up her bitchy persona just to make sure her subordinates stayed...subordinates.

Jacob sighed heavily, "Come on! What's the problem with looking? It's not like spilling it out to the other officers is going to hurt our morale or something."

Miranda rolled her eyes, "Ever heard of gossip, Jacob? Alot of it happens in Cerberus. If word got out that we were resurrecting Shepard and got into the hands of the Alliance, what do you think would happen? No, I can't allow that to happen and neither will the Illusive Man. Now leave. You've got your duties; we'll talk in the mess hall later on."

Jacob simply nodded and saluted, "I'll be in the security wing...doing the usual. See if any of the LOKI mechs need maintenance. And keep an eye on that Wilson guy, Miri. I don't trust him."

Miranda nodded and waved a hand for Jacob to cease saluting, "Duly noted. I don't trust him much either, but this is his station, so I can't have him transferred. Besides, he's a genius, so I guess I'll have to put up with him for now. Besides, I've got you to watch my back, don't I?"

Jacob gave a warm smile, "Of course. Good luck with Shepard."

Miranda laughed, "I don't need luck, remember? I'm 'perfect.'" She used air quotes to punctuate her statement. It had been what her father had said when he perfected his creation; Miranda wasn't an ordinary human, she was genetically engineered and grown from a test tube. She was engineered to be perfect.

Jacob chuckled and turned to leave. When he was out of sight, Miranda used her omni-tool and transmitted the required codes, opening the door and stepping inside. Once it had closed behind her, she locked it again, making sure noone could get inside. The lab was of decent size; twenty meters in length and ten in width. All the tables had been removed except for the one Shepard's body now resided on. Observation windows littered the left side of the ceiling, while numerous pieces of medical equipment and monitors littered the room. Scientists wandered about, perputuating their important work.

Noticing the sound of the door opening, Wilson sighed. The ice queen bitch had returned. He began to hate this woman as soon as he started working with her. It was times like this that he wished the Illusive Man had placed him in charge of the project. It was  _his_ scientific division, afterall. But TIM's decisions were final, so he was stuck with the ice queen.

Turning and putting on the best fake smile he could sport, he handed Miranda one of the dataslates, "There's the data on the progress we're making. It's going well. We've reconnected all the major bones and we just need to inject the cybernetic implants to fuse them together. That'll take a few more weeks to complete, then we can begin regeneration of his entire body. That'll take a few more months, then..."

"Then we can awaken him. I know how long it'll take Wilson, I'm not some rookie off the street," Miranda snapped, pushing the datapad back into Wilson's open hands as she approached the table.

Wilson tried his best to hold in his irritated sigh, but he couldn't help but let loose a low grunt, slamming the datapad down on the desk harder than he thought he should. Miranda gave him a sideways glance, but otherwise, continued eying her masterpiece project. And current moment, there was nothing to look at that was remotely Shepard-looking. It was just bits of flesh, blood, bones and meat. The body was mostly reconstructed, with the forging of Shepard's retina having been completed. Most of his face was also on the way towards completion.

For now however, they still had a while before he could be totally reconstructed. All the cybernetics, the tranfusions...it'd be another year before he could be revived, possibly even longer. But, they had to make do with what they had. There was no room for forfeit; TIM would not be happy to have poured two billion credits into a project she forfeited. No, the revival had to continue.

"What's the update on the construction of the new Normandy?" Wilson asked, as he stood on the opposite side of the table.

"In construction," Miranda stated firmly, "The Illusive Man is having trouble acquiring the stealth drive blueprints from the alliance, but it won't be long before he gets his hands on them. From what I know, the specs are beyond anything the original Normandy had. It'll have more decks, better weaponry, slightly slower but bigger and by far, more advanced. It'll also come equipped with some of the best crew Cerberus has to offer. From what I've heard, Jeff Moreau and Karin Chakwas have accepted our invite and Adams is still considering it."

Wilson was impressed, "Just what kind of weaponry are we speaking of?"

Miranda noticed he was prying for too much info, "That's classified."

Wilson sighed, "Crew?"

"Also classified."

"Then what isn't?"

"Nothing crucial."

Miranda's short and blunt answers started to irritate him, but he decided to let it slip. If he was that interested in learning about the Normandy, he'd just ask TIM directly. Cerberus hadn't done much to disturb the Normandy's crash site except scan some of it's crucial components. There was a huge chunk of the SR-1's engine core still left, but most of the tech was damaged beyond repair and couldn't be recycled.

The occassional body still left on the ship was found and taken back to Earth to be given a proper burial. They also found numerous journals, some including Charles Pressly's and Tali'Zorah nar Rayya's. The information on them was corrupt however and the datapads were left within the frigate's wreckage. After retrieving Shepard's body, what was left of the ship was left there. The dead body of the hero that had slain Sovereign, a testament to the enemy they now faced.

The Illusive Man was vague on exactly what they were facing, but apparently they were bringing Shepard back for a new goal now; one that didn't just involve preparing for the Reapers. A new enemy had appeared on the galactic map; and it was abducting entire human colonies, one by one. It couldn't have been geth; they hated all organics and didn't have the technology to abduct entire colonists without a fight and be gone within four hours.

It wasn't the Reapers themselves either; although, unlike the geth, it was well within their technology for such abductions, the evidence pointed to otherwise. Only one Reaper was present in the galaxy, and that was destroyed. Also, the Reapers preferred to leave dragon's teeth all over the place. At all sites, not a single dragon's teeth was to be found. Also, footprints of where the Reapers land couldn't be found either. No, it wasn't Reapers and it wasn't geth.

Whoever it was, they had a vendetta against humanity. All the colonies that disappeared were all human; not a single asari, turian, salarian or any alien colony was taken. This enemy hated humanity and was declaring a personal war against them; for what? They weren't sure. But TIM was sure it had something to do with Sovereign's destruction at the Citadel five months ago.

And now, Shepard was their last hope to stop them. The Alliance was unwilling to fight the enemy directly; only putting in peripheral support and false promises. TIM had decided that Cerberus was going to have to act; despite being a terrorist organization, they had a sufficiently large budget and fleet, allowing them to make a significant foe for their enemy; or at least, somewhat. But with Shepard leading them, they would be unstoppable. Of that, TIM was sure.

"Wilson, activate the neural scanner. I want to see his brain activity," Miranda ordered, breaking Wilson's train of thought.

Nodding, he activated it and directly it at what was meant to be Shepard's head. It would be a long year of reconstruction.

But Cerberus was sure that it was worth it.

**{Loading...}**

_November 22, 2183 {Translated Khelish Time}_

_Fifteen Hours, Three Minutes._

_Passenger Compartment, QMFV Kodiak Shuttle, Inbound for QMFV Neema, Migrant Fleet._

_Mission Leader Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Platoon Leader Prazza'Sal vas Idenna, Corporal Yitsak'Cqi vas Jykkza, Private First Class Myr'Jorin nar Gmyl._

Tali stared intently out of the shuttle window and down upon the world below her. They had just wrapped up another mission on Pheiros, and they had turned up with nothing. Four months had passed since Marcus' death and she had copped better than she expected. She still cried herself to sleep most nights, but he didn't occupy her nightmares that badly anymore. She had healed sufficiently, but not fully.

However, she found herself unable to fall for anyone else. Peta was still persistant in his attempts to be with her but apart from that, she hadn't really had an interest in anyone else. It was either because none of the males she knew were relationship material or that she thought she'd be dishonoring Marcus if she found someone else.

She had been an engineer on the Neema for quite a while and efficiently became the chief engineer's second-in-command, but that was before the three weeks that followed. It was September when her father approached her, inviting her to an admiralty board meeting on the Rayya. She was reluctant at first, but she eventually accepted.

When she got there, she learned that the geth data had been handed over to Xen for examination and the quarian, surprisingly, applauded her for it. It allowed her a much broader view of how the geth had come to evolve over the years. The stealth drive technology had been given to her subordinates, who were now testing it on the Moreh. If it passed all tests, it would be officially commissioned aboard the Heavy fleet corvette, Hutbyk. It would be the fleet's first stealth capable vessel.

Tali had been informed of the fleet's current status, and none of it was good. The fleet was dying, to put it bluntly. It had served them for three centuries, but now it's time had come, like an elderly man facing his inevitable death. The liveships were low on resources and fear that the Nuustu's nutrient vats were failing had spread throughout the fleet. It, of course, was closer to the truth than they feared. They had a mere six years before the Nuustu became contaminated.

They were also running low on ships to salvage and that mean the ships they had, were going to fall apart and possibly kill the crews onboard. This meant that if the liveships failed, the migrant fleet would run out of resources to sustain. Starvation would overcome them and the last of the quarian race would die. The quarians were facing extinction once again, and the conclave was terrified.

Zaal'Koris however, had a solution. He proposed the one thing that he always supported; the search for a new homeworld. The admiralty and the conclave didn't like it, but they had to admit he was right. But in their view, it would be a temporary world. The majority of the fleet still praised the idea of liberating Rannoch and taking back the Perseus Veil. It was a war they couldn't win; not in their current state.

So, the conclave elected to send out science teams; small units of Xen's best scientists escorted by a marine unit, would deploy on a world and test it's chirality. If it was dextro, they would select it for colonization, grasping on the hope that the Council didn't take notice. They would also check to see if the planet was habitable to all forms of life.

It hadn't been long before Tali otped for the military life; she joined the marines. Gerrel and Kal's insistance was only one of the minute reasons she joined them. She mostly joined it because she wanted to make a difference and to get over Marcus' death. Enduring harsh training from a even less friendly sergeant would help with that.

But apparently she didn't need training; her actions on the Citadel proved that. She got immediate access to the military and was offered the rank of Platoon Sergeant. She accepted this and quickly blitzed through the ranks, quickly reaching Lieutenant and commanding a large platoon. Finally, she was given the position of mission leader, leading all marine units that escorted the science teams.

She found herself in the unfortunate place of leading Prazza's platoon. He hadn't been happy at all when he heard that 'the admiral's little girl' would be leading his team. He had muttered under his breath at times and at others, completely undermined her command. She tolerated it and made daily complaints to the Corps command, hoping they would do something about it. For now, she was stuck with his arrogant attitude towards her.

However, Yitsak and Myr proved to be a different story. Yitsak was young, having only just completed his pilgrimage two weeks ago before jumping into the marines. He was young and rash, sometimes second guessing Prazza while at others, he followed commands to the letter. His clan, Clan Cqi, had a strong dislike towards admirals, but he seemed genuinely kind towards Tali. The two became friends quickly and Tali would sometimes give him tips in combat that Marcus had given her.

Myr was brave and young and was on pilgrimage. Although not all that common, quarians would choose to join the army reserves for their pilgrimage. This kind of pilgrim was called a 'pilgrim troop' and he/she wasn't required to bring back a gift, but instead was allowed to join a ship when he/she had reached a certain level of status in the military. For Myr, that was sergeant, then he planned to join the crew of the Neema as well, having alot of respect for Admiral Gerrel.

Her omni-tool beeped in the darkness of the cabin and she opened it to find a message from Garrus. She smiled behind her mask. The rest of the crew had promised to stay in contact, but it was mostly the young quarian and brash turian viglante who stayed true to that promise. They had become close friends, some would even say best friends, had stayed in frequent contact. Last time he had contacted her, he was about to lead his team to raid a Blood Pack operation on Omega.

Opening the message, she read. She laughed quietly at the usage of her username. Garrus had suggested it.

_To: TheNaughtyQuarian7_

_From: TheHandsomeTurian2_

_Subject: Re: Re: Re: Omega_

_Damn it Tali, I was so close! We had them, but then that son of a bitch slipped right out from under us and escaped. I made the tactical decision to retreat. It was the right one; we almost died._

_I hope you're doing okay. Fleet life sounds real hard and I hope that dickhead, Prazza isn't giving you too much trouble. I guess being a marine is a pretty huge turn for you. I just hope Shepard's death isn't hurting you too much; you don't seem to stop thinking about him. I miss him too, but I don't think he'd want you to be holding on like this. Just...don't slip too far. I'm still here you know; I'd hate to lose the only friend I have left. Well, only friend who keeps in contact anyway._

_So, heard much from Liara? Or Chakwas? Or Joker? Hell, what about Wrex? I haven't gotten a response from him. You did tell him about Shepard's death right? He'd be pissed if we kept him out of the loop. If you haven't, then you better hope he watches the news alot. Bound to turn up there._

_Anyway, g2g (got to go ;)) Sidonis wants to talk with me. I hope you'll be okay. Be safe out there. This turian will be mighty lonely if you do and get yourself killed._

_From: TheHandsomeTurian2_

_To: TheNaughtyQuarian7_

Tali smiled at the sentiment. It was nice to have such a good friend; one that cared for her. He was worried about her and she felt herself reciprocating it. She at least had the safety of the fleet; he had to compete with the constant danger of mercenary attack. His life on Omega had him watching out for his back almost 24/7. It was a life she enjoyed not having. But in a way, she regretted not accepting Garrus' offer to join his team. She wanted to watch his back. She just had to rely on his senses to keep him alive, now.

She typed up her message and sent it.

_To: TheHandsomeTurian2_

_From: TheNaughtyQuarian7_

_Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Omega_

_I hope you're okay too. I just returned from Pheiros and I'm fine. The mission was a failure though. We've still failed to find a suitable planet for habitation. It has me scared. The continuation of my people is now based on whether the science teams I escort find the relevant information. I know it's their job, but I feel like seventeen million lives are riding on me, you know?_

_And yes, you bosh'tet, I know what g2g means. Don't be smart with a machinist. xD._

_And please, you be safe. I've at least got a fleet to protect me; you've only got your friends and I'm not sure if you should trust them completely. I wish I could help, but I've got a duty to my people to fullfill and I don't want to let them down. Just...be careful. Don't do anything stupid to get yourself killed. You're the only real friend I've got apart from Reegar, and he's not exactly someone you get social with all the time._

_Keep your finger on the trigger and your mind ever alert; I'd hate to collect your dead body from Omega when your job is over._

_From: TheNaughtyQuarian7_

_To: TheHandsomeTurian2_

She felt like the last part of her message had been a little cold, but she wanted to push her message across; if he died, she would forever hate him. Just as she began contemplating what the next planet would bring, she felt the shuttle land. They had arrived back at the Neema.

Waiting for the shuttle's thrusters to disengage, she stood up and holstered the armageddon shotgun she had held before her. It had been entrusted to her by Marcus and she was damn sure she'd look after it. The only real modification she had made to the weapon was swap the mass effect field generator powering the mass acellerator for a heat sink so she could utilize thermal clips. All clips were universally designed so they could be used in all thermal-based guns.

Hitting the shuttle door, she stepped outside, followed closely by her platoon. Prazza followed quietly behind her, not making a sound. Tali liked this. She always got headaches from Prazza's voice. The rest of the platoon followed just as silently, apart from the occassional chatty ones. She was greeted by Han'Gerrel and Rael'Zorah, both of them nodding to the platoon as they returned and headed to the armoury. Rael stopped her.

"Yes, sir?" Tali asked.

Rael looked at Gerrel as if waiting confirmation, but apparently he didn't need it. Rael looked back at Tali and spoke, "We need you on another salvaging mission. I want you to take your platoon and land on Gei Hinnom. Geth were spotted on the planet and we could use the salvage."

Tali sighed inwardly. This was also a secondary mission Tali would get. Aside from looking for suitable homeworlds, her father would also send her out to geth inhabited worlds to send deactivated geth parts back to Rael's research ship, the Alarei, so he could design weapons to fight the geth. It was all in secret preparation for the inevitable war against the geth. Koris was kept in the dark about it as was most of the conclave. Only Xen, Gerrel, Rael and Tali knew about it.

She was kinda sick of these missions actually. The only reward she got out of it was a pat on the back and the reassurance that she would get to do another one soon. Although, the upside was that they were getting better and better prepared for a war with the geth. The Battle of the Perseus would begin soon at the rate they were going. And, if they could get a suitable world to live on, they could focus on salvaging more ships and instead of converting them into space houses, they could make more warships and possibly construct some servicable battleships or dreadnoughts.

"Yes sir!" Tali snapped a crisp salute before leaving, not even sharing a second glance with her father. Ever since he had said he was 'proud' of her, which she still doubted he meant, he had gone back to neglecting her. The only time they interacted was inbetween missions and during briefings, where he'd be giving her orders. Orders. Orders. More Orders. She might as well have been a soldier. Had he just forgotten that he even had a daughter?

Tali sighed as another message popped up on her omni-tool. Then a second beep. Frowning, she looked at her inbox to find two messages awaiting her. Selecting the first one, she was confused at first but gradually began to understood who sent it and was disgusted.

_To: Tali'Zorah vas Neema._

_From: Anonymous User_

_Subject: Your current neglect_

_You may remember me. I helped you on the Citadel during your pilgrimage. Fist betrayed me. My name is the Shadow Broker and we are much closer than you may think. I wish I could say more, but you'll have to trust me. Do you know your friend Garrus? The current predicament he finds himself in?_

_Of course you don't. However, that is not the topic of discussion. If you continue to report the actions of your missions to me, I can keep you safe and provide you with the best intel. Sound good? I only want to help your people, Tali. Do stay safe._

_From: Anonymous User_

_To: Tali'Zorah vas Neema._

Tali was puzzled by the message but would consider it. The Shadow Broker was a powerful man, or woman, or people, that would make a favorable ally to the fleet. Accepting his/her/their help would be vital to the flotilla's continued survival. It could change the course of their downfall expodentially. But for now, she would merely consider it. She hadn't forgotten how unreliable the broker's agents were; Fist had betrayed and tried to kill her. She hadn't forgotten that.

When she read the second message, and found it to be by Garrus, she was confused by the bluntness, the feeling of defeat in the message. It took her by surprise and both enraged and confused her. She felt angry at Garrus' sense of defeatism, while confused by the simpleness of the text.

It read:

_There won't be a body to recover._

**"This was quite awhile after your death. As you can see, our lives were dull during those four months, so I saw that skipping a few months would be beneficial. Not that my life was exciting, I just thought that raising the Shadow Broker was crucial to repairing your memory."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Why was the Broker so important?"**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Well, let's just say that the broker played a large role in both our lives quite a while later. At least a year after those events. But that's besides the point. I think I'll skip now to the new year."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"New year?"**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Twenty-One-Twenty-Four. That's right, the new year."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**Sorry if I haven't answered many of your questions, but most of you have guessed by now that that the next five chapters will be during the times** _**before** _ **Shepard's comeback. And don't worry, I haven't forgotten Liara. In fact, the next chapter involves her. And a special note for Dividing MDH, NO, unlike Keelah Se'lai, this does not focus on Tali's POV of the two years of Shepard's death, but focuses on everyone. I just thought I'd clear that up before you made any more pointless comparisons to what's a completely different fanfic (aside from it also being a Tali romance)**

**Also, the final installment of this quadrilogy, which is based on ME3 and is called 'Holocaust', will take adaptations previously made in HICH. So yes, alot of it may change but overall, it will have differences from ME3 and HICH, so don't get too optimistic. As for HICH, I don't think I'll get back to it,** _**at all** _ **. I've promised and tried my hardest, but I just can't find inspiration to do it. I sincerely apologize, knowing and understanding that maybe my apology isn't enough. But for one fanfic to succeed, another has to die. Unfortunately, that means HICH has to be the latter.**

**This doesn't mean it's permanently dead; just dormant, for the long-term. Most of you will have moved on by the time it's rebooted; and that's fine.**


	6. Light Years Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liara finds a new purpose, and reaches out to Tali. Garrus comes across a familiar face on Omega.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FIVE:**

**LIGHT YEARS AWAY**

_January 3, 2184_

_1350 hours._

_Private Room, Eternity Bar, Nos Astra, Illium._

_Prothean Researcher Liara T'Soni._

Liara sighed quietly as the calm music of the Eternity Bar played in the background, her drink sitting idly before her. The five months that passed since the incident over Alchera had been the worst for Liara. She had promised her friends and told herself that she would continue her job as a prothean researcher; digging up whatever she could on Prothean countermeasures for the Reapers.

But the genocidal machines had been unbelievably thorough in cleansing the galaxy of all evidence of their existence; not one killabyte of data could be found on the information pertaining to the Reapers. Not one bit. She had gone to Ilos afterwards discreetly to converse with Vigil, but the VI had finally lost all power and had been permanently inactive since a week after Alchera. With Vigil dead and Sovereign gone, there was no way to either prove the Reapers existed or how to defeat them.

Now she felt hopeless. She had rescinded all other funds towards her project, declaring it a failure. With her career as a prothean researcher over, she had no idea what to do; all her friends had moved on. Kaidan worked for the Alliance, Tali was on the Flotilla, Garrus was getting himself killed on Omega on the otherside of the galaxy and Wrex was on Tuchanka, uniting the clans. They had all become better than before; and she had downgraded, big time.

She felt hopeless; like a child and in some ways, that's what she was. A child still fumbling in the dark and needing mummy to hold her hand. The thought of her dead mother, Matriarch Benezia M'Soni, just brought tears to her eyes. She remembered how on Noveria, she had been forced to put a bullet through her own mother's head to free her of Sovereign's will. It had been the hardest thing to do in her whole life time.

Now her mother was buried on Thessia; where she belonged, at home with her people. Maybe that's where Liara should be; afterall, it's where she was born. A return to the asari homeworld would be fully justified given the circumstances of where her life had taken her.

But now she found herself on Illium; one of the most economically rich asari colonies in the Republics, located deep in the Terminus Systems. Illium was the beating heart for the slave trade and illegal activities. She didn't ever let it's beauty deceive her; Illium was a repulsive place. Of course there was the few people who actually followed the law and Illium even had it's own police force, but that was merely to make Illium look more tasty.

Many species required Illium's services too; the Migrant Fleet came here regularly to refuel and Illium even had shipyards, where they build numerous MSV vessels and even a few warships for the Alliance or Hierarchy.

Liara took another sip of her Thessian wine before looking back up at the vidscreen before her. The asari bartender and manager of the bar, who turned out to be a matriarch by the name of Aethyta, had given her private access to the room for a couple of hours. Liara had thanked the matriarch in kind before leaving for the room, even eavesdropping on a turian male trying to flirt with a quarian woman on the nearby sofa.

She just watched the latest news; the status on the geth, numerous alliance recruitment advertisements, using Shepard as their posterboy along with a few ads for quarians and volus, dealing with suits and employment. Well, maybe not all people were racist. That thought was put in a trash can when Khalisah showed up next, the woman's aura always seeming to piss some poor bastard off.

Then came a vid about an asari justicar named Samara. Justicars were an ancient order of asari that were essentially the Republics much less refined version of Council Spectres. Essentially, Justicars had a code that forbade them from engaging in illegal activities. Once committed, they were not allowed to start a family, get bonded, have children or any other civilian right. Once committed, they had one purpose; to protect the innocent from the wicked. A justicar's methods could be brutal and ruthless; lead by their code, they would slay any who would dare engage in illegal study or hurt civilians. In many ways, they were like human Samurai.

Justicars however, were now a dying order. Not many asari were willing to commit to something so...empty. They weren't willing to give up such basic things for the code. As a byproduct, the justicar order now had a mere sixteen individuals, Samara being one of the most famous. Apparently she had taken up the duty in her matron stage; after her daughter, known by all as 'Morinth', ran away from home and became a serial killer. Samara then did the one thing no mother should suffer through; she swore to find her daughter and kill her.

Samara was now a matriarch; she had been a justicar for many centuries and during that time, the search for her daughter had raged on. Along the way, the justicar had completed her duties and saved many lives and today, it showed once again. Apparently an asari mother had lost her young 13 year old baby daughter in a flood on Nevos, but mere hours later, Samara turned up, holding her in her hands. The justicar hastily left, continuing her quest to kill her daughter and rid the galaxy of crime. Garrus would had done well hiring her.

The next news theme dealt with Kasumi Goto; the master thief, completing another flawless robbery. The next showed a drell assassin, Thane Krios, completing another successful assassination on a man named 'Jax'. The krogan barely saw it coming. The next news reports were mostly the same; People do important things; criminals die, innocents die, explosions here and there, the galaxy is a fucked up place, yeah. That was the essence of these reports.

Starting to get a headache, she turned off the vidscreen and chugged the rest of her drink. Sitting down on the table, she sat in the quiet space, not making a single sound except her light breathing. This silence was a reminder of what she had lost; what the entire Normandy crew had lost, that half year ago. Liara's life had taken a dramatic change when she met Shepard; either for the best or the worst, but either way, she knew she would give anything to serve under him again. Or at least someone like him.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?"

Liara immediately snapped her attention to the opened door. She actually hadn't seen it open. She had been too...enraptured in her thoughts to even bother to notice. Waiting for her answer was a short but sterdy Drell; his green scales lighting up in the light of the room, pale, black eyelids staring deep into her eyes.

Drell were a species that evolved on their former homeworld of Rakhana. They were very reptillian, but surprisingly amphibian in looks. Many humans nicknamed them as 'frogs' for their facial structure. They had a single pair of eyes, just like most species, which, in turn, blinks horizontally instead of vertically like most species. Not alot was known about drell females, as they mostly stayed on their new homeworld, Kahje. Males were physically very strong and were known for being excellent assassins.

Eight hundred years ago, like the quarians, the drell lost their homeworld but before different reasons. The drell had developed their industrial might so largely, that they had contaminated the atmosphere, causing the planet to be uninhabitable. The drell cried for help and the hanar were quick to answer, saying it was 'the will of the protheans to intervene.' Yeah, that didn't help the quarians much.

So the drell were relocated to the hanar homeworld where they would then later call home. However, only three hundred and seventy-five thousand drell managed to escape Rakhana; the remaining nine billion perished either from the breached atmosphere or as civil war enruptured the planet as they fought over resources.

The drell had adapted to Kahje, but there was one lasting side effect; and it was called Kepral's Syndrome. Every drell had it; the drell were used to the rocky and dry deserts of Rakhana and therefore weren't prepared for the wet, ocean world that Kahje was. To counter this, the drell are forced to live in a climate-controlled dome city called 'New Haven'. However, this didn't stop the production of Kepral's syndrome, an infection that cuts off the body's ability to provide oxygen. The drell has a mere twenty-four years to live; then the body's lungs cease functioning and they die.

An impressive feature of drell was their eidetic memory. This, in itself didn't come at birth, it merely came from the drell's need to know the exact location of every resource, therefore giving birth to the ability. It allowed the drell to relive memories in complete detail; remembering every smell, how things felt, how the events followed and how it happened. It was amazing. This is why Drells made such good spies and assassins; they could memorize the layout of a building with no problem at all and how best to eliminate their target.

Drell weren't assassins by choice either; it was part of the deal upon living on Kahje. In return for stopping the drell's extinction, the drell offered themselves to the hanar as indentured servants. So the drell eventually were, at birth, commited to joining the hanar military, becoming assassins, spies or helping out in hanar businesses. A fair favor for their saviors.

Liara smiled, "Of course, what's your name?"

The drell smiled back as he sat down, "Feron. Feron Moza."

Liara smiled, "Liara. Liara T'Soni. So what is a drell like you doing on Illium?"

Feron's answer wasn't immediate. He had been hesitant about it, "I'm...I...It's nothing." The drell then went silent. He looked blankly at the wall ahead of him. Liara examined the drell's features and noticed he looked...worried. Afraid.  _He's scared. About what?_

"You seem worried about something," Liara pondered, "Something the matter?"

"It's nothing."

Silence once again. Eventually, Liara just decided to leave it. She had no idea why she even asked this drell for his name. It was stupid.  _What stranger goes up to someone and asks for their name? It's foolish!_ Just as the asari got out the door, she noticed four mercs at the bar. They were wearing fully-sealed helmets with two glowing eyes for vision; the helmet of a mercenary. They were orange and black uniforms. She didn't recognize them. Feron's voice sounded behind her.

"Oh crap," he muttered, "They've found me."

Before she could even register what the drell had said, he was gone. Turning around again, she heard a loud bang. Whatever it was, the grunt that followed was enough to alert the mercs at the bar, who halted their questioning of the matriarch. The two salarians and the human picked up their weapons and rushed towards the scene. Feron fled, the mercs charging after him.

Liara just decided to ignore it. It wasn't any of her business and she'd just get herself into trouble. Yet again, mercs were running through the streets. She'd fought geth and krogan, a few mercs wouldn't be above her pay grade. Yet again, she didn't feel inclined to get involved and instead just returned her drink to the bar, thanking Aethyta for the room before leaving for her skycar.

Just as she reached it outside, she watched Feron drop off the edge of a balcony, landing below. The mercs followed without any trouble, using high-tech jet-thrusters in their boots to soften their landing and continue their chase. Liara continued to convince herself that she was not getting involved. As the skycar's door closed beside her, she lifted it up and over the edge. Seeing Feron again, she gave in.

 _Damn that drell. What is it about him that's making me so...generous?_ Without even thinking about her next action, she descended her skycar so it hovered just beside the platform that the drell was running parellel to. Feron spared her a glance as he kept running and was surprised when she opened the door to his side.

"Get in!" Liara shouted.

Feron was about to object when a shot whizzed past his head. The unknown mercs were catching up. Cursing to himself, he leapt into the car and Liara slammed the door shut, taking off from the platform and disappearing into Illium's skyways.

"Thanks..." Feron grumbled.

"You're welcome," Liara responded half-seriously and half-sarcastically, "Those mercs wanted you dead. What did you do to piss them off so bad?"

"Not them, him," Feron stated, "They weren't ordinary mercs, they were agents. Agents of the Shadow Broker."

Liara frowned, "And why would he want you dead?"

Feron felt hesitant continuing, "I may have assassinated one of his best agents. He's been tracking down ever since. I thought hiding on Illium would help, but apparently not. Miss T'Soni..." He then halted. It took him a few seconds to realize just who had saved him. With a look of shock, he turned towards the asari, "Wait... _the_ Liara T'Soni? As in the Hero of the Citadel?"

Liara smiled, "Yes, that Liara. I didn't know there were that many Liara T'Soni's. And please, it's just Liara. Only my mother called me that."

Feron nodded, "Well, I really didn't think I'd be saved by one of the heroes to the citadel. I'm in better luck than I thought. Do you...have an apartment we could go to? I need to find a way to get off this planet. It's not safe here for me anymore; nowhere is. The Shadow Broker knows everything; there's nowhere good enough to hide from him or his private army."

"I can help," Liara said, hitting a realization, "I know a friend who can get you the best hiding place. Even the Shadow Broker can't touch you."

"Oh really?" Feron asked, thoroughly interested, "A place where the Broker's information network can't breach? And where might this be?"

Liara smiled smugly, "How would you like to visit the Migrant Fleet?"

**{Loading...}**

_January 8, 2184_

_2234 hours._

_Main Plaza, Slums, Gozu District, Omega._

_Merc Leader Garrus 'Archangel' Vakarian, Machinist Mak'Var nar Terez, CQB Specialist Caity Matthews._

Garrus used his vindicator battle rifle to scan the area ahead of him. Just the same thing; an empty street. It was late at night and most of the populace had gone to sleep, mostly because of the Blue Suns prowling the district. The merc organization policed the entire district; something that would end if Garrus had anything to say about it.

His vindicator scope landed on a lone turian, his avenger assault rifle limp at his side. Cracking a smile, he fired three perfect headshots into the turian, his body falling to the ground with a barely audible thump. He then quickly dove back into his cover, ejecting the spent clip and loading a fresh one into the slot.

"Mak, you getting anything out of the local network?" Garrus asked his quarian companion, the quarian's pistol holstered as he fiddled with his omni-tool.

Two glowing orbs locked with the turian's, "Not a peep. Either the Blue Suns are using radios or the network has gone offline. Either way, there's no signs of comm traffic in the district, at all."

Garrus nodded, activating his eye visor to see if he could get anything. They weren't here to clear out the district of the Blue Suns; he'd have brought the whole if he wanted to do that, not to mention he'd need a battalion to do that. No, he was here to investigate reports of a salarian apparently having caused trouble for the Blue Suns in the area. Anyone who was a threat to mercs was a friend to him. He remembered the famous human quote.  _The Enemy of my enemy is my friend._

"I've got nothing on radar," Caity stated, "I'm going to go on recon. Scout it out. Get a feel for where the Blue Suns defenses are strong and weak. Meet back here." Caity was always the one to immediately assume what she was doing. She didn't like taking orders, but trusted Garrus enough. The human was eager to kill mercs; he knew that much, but her problem with following orders was quite inconvienient.

"Alright Caity," Garrus responded, "Just keep to the shadows the best you know how."

Caity gave him a wry grin, "I am the very best." With that, the girl's tactical cloak activated and she disappeared, the disturbance in the air that signalled where she was hiding evaporating as she sprinted off, the sound being her footsteps, which also grew ever more distant.

Garrus smiled as he turned back to Mak, "So, Mister Var, shall we go and see what all the fuss is about?"

Mak nodded, unholstering his sidearm and readying it at his side. The two dextros immediately sprinted towards the barricade that had been set up half way into the plaza. A Blue Suns fortification. A human soldier appeared over the barricade. Cursing his luck, Garrus was about to run if it wasn't for the sound of Mak's knife unsheathing. Just as he turned, he watched as the knife flew through the air and hit the merc in the throat.

Blood spurted out in gushes, the human trying to block the blood loss. As he did this, the quarian reached up and grabbed the human's head, pulling him down so he hung from the barricade, the human forced to look at Mak as the quarian jerked his head in the opposite direction, snapping it.

The body fell to the ground and Mak ripped out his knife, wiping the blood on his suit. Garrus grinned, if not sadistically.  _He's been listening to what I tought him._ The quarian simply nodded to the man and walked past. If the quarian had no mask, the turian would be able to see that he was grinning just as widely. With a shake of his head, the turian spun around, vindicator in hand, and followed behind.

The two of them snuck through the district, taking out the occassionally nosey blue suns officer as they traversed the empty streets. Their target apparently ran a clinic in the district, so it wouldn't be hard to find him. Apart from the occassional blue suns fortification in the area or enforcement checkpoint, there was nothing standing between them.

It wasn't long before they found themselves in a small alleyway. Just ahead was the door to the clinic. It should have been a simple matter of walking through the front door; if it weren't for the blue suns mercs trying to break the door open. One engineer, with three turians and a human guarding his back. The engineer was clearly a batarian, but given their species' reputation, he wasn't too bright in his sector.

Garrus motioned for his quarian companion to target the batarian engineer with an overload while he used his reaper sniper rifle to take down the lead turian. They were ill-equipped to take down a merc squad, but they would damn try. Besides, if he good catch them with their shields down, he might have a chance to cut them down with his vindicator.

Before this could happen however, the door slid open and the engineer erupted in flame, the batarian mercenary screaming as he fell to the ground, burning alive. Garrus watched as the sounds of a Tempest SMG sliced through the air and the rounds ripped the lead turian's head apart and ripped into the left turian's chest.

A grenade arrived at the feet of the one human merc, exploding in a burst of fragmentation as the human was ripped apart and the turian thrown against the wall. It wasn't long before their salarian target arrived from inside, finishing off the injured turian with a burst from his SMG. Garrus was able to get a better look at the salarian.

He wore a white salarian-made lab coat; showing his obvious professionalism. The symbol of the salarian Special Tasks Group was located on the left breast of his uniform, showing his obvious former affiliation with the black ops organization. He was missing a horn on the left side of his head, with numerous battle scars on his face.

He had a black metal collar around his neck, extended from a metal 'arm'. For what purpose it served, he didn't know. He had a strange feeling he recognized this salarian and the voice only confirmed who it was.

"Blue Suns persistant," the salarian mumbled, "Overly cocky for police force. Shouldn't attack clinic. Bad choice, injure innocents, police meant to protect them. My job now." Garrus' suspicions were confirmed. This salarian was Mordin Solus; the salarian soldier who had fought alongside Shepard's team during the Battle of Virmire under Kirrahe. What was he doing here?

"Mister Solus?" Garrus asked, standing up while holstering his vindicator. Mak looked at him weerily, but stayed put, covering his back.

"Yes, know you were there," Mordin stated a matter-of-factly, "Inform your quarian colleague that all is well."

Mak huffed before standing up, knowing he had been found out. He deactivated his omni-tool, holstered his pistol and stood beside Garrus.

Mordin's eyes squinted as he examined the turian before him, "Met before."

Garrus nodded, "On Virmire."

The salarian let a grin cross his face, "Ah yes. Turian marksman; ability to investigate suggests involvement in legal detective studies. Not Omega type however; not scum. Not from around here. Armor suggests...Archangel? Ah yes. Viglantism is the norm these days. Good to see you fighting for the cause. Would do so myself. However, patients to heal, people to protect. Much work to do. Yes, yes, yes, yes."

Mak sighed, "Can't you talk slower?"

Mordin nodded, "Yes, yes, yes. Will. Try. To. Slow. Down..." The salarian paused for a moment and then shook his head, "No, no. Can't do it!"

Garrus held his hand up to halt any further comment from his quarian colleague, "You run the clinic here? I thought you were a solder in the STG."

"Half-correct. Quit STG after some...horrible things went wrong," Mordin explained, "Now work in clinic. Healing many people; some kills killing dangerous mercs. Many things to do; shame to put skills to waste. Still, I wish you luck in defeating Omega's inhabitant mercs," Mordin then paused, "But presence here suggests you're looking for me. Only reason for that would be that you need a doctor or want to recruit; is quarian facing allergic reaction? Foolish being out of suit. Could kill him."

Mak groaned, "'He' is right here. And I'm not having an allergic reaction. We're here to recruit you."

Mordin shook his head, "As said before; would love to, but people to heal, people to save. Too many variables. Could attract unnessacary attention. Attacks against clinic increase. Patient danger high probability. Too risky. Patient safety a priority. Cannot jeopardize."

Garrus sighed in defeat, "If I could gurantee full protection for this clinic, would you then join us?"

Mordin shook his head, "But you do not have the men to spare to protect a clinic. Option is illogical. Most likely trying to win me over."

Garrus's mandibles flexed into a grin, "You've caught me. We'll get out of your way doctor. You've obviously got people to look after," He then activated his omni-tool and sent his contact number to Mordin's, "If you need our help, just call."

Mordin nodded and smiled, "Need help? Former STG agent. Can handle self. Will call on help if absolutely nessacary. Goodbye for now." Without a second glance, the salarian spun around and headed back inside, doors sliding shut behind him. Recalling Caity to rendevous at the rally point, Garrus and Mak headed back.

_That was...interesting?_

**{Loading...}**

_January 9, 2184_

_Twenty-Four Hours, Forty-Six Minutes._

_Crew Quarters, Zarasis-Class Light Cruiser QMFV Neema, Migrant Fleet, Ogpa System._

_Second Lieutenant Tali'Zorah vas Neema._

Tali quietly lay in her cot, not making a sound. The rest of the crew had been long asleep, having entered the day cycle. Han'Gerrel lay asleep at the head of the long line of cots, fast asleep, as was the majority of the crew. She gazed up at the ceiling as she tried to get some sleep, but she just couldn't.

After six months, Tali still hadn't fully recovered from Marcus' death. She knew she should have moved on by now, but it had been buggering her from the half year since her unionmate's death and now it was frustrating her even more. She wished for him to be alive so much; for him to walk in and act as if nothing had happened. It was six months too late for that.

And now he occupied her thoughts; the things they had done during their brief time together and the things they never got to do. Her foolish dream of marrying him, building a house on Rannoch and having children had been overly ambitious. Now it had no chance of happening. Of course she'd eventually find someone else to love and cherish, but none of them would have the same effect as Marcus had on her.

Deciding sleep wasn't going to arrive quickly enough, she opened her omni-tool and tapped into her suit's systems. She played her long list of human music, foremost being their techno beats called 'dubstep.' As the song 'Freefall' played in her helmet, she tuned it down so noone could hear her and she began to access her messages.

Nothing that interesting. Garrus had responded to her last message with 'recruiting someone, talk later' and Kaidan hadn't even bothered replying. Joker and Chakwas had suspiciously dropped out of contact, along with Adams just a day ago. She had tried their civilian accounts, but even those were silent. Garrus had no idea what was wrong. Wrex had replied to her previous messages with the usual short and blunt responses, but that was expected for someone like him. He was busy all the time.

Seeing a message sent by Liara in her inbox though?  _That_ was totally unexpected. The two of them had been out of contact for five months, mostly due to both parties having been equally damaged by Marcus' death. Tali had the nagging suspicion that it was out of jealousy that Liara didn't contact her, but she quickly ignored that. Paranoia on her part.

Hesitantly, she opened the data package, not knowing what to expect. When she saw it, she was confused and shocked.

_From: Blueytheasari21_

_To: TheNaughtyQuarian7_

_Subject: Refuge_

_Hi Tali, I know we haven't been in contact for absolute ages, but something important just came up. I was on Illium when I bumped into this drell in the eternity bar. His name is Feron. He's on the run from the Shadow Broker's agents and is on the lookout for a safe place to hide; out of the Broker's reach._

_I suggested the Migrant Fleet. Even the broker has limits and I severely doubt he's willing to provoke a confrontation with the quarian navy over one drell. I know it's alot to ask; but he's willing to be useful. He's got basic engineering skills and knows how to handle himself in close-quarters combat. I've provided all the food he needs and he should only be with you for a week. Just enough time for him to disappear._

_I'm really sorry about not contacting you. I've been lacking in my messaging duties and I truly apologize._

_Also, what do you think about me becoming an information broker?_

_To: TheNaughtyQuarian7_

_From: Blueytheasari21_

Tali shook her head as she looked at the message, both angry and confused. Liara, after all this time, has the  _dav_ to request a favor from her? Did she think she could just disappear and then pop up again and think things would be fine? And she wanted to harbor a drell fugitive into the flotilla? What was she thinking? Her people didn't run refuge services!

And become an information broker? Was she even serious? How could the young, shy and innocent asari take on a job that required ruthless efficiency and careless operation? Could she even handle something like that? And why would she ask Tali? She was a quarian engineer who was the most elite and what she did and had advanced leadership skills that she adopted from Marcus. She knew next to nothing about information brokering.

Typing up her response, she looked through the web and noticed her old bookmark. Opening it, she immediately found a site with the simple title of 'Quman Sex Relations: Step by step precautions on the perfect relationship with your quarian partner.' Tali sighed and sunk into her bunk, as if embarrassed that someone would see it.

It was the page she had looked up on the human extranet during her time on the Normandy SR-1. It was after they had begun their relationship and she had used the sight to learn more about...that. She needed to be prepared for when she finally revealed all of herself to him and they made love together. Of course, this had been a couple of days before the Normandy's destruction.

Marcus had died without ever seeing what his girlfriend looked like. It is why she felt so selfish; if Liara had been his girlfriend when he died, he would have died with something to remember. All he could remember with Tali would be her ancestor's forsaken visor. Finding the music repetitive and just dragging on, she turned it off on her omni-tool and lay back down. Slowly, she closed her eyes and dreamt of the usual; Marcus and herself. She'd have the occassional...wet dream...but most of them were just about them shopping, talking or teasing each other. They were bittersweet memories.

Just before sleep overwhelmed her, she made a mental note to ask Admiral Gerrel about Feron in the morning.

**"Two months later and disaster strikes. One that caused morale in the fleet to collapse for a short period of time. It was the day the quarian race realized that the geth weren't our main enemy anymore. We had a new one."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"And that was?"**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Cerberus."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**Dav: Male Testicles. Human Translation: Balls.**


	7. Warrior Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Cerberus attack on the Migrant Fleet causes lasting animosity between Prazza and Tali.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER SIX:**

**WARRIOR LINE**

_April 5, 2184_

_1204 hours._

_Urdnot Camp, Hagalok City Ruins, Que'k Wastelands, Tuchanka._

_Chieftain Urdnot Wrex._

_BANG. BANG. BANG._ Again and again, Wrex's claymore shotgun would report and again and again, a pyjak would fall to the high-powered shells, their tiny bodies ripped to shreds by the heavy weapon. Shooting pyjaks and fighting off the numerous varren or vorcha who stumbled into Urdnot territory had become the only thing that occupied Wrex inbetween all the political meetings and talks of a genophage cure.

Nine months in total had passed since he received Tali's dreaded message. Since he had heard of his battle brother's death. He would have been happier if Shepard died in the glorious field of battle; instead he was killed by the one enemy no weapon can fight; space. What a terrible way to go. Of course, if he had been a krogan, the suffocating in space part could have been avoided. He had sent a krogan team to recover his brother's remains; but they were already gone when they got there.

After that, he had tried keeping in contact with his battle comrades as best as possible. He was glad to know that Tali had heeded his warrior wisdom and utilized in battle; she had killed many geth and pirates since her return to the flotilla and was one of the migrant fleet marine's most decorated officers. That and her abilities as a combat engineer made her a worthy foe. If she ever came to visit, he would pit Wreav against her. The krogan had always doubted other race's strengths, and Tali would prove a valuable contradiction to that belief.

Within those nine months he had been continuing to unite the many tribes and clans of Tuchanka. Many 'demigovernments' had been set up over the nuclear wasteland of a planet, with some delusional enough to believe they are republics or have imperical value. This was of course moot, because as soon as they saw a Urdnot company lead by Wrex himself headed their way, they immediately surrendered. Krogan were proud, but they didn't mess with Urdnot. Noone did. Well, except Weyrloc.

That was the way it had been in all those months. Back and forth politics with aside of blowing shit up. It was a mundane and boring life, but it was worth it if it built towards a possible future of his people; One that hopefully wouldn't involve a Second Krogan Rebellions. Not only could the galaxy not another conflict with the krogan; as it would leave them easy meat for the Reapers, but he wanted to steer the krogan into a better lifestyle. Wreav may not agree with his policies, but he would rather be eaten by Kalros then forfeit his ambitions. He wasn't Jarrod.

On occassion, Wrex would visit the hollows and the area where he had slain his father. The red blood left by the dead krogan was still there; scorched into the earth like ancient wall paintings, a testament to how feral the krogan have become. If not for Wrex's intervention, the krogan would have become no better than the vorcha, and they already had a bad enough reputation.

His claymore fired once more as it took a charging varren in the head, ripping the front half of it's body off, leaving a messy congregation of flesh and brain matter. He laughed sadistically as he watched a klixen charge his position; finally, a challenge. Klixen were insectoid creatures; looking alot like Earth beetles with blood red bug armor and four strong legs. Also, they had the tentency to breathe fire. Well, maybe the humans were thinking about klixen when they invented the myth of dragons?

A jet of flame erupted from the klixen's mouth, shooting towards the krogan like a supersonic missile. Wrex took the blast head on; his shields taking the brunt of the blast. Deciding he'd take this worthy adversary head on, he holstered his claymore and 'bull-rushed' the creature. If it could look surprised, it probably would, having to see five hundred pounds of sadistic krogan charging at it. For reasons Wrex didn't understand, he always pictured the klixen as rachni and himself as a overlord in the rachni wars.

The krogan picked up the klixen and slammed it back into the ground. The Klixen itself, having no bones, just screeched loudly from the impact as Wrex slammed his fists repeatedly into it's head, crushing it under his strength. He noticed a orange glow eminating from behind him, like a flame on a candle.

He turned around to face the enemy undoubtedbly moving to kill him, only to see nothing there. Seeing the glow still pulsing, he looked down to see that it wasn't an enemy moving to attack him only for him to kill it brutally, but it was his omni-tool, beeping to let him know that he had an incoming message. With a grunt, he pressed the button.

"Wrex," Wreav's face popped up on the holographic vidscreen hovering above his omni-tool.

Hearing something stirring behind him, followed by a low growl, usually being the forerunner to a varren pounce, Wrex held up his left hand to halt Wreav's speech while using his right to grab the neck of the pouncing varren. With timing only fitting of a veteran battlemaster, he clasped his hand around it's throat just as it completed the pounce, the varren clawing at his back and desperately trying to break the krogan's death grasp, yelping pitifully as it tried futiley to escape it's doom.

With a simple twist of his wrist, he snapped the varren's neck and dropped the beast, before turning back to his omni-tool, switching to audio instead of video.

"What do you want Wreav? I'm busy," Wrex grapped the body of the dead varren and used it as a club against another varren. The animal yelped as it was hit, falling to the ground pathetically before getting back up, trying to impress the nearby varren female. Wrex rolled his eyes as he raised his shotgun, blasting the male away before turning his attention to the alpha male.

The females were obviously here for show; Wrex must be part of somekind of varren courting ritual; whatever male took down the krogan, would get the female.  _Ugh...disgustingly familiar to our old traditions. Didn't quarians use to do that as well? Or was that humans?_ With a grunt, he let out a battle cry; something that was universal to every species, even the non-sapient ones like the varren around him.  _Fight me. I'm right here._

The varren could smell him. Wrex could smell them. They could all smell each other; it was the smell of blood.

"You've got a visitor who's requesting to see you," Wreav informed Wrex.

"Put them on hold," Wrex answered, "I've got a glorious battle to finish!"

"You're shooting pyjaks Wrex," Wreav deadpanned, "That's entertainment, not a battle."

"You're saying there's a difference?" Wrex equally deadpanned, smiling as the alpha male made it's move. The body mass of both varren and krogan clashed, their bodies interwined as they tried to murder the other. All the time, the varren tried to bite the krogan's throat or claw at his armor; Wrex just toyed with it. If varren could understand the concept of humilation, this one would feel it right about now.

"She insists on seeing you," Wreav continued.

Getting bored, Wrex headbutted the varren and quickly twisted it's lighter frame so it lay under him, with the krogan ontop. With one massive yank, the krogan tore the varren's head from it's spine, causing an explosion of gore as he lifted it into the air, the blood of an alpha varren staining his face. He liked it.

Turning, he saw the varren back off. The alpha was defeated. The females looked to be in fear and disgust; both at their pack leader's destruction and the krogan's physical omission of strength. With a bark from the krogan, the varren once again tried to attack the krogan. The varren leapt at the same time. Wrex battered the four of them aside with hardly any effort, only one varren managing to sink his teeth into the krogan's arm. With a roar, he ripped the varren off his arm and threw it to the ground. With a stomp of his foot, the varren's face was seemingly absorbed by the ground.

Forgetting the other four varren for an instant, he turned to see them charging once more. Before he could bring his fists to bear however, the silhoutte of a dark figure appeared. The report of a shotgun went off, the first varren being ripped apart. His counterpart met his friend with a swift kick from the agile figure followed by a second blast. The other two backed off.

He examined the figure and how agile she was. Her movements were graceful and fluid; her attacks precise and deadly. She had the body of a goddess, with the fury of an ancient warrior. Her shotgun was pathetic compared to his claymore, but her actions with it made up for it. The orange glow of an omni-tool appeared and one of the varren was shot by electricity, killing the creature via electric shock.

He quickly found the figure by his side, firing a final shotgun round into the final varren. She did not meet his gaze except to give him a wink and he immediately knew who she was. Smiling, the two of them both barked loudly in their own tongue, scaring the enemy off.

"Well, it's good to see you're worthy of the throne you sit on," the figure stated, holstering her shotgun, turning towards the krogan, "I may have had to make a remark about your masculnity if you weren't. Imagine it 'Urdnot Wrex; defeated by a pack of varren.'"

"Hey, just remember who taught you," Wrex smiled, "So, Tali, what brings you to Tuchanka? I didn't think the flotilla would give us a passer by. Just warn them to stay away from any major tribes while they're getting resources; we bite. So does Kalros. So does the varren. And the local threshers."

The quarian chuckled as she sat ontop of one of the stone pedestals, "You're really going to have to tell me what in ancestors name Kalros is one day. But don't worry, it's not your planet we're mining resources from. Totally different system actually."

Wrex raised a brow at that, "Oh really? What system might that be?"

"The Dranek system. We're mining the planet Sazgoth for platnium. Apparently the planet is rich in the stuff and the fleet could really use it. I just figured that since we were in the same cluster, I might pay you a visit. Reegar wanted to accompany me, but I managed to convince him to stay with your krogan brother. By the way...charming man."

Wrex snorted, "Tell me about it. He's been a pain in the ass since day one. I don't see how my mother tolerated him or my father. If he weren't such a good adjutant, I would have banished him a long while ago. That and he's my brother."

"He actually threatened to have our shuttle blown out of the air," Tali explained, "That changed once we were on the ground however. He decided he'd try to kill me, but I don't think he counted on my marine escort, especially since Kal dropped one of his warriors and pulled a bluff off."

Wrex smiled, "Bluff? What kind of bluff?"

Tali giggled, "One that involves your camp, our shuttle and alot of explosives. You do the math."

Wrex guffawed, "Your Reegar guy has a quad. Are there any other quarians like him?"

Tali nodded, "Plenty more. And don't let our admirals fool you; they fought their way to their position and Gerrel was a Lieutenant General in the marines before he became the captain of the Neema and then an admiral. I've seen him take down a platoon of geth all by himself with just a carnifex pistol and a single frag grenade."

"I'm sure he's nothing like you though," Wrex added.

"I saved the Citadel from an entire geth fleet and a reaper. As far as Gerrel's concerned," Tali paused for effect, "I'm practically the sword of the ancestors."

"So when are you leaving?" Wrex asked the quarian.

"Tomorrow," Tali answered immediately, "The mining only takes a couple of hours and the fleet will be gone afterwards. The Neema is staying behind per my request. I thought I'd spent some time with my mentor. Well, half-mentor. Afterall, you did the weapons, Marcus did the martial arts."

Wrex gave a snarky grin, "And I bet that's not all he taught you..."

Tali rolled her eyes, "Very funny Wrex. Anyway, I better go relieve Kal before he gets into a fight with Wreav. I'm sure he'll win, but I'd rather save your bother the humilation. Not to mention it'll look bad for you to have a weak adjutant." Tali then proceeded to leap off the stone block, waiting for Wrex.

"Very true," Wrex then shook his head, "If you weren't so...fleshy and trapped in a suit, I'd confuse you for a krogan."

Tali let her hands slide onto her hips, "Oh really? I'm 'fleshy?' I think I'm pretty feminine, thank you very much."

The both of them continued to tease each other as they returned to the throne room. Wrex had noticed more and more just how much Tali had matured over those nine months; she was no longer the shy, dependent and young, stuttery quarian he had met all those months ago. Now, she was independent, strong-willed, a fantastic warrior and a worthy commander. He watched the way she ordered her marines about; he didn't know if Tali was born a natural leader or if she learned from Marcus, but she was excellent at it.

He also noticed the way Kal would look at Tali; and he knew exactly what it meant. It was the look that Wrex used to catch Tali giving to Shepard. The look that showed admiration and inspiration. It was the look of someone in love. Wrex felt sorry for the man. Shepard may not have been in the picture anymore but knowing Tali, she would rather be alone for the rest of her life than find someone else. It was that simple.

Many hours of talking followed; Wrex and Kal had a arm wrestling match, with Wrex winning in the end, but not after significant resistance from the opposite side. After that, talk; warriors talked about warriors, while Tali would ask about how Wrex's life had been, with the krogan reciprocating the gesture. A few hours later, Wreav decided to ruin the mood.

"This has to stop," Wreav demanded, "These...quarians, have been in our camp too long."

Wrex growled, "Wreav, why must you try my patience? Tali and her warriors will leave when they see fit and as chieftain, I will allow it."

Wreav took a defiant step forward, "You dare to call these thieves and beggars warriors? They know nothing of strength! They know nothing of honor or virtue! They are nothing but weaklings!"

Wrex snorted, "Know nothing of strength? Wreav, you couldn't tell a varren from a pyjak. These quarians have more quad then you'll have in a couple centuries."

Wreav fumed as he stepped within inches of Wrex's face, the quarians remaining stoic. Tali however became more rigid, ready for a fight. Kal was ready to aid her if the time came, his Revenant light machine gun ready in his hands.

"You dare question my strength? Then prove yourself! Why don't you face me! We will fight! Urdnot needs a strong ruler, not someone who's willing to let suit-rats invade our motherland!"

Wrex was about to accept the request when he felt a light three-fingered hand land on his shoulders. Turning, he saw Tali, with her hand on his shoulder and looking at Wreav, her pose defiant.

"No Wrex. If he thinks us weak, then I shall prove him wrong. Leave him to me."

Kal was quick to object, "Ma'am, I must object-"

"No Reegar, I don't take insults against my people lightly," Tali snapped, "This krogan filth thinks himself above us. I shall prove him wrong. I shall show him the true virtue of our people. Try not to get involved too much. If I get overwhelmed, you have my permission to put him down."

"And mine," Wrex added, shooting a glare at his blood brother.

Wreav pounded his fists, "This'll be easy. When I'm done, you'll be screaming to your ancestors, quarian female."

Tali shook her head as she cracked her knuckles, a large group of krogan forming around the arena as the quarian and krogan prepared to battle it out, "My name is Tali. Zorah Tali, of Clan Zorah."

"Whatever," Wreav piped up, "I'm still going to pummel you, Wrex and the rest of your fellow parasites that dare defile our planet."

Before Wreav even realised, a piercing pain shot from the area between his legs. He doubled over, holding his quad. He looked up to see the quarian in a defensive stance; hands up, on her toes and back straightened as best it can. The quarian's eyes met his own.

"Come again?" Tali said, pretending to not have heard him. Boiling in rage, the krogan charged forward, refusing to let the pain inbetween his legs stop him from destroying this female. He would not be disgraced in this way; not by her kind.

But the quarian had already expected this. It was typical of krogan to use their body weight to their advantage. It worked for slow moving species, but not against quarians. Her people relied on agility and speed over brute strength and brawn. Quarians were smart and agile combatants; and it showed in Tali's movement.

She strafed to the left, the krogan missing her by a hearbreadth...but that was the point. Sticking her leg out, she tripped the krogan over, causing him to stumble and fall. She moved to finish him off before the fight began, but he wasn't done. He rolled onto his back and leapt backup, infuriated by the quarian.

"Quarian filth!" Wreav spat, reaching behind his back and activating his shotgun. Again, Tali was prepared. She had noticed that the weapon was of an obsolete make; it had been manufactured before the battle of the citadel and the krogan hadn't bothered to modify it so it was compatible with thermal clips; meaning it was still vulnerable against her sabotage attacks.

Extending her arm, her omni-tool lit up and she tapped the button that highlighted her sabotage program. Hacking into the shotgun, her omni-tool overclocked the heating compacitors on the weapon and overheated it, rendering it useless. The krogan tried to fire, but the weapon exploded in his face, the result of trying to fire an overheated weapon. Tali had no weapons on her; she was vulnerable, but the fight was more legitimate and Kal would know to kill Wreav before any serious harm came to her.

Wreav, having recovered from the explosion, rushed forward to meet her again, launching a left hook towards the side of her mask. She ducked under the swinging arm and spun her leg around, footsweeping the krogan's leg. He fell to the ground with a massive thump and before he what was happening, the quarian had straddled him.

She then wrapped her legs around his throat before laying on her back behind his head, using her legs to hold him in a headlock. The fight was over. Wreav had no choice but to forfeit or he would suffocate from Tali's tightening grip. Letting a surrendering yelp, Tali let go and leapt to her feet, bowing to the krogan, as was traditional.

"Ma'am, remind me to never piss you off." One of the marines commented.

"Noted," Tali smugly grinned behind her mask.

Wrex chuckled.

_His little quarian indeed._

**{Loading...}**

_April 7, 2184 {Translated Khelish Time}_

_Thirteen Hours, Fifteen Minutes._

_Main Bridge, Zarasis-Class Light Cruiser QMFV Neema, Migrant Fleet, Medusa System._

_Major Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Lieutenant Colonel Kal'Reegar vas Rayya, Second Lieutenant Prazza'Sal vas Idenna, Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema._

Tali stood in parade rest upon entering the room. On her left was Kal, who was a rank higher than her and to her right was her subordinate, Platoon Commander Second Lieutenant Prazza'Sal. She despised his very presence in the same room with her and he reciprocated those feelings right back at her. Luckily, or rather hopefully, that wouldn't be much longer.

Nine months passed now and Tali was a major, commanding the sizable and honorable  _Rela'tiz_ company. It had once been Kal's command, but that was before he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and given umbrella command over her unit. Her company was part of his  _Wys'trek_ battalion and therefore was firmly under his authority as battalion commander.

Prazza was still in command of  _Olo'gogp_ platoon, which of course wasn't part of her company, but part of another unit altogether. Thank the ancestors for that. Murmurs went through the fleet of Tali being her father's successor on the admiralty or the even more popular rumors, of herself becoming a captain of a vessel. By now, they should be right. A marine of her status should have been given instant captain status, but she rejected it, not believing she was ready for the responsibility of such a command.

So here she was, leading a company of some of the most elite quarian marines in the flotilla. They were part of a special group of special ops troops called the Skylords, nicknamed the 'psychos' by the others on the flotilla. They specialized in HALO (High-Altitude Low Orbit) jumps and all kinds of missions that were too high-risk for the standard marine. They were the best of the best.

Tali had been typing up her AAR (After-Action Report/Review) when she had been called to the bridge. She didn't know what it was about but apparently it was important. She had heard rumors about a human ship entering the fleet a couple of hours ago, but they were unconfirmed at best. But could that be why she was called up?  _If so, why do they need me, Kal and Prazza on it? It doesn't make much sense unless..._

No, if the humans wanted to attack them, the attack would be dealt with harshly. She was sure that wasn't the case. It wasn't long before Gerrel finally entered the room, moving to stand infront of him. When he stopped, they all snapped crisp salutes, the admiral returning them before putting them at ease.

"Are you aware of why you're here?" Gerrel asked.

The trio shook their heads. Tali didn't want to jump to conclusions.

Gerrel nodded, "We've got human visitors. Four of them; two human males, a female and a...child. I've heard she's got a human condition called 'autism' and has biotics. They are seeking asylum on the Idenna currently. Captain Ysin'Mal is accepting of their needs, but requires a security force to help them around. His current marine squad isn't enough."

Tali noticed Prazza twitch out of the corner of her eye. The Idenna was Prazza's homeship, so it was expected he'd feel abit twitchy having humans on the ship where his sister worked.

"And you want us to help defend them?" Kal asked, raising a brow. Asking them to do it was like getting a general, an admiral and a private to protect a merc. It wasn't just odd; it was against the chain of command. This was a job for subordinates, not commanding officers like himself and Tali.

"No, this job goes to Prazza and Tali. I called you here for a different reason," Gerrel informed him.

"Why me, sir?" Tali asked.

"Because apparently this human child is important. If we show that we're willing to protect her with some of our best, it will make us look good infront of the alliance. They might even give us some resources."

Tali rolled her eyes. This wasn't about goodwill, it was about resources. For her people, it was understandable, it was resources they desperately needed. The whole idea just didn't sit well with her; they may have well have kept the child hostage and propose an extortion.

"I understand, sir." Tali spoke up, Prazza nodding afterwards.

"Good," Gerrel stated, "Then you may depart. The Idenna is still in it's day cycle, so you shouldn't be intruding. A shuttle is waiting in the shuttle bay."

With a salute to Gerrel and a nod to Kal, Tali turned to leave, following reluctantly behind Prazza. Just before the doors closed behind her, she heard Gerrel start speaking to Kal. Turning back around, she almost jump backwards when she saw Peta there.

"Hey," Peta said cheerfully.

"Hi," Tali replied lamely, trying to push past him. She succeeded to a degree, but he just followed alongside her.

"Where you going?" Peta asked.

"On a mission."

"What kind?"

"A mission."

"You're sexy when you do that."

Tali suddenly stopped and rounded on Peta, "Enough! Will you stop trying to flirt with me! I'm not interested in you in any degree! The only man who I loved is dead and I'm not interested in being with you! So stop trying!"

Peta snorted, dropping his cheerful demeanour in a second, "You'd rather be with a human who can't even give you children!"

Tali pointed an accusing finger at Peta, "He doesn't need to! He was there for me when I needed him while all you did was try and get me into your bed so you can use me as your personal baby-making machine! I will  _ **not be used like that! AM I CLEAR!?"**_

She practically shouted her last sentence. She half enjoyed it and felt half-ashamed of yelling at him like that. He may have been an insufferable bosh'tet, but he didn't deserve that kind of treatment. She was just so sick and tired of his advances towards her.

"Fine," Peta gave up, "Just know that if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me. When you finally realize, which you will, that I can love you alot more than he ever could, I'll be waiting."

"Whatever," Tali spat before leaving. She felt relieved to have him out of the way. No more of his advances.

Now she had to get to the Idenna. It should be a fairly easy mission. Just protecting a child and a few humans.

How hard could it be?

**{Loading...}**

_April 7, 2184 {Translated Khelish Time}_

_Thirteen Hours, Thirty-Nine hours._

_Shuttle Bay, Hensa-Class Light Cruiser QMFV Idenna, Migrant Fleet, Medusa System._

_Major Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Second Lieutenant Prazza'Sal vas Idenna, Captain Ysin'Mal vas Idenna, Corporal Seeto'Hodda nar Idenna, Staff Sergeant Isa'Pall vas Idenna, Yalu'Sal nar Idenna._

Tali waited for the shuttle's hatch to full open before stepping out onto the deck of the Idenna. Prazza was quick to follow behind her and it wasn't long before they found themselves in the presence of a large amount of quarians; a security detail along with a few other quarian civilians and the captain.

Tali and Prazza immediately saluted the Idenna's captain as he came into their view, the captain quickly returning the gesture to put them at ease.

"Captain Mal, I'm Major Zorah and this is Second Lieutenant Sal, reporting for duty. We were informed that we'd be protecting some high value targets." Tali introduced.

Ysin nodded, "Correct, major. They are currently on the bridge, but I can assure you that they are safe. Due to the length of your stay, I have prepared two beds in the crew quarters. If you have any belongings you'd like to put away, then be sure to visit. I will have Staff Sergeant Pall show you there. For now, I must return to the bridge and speak with our guests."

Tali and Prazza, once again, saluted the captain as he left, his posture strong and firm, telling of his authority. Prazza, although he didn't like it, looked to Tali for permission to leave. Nodding, Tali watched as Prazza hugged his sister Yalu and began talking silently with her. The young girl was due to leave on her pilgrimage tomorrow morning. She guessed Prazza's visit to the ship was a bit of good luck for him.

After greeting each other, Prazza and Yalu, as well as Tali, followed behind Sergeant Pall as she and her security detail escorted them to the crew quarters. She recognized Seeto from the way he walked around. His posture was weak and the only reason he was serving as a marine is because his father talked him into becoming a pilgrim troop. So here Seeto was, completing his pilgrimage as a marine aboard the Idenna, his birth ship.

The halls of the ex-batarian cruiser were packed with busy civilian life. Engineers executing maintenance, marines on patrol, couples walking the decks while whispering words of affection into each others ears; she even saw a mother walking by, her child wrapped in a sterile bubble as she carried her around the decks of her birth ship.

Tali smiled as she remembered that had once been Meru carrying her around, with Tali in the bubble. Meru would always take her to the observation deck on the Rayya and show her the stars and then point to where she thought the Perseus Veil might be. Tali had been two when she started doing it. The memory caused her eyes to tear up; it was a time when her father didn't neglect her.

It didn't take them long to reach the crew quarters. They looked and were much the same in general layout to the Neema; what used to be the galley, brig or storage compartment of the ship was converted into a sleeping area, with beds lined up and cramped together for the best use of space. There was no more than half a meter of space between the beds and most were just a flat padding with a pillow on it.

Isa showed them the two pads currently occupying the end of the room and to the right, both looking exactly the same as the rest. Not eve bothering to choose, the two then left, thanking the sergeant as they did.

"I'll see you later, bro," Yalu said to her brother as she hugged him once more, "I just need to get mum and dad. I think they'll be more than happy to know that you're here. You should come with."

Prazza shook his head and, Tali would be pleasantly surprised, she thought he was smiling behind his mask, "I've got some duties to attend to but when I get the time, we'll see. I'll see you later little sis. Love you. And tell mum and dad that I love them too and I look forward to seeing them again. It's been too long."

Yalu nodded and practically skipped down the hallway, the little youngster so full of energy. Tali smiled. It was energy once had; back before she left on pilgrimage. Her father would patronize her, but Shala would just smile warmly and tell her to calm down afterwards. It was youthful innocence Tali had long given up on after Marcus' death. A tear streaked down her cheek once more at yet another painful memory.

Trying to brighten the mood, for her sake at least, she turned to Prazza with a forced smile, even though he couldn't see it.

"You're sister's quite nice," Tali commented, "It'd be nice to meet your parents too."

Prazza's tone in his response was half-hostile and half-cheery, "Oh really? How do you figure?"

"They just sound like really nice people," Tali shook her head, crossing her arms, "You don't have to be so defensive Prazza. I meant no harm in my comment."

Prazza nodded his head, "Sorry ma'am. It's just...I've never been a big fan of your policies with my men. Won't happen again."

Prazza's word actually sounded genuine. Usually he'd comment sarcastically or make some stupid comment to go with it, but this time there was nothing. He was genuinely apologetic, and it surprised her.

"That's okay," Tali finished, "Now come on, let's get to the bridge. See who and what these humans are and why they're here."

Prazza nodded, vouching to follow behind the quarian. Isa, Seeto and the rest of the staff sergeant's men stopped halfway though.

Isa raised her omni-tool, bringing up what looked like a message of some sort, "A second human vessel just got flagged by the Dorosibi. It's lightly-armed and appears to be a corvette of some sort. It's just launched a shuttle. Wait..."

Tali and Prazza watched Isa with waiting looks. Finally, the female quarian spoke up once again, "It's the Cyniad. It's requesting permission to dock."

Prazza's eyes widened, "The Cyniad? Isn't that one of our shuttles? What was that doing on a human vessel?"

Isa shook her head, "I don't know. The registration checks out, so it's not a fake. Hell, even it's IFF is pinging back on all RADAR and LIDAR frequencies. Feda'Gazu, she's the ship's scout leader, took the shuttle along with a squad of some marines to investigate some deal she made with Golo'Mekk on Shelba."

Tali fumed, "Golo? As in Golo vas Nedas? The exile? Why? She was made aware of the rules that deal with exiles; no interaction with them whatsoever! And of all the exiles she interacts with, it's Golo?"

Golo was one the rare few quarians who got exiled by the fleet; due to the lack of resources, it was the only form of punishment they could carry out on traitors. Golo, orginally having been a crewmember on the Usela, had been a violent man and had shown complete disregard to his fellow crewmates, entering a sociopathic state to his fellow colleagues; even his family was shut out.

All that changed ten years ago. The quarian apparently came into contact with a race called the collectors; a race of enigmatic beings whose purpose and origin is unknown, but have been known to kidnap members of many different races and were very...unusual in terms of their requests; they'd request three salarians who were left-handed, turians who had bigger muscles, humans with different iris colors, all sorts. And once they had their specimens, they would disappear behind the Omega 4 Relay, only accessible by them. Any other ship that attempted the relay never returned. And Golo was contacted by them.

They wanted two dozen 'pure' quarians from the flotilla and in exchange for his cooperation, they would provide him with pieces of their technology, which was extremely advanced even by modern standards. Golo agreed and attempted to sell his family and part of his crew to the collectors, but was found out and arrested. Not long after, Golo was accused of treason and exiled from the fleet, the quarian being left to rot on Omega. If out of irony, Omega was located in the same system as the Omega 4 Relay.

And now he wanted to meet some of the Idenna's crew on Shelba. Something wasn't right. Tali could smell it. She could  _feel_ her gut telling her. Marcus would call it 'gut instinct', and it was telling her that all of this was wrong.  _Had Feda walked into a trap? No, Feda brought a squad of marines. Even Golo has low chances of killing her in the midst of that._

"Oh don't worry, Feda was fully prepared for his betrayal and attempt to get back at the fleet," Isa reassured them, "That's why she brought a squad of marines, a heavily-armoured shuttle and the fleet's best kinetic barriers. If Golo tried anything, she'd have been ready. No, it's just Golo decided to feel generous all of a sudden and provide some tech to the fleet. Feda was interested, but she wasn't stupid. She knew Golo would pull something."

"Ma'am, the Cyniad is requesting permission to dock," Seeto announced, "Hilo'Jaa, the shuttle's pilot, just recited his code. It's the one of safety. The captain's accepted the request and wants us to report there immediately as per decontamination protocols."

"Let's go do what he wants then," Isa stated, "I can't wait to see Hilo again. He and I are meant to be getting married tomorrow, just after we see Yalu off on her pilgrimage." Isa snapped a crisp salute and left, Seeto and her marines following behind her. Tali patted Seeto on the shoulder before they left, before then continuing with Prazza towards the bridge.

"Something about Golo's offer doesn't sound right," Prazza piped up, "He's never been that generous. What if it was a trap?"

Tali shrugged her shoulders, "Feda brought marines with her and a quick getaway. If it was a trap, Golo is either back on Shelba or dead. Don't worry too much Prazza, I'm sure Feda is just fine. Why are you worried so much?" Tali wouldn't admit it, but she was too. Not just for Feda, but for her marines. Golo wasn't usually this confident.

"Feda is Yalu and myself's aunty," Prazza added, "So yeah, I have a right to worry. But yeah, I guess you're right, what could go wrong?"

Tali smiled as they continued for the bridge, enjoying getting to know Prazza in a more friendlier tone, "Exactly. So don'-"

She never got to finish that sentence as an explosion rocked the ship. It wasn't enough to shake it, but they could feel it alright.  _Are we under attack? No, we can't be. We're in the fleet; if a ship attacked us, it'd have to be the human vessel or one of the fleet's warships, and the latter doesn't seem likely. None of them do actually._ Then it hit her as she turned towards the shuttle bay.  _Wait, the explosion came from_ inside  _the ship, not the outside. Which means..._

Tali didn't waste any time in ripping out her shotgun and Prazza knew when to whip out the pain; following up with his own assault rifle as he chased after her. They arrived at the shuttle bay, only to find one of the doors opened. Heat bursted out through it like a wildfire, with a fellow quarian marine backing out of it, firing a steady stream of fire through the doorway.

The rest of his squad followed and when the gunfire subsided, she noticed the battle was over. Whoever had boarded them, it was over.  _But how did they board us to start with? Judging by the female's suit, that's Feda, which rules out the Cyniad and my shuttle only had me and Prazza aboard. How the hell did they attack us?_

Nodding to Feda, she noticed something wasn't quite right. Her suit sagged a bit, not really striking her as the skintightness that quarian female suits were usually like. Even her breasts seemed to be...deflated, which was odd, as that probably suggested that she was female...

The realization hit her in an instant. Her eyes trailed their forms. Their feet were bulged out and too big for the suit. There was two holes in each glove where two, pink fingers poked out of them. The eyes behind their helmets didn't glow, it was just a dull faceplate. Their posture was straight, with no bent legs or arched back.

This wasn't Feda or her squad. These were impostors; which meant the decontamination team were ambushed, thinking these were allies, which meant Isa, Seeto and the rest of the marines were dead. Without thinking, Tali knew what to do next.

Raising her shotgun, she fired a high-velocity slug straight into Feda's chest, ripping the suit wide open. Prazza was about to retort when the unknown hostiles turned their weapons on the pair, immediately opening fire. Tali was forced to watch from behind their cover as numerous units of the unknown hostiles poured past them, heading for the bridge. Following behind them was a human followed by a familiar form.

_Golo._

Gunfire and screaming could be heard along with screaming. The crew was under attack. Powered by fury, Tali leapt at the next passing impostor, which turned out to be Feda and slammed the fake quarian and slammed her mask into the wall hard and repeatedly, either knocking out or killing her. Either way, Tali emptied a shotgun blast into the back of their head just to be sure.

Lowering herself and knowing Prazza had her back, she ripped the suit of the enemy. This was definitely Feda's suit, the impostor liking having killed her before stripping her of it. Tali didn't want to think of the image that brought to her mind; naked quarian bodies tossed into a shuttle and left to rot. It enraged her even more.

When she saw the five fingers, the toes and the color of the body, she knew exactly what species this was; humans. The human vessel suddenly made sense now; they weren't giving the Cyniad a ride, the shuttle could easily travel, they had either killed the crew on Shelba and hijacked the shuttle, or lured them aboard and then killed the crew, using their suits as disguises to full the decon team into trusting them. Poor Seeto would never have stood a chance.

Tali then saw something out of the corner of her eye. No, it couldn't be. Not here. Not now. Ripping the left shoulder off, she saw what she most dreaded. The one insignia she didn't want to see. The one that usurped her fury and turned it into a blazing rage that made her want to rip her enemies limb from limb. It brought back images of the past. Ones long gone. Two golden lines flanking a golden hexagon.

_Cerberus._

But why would the pro-human terrorist organization attack the flotilla? What had they done to them? Or was it just a human racist crusade? Was it happening just to prove human superiority? It didn't matter; what did matter was that Golo had helped cerberus commandos get onboard and she was ending this now. She muttered blessings for Hilo and the marriage that would never happen. The torture her fellow quarian must have gone through to get that passcode. He was either now dead or dying from the undoubtedbly agonizing torment.

Taking her shotgun and pumped by pent up rage, she lead Prazza down the hallway and into the main area where the commandos were attacking. The humans attacking was one thing, but what she saw them doing was unforgivable. Unethical. Seeing what she was seeing, she knew but one thing; they all needed to die. Slowly. Painfully.

She watched as they butchered quarian civilians left and right. The mother she saw from before lay in a puddle of her own blood, her child still wrapped firmly in her arms during a last ditch attempt to shield her child from the firefight. Security desperately tried to fight off the attackers, but compared to the more heavy-training of the professional commandos, they stood no chance.

Screaming with fury, she charged two lone commandos who had cornered a younger quarian, probably no more than ten years old. One of the humans turned, but not before a shotgun butt hit his mask, shattering it and sending him backwards. The other commando tried to retaliate, but found himself the victim of having a knife stuck in her throat.

With her dead, Tali grabbed the knife and repeatedly stabbed the commando, both at the same as he screamed for mercy. But she showed none. She had watched as children were forced to watch their parents gunned down relentlessly, followed by them as well. No, fuck mercy. These human scum didn't deserve any of it.

Screaming at the top of her lungs, she continued stabbing the commando unforgivingly, making sure to continue his misery. Finally satisfied, she ended his life with a shotgun blast to the chest, the commando's stolen suit now soaked with blood. The quarian major's own suit was coated with blood, a puddle of it collecting on her mask as she wiped it off. Standing up, she watched as Yalu was carried away by two cerberus commandos, her parents crying for mercy.

Prazza shouted words of objection, but she held out her hands to stop him. He was infuriated by her gesture but she held firm. She knew he would hate her, but there was nothing that could be done for Yalu. Not after what she saw another marine pulling out. Taking aim, the marine fired his rocket launcher, the projectile detonating at the commando's feet.

Prazza screamed as he watched Yalu disappear in a haze of bright white. In the aftermath of the blast, nothing remained of the quarian or her two captors; nothing but blood and gore coated the walls, floor and ceiling, followed by red flames as they licked the walls. She could hear Prazza's sobbing, as well as his parent's. He shoved past her, cursing profanity at her for stopping him. She ignored him in favor of stopping the rest of the violence.

She was relentless. She systematically annilihated every single commando. She showed no mercy, no self-control. She killed them at her own will; sometimes brutally, sometimes quickly. Occassionally, she'd escort some children to safety or help escort some civilians to different area. When she finally reached the bridge, she didn't know what to think of the sight before her.

Golo's dead body lay on the floor; but it wasn't her kill. A human woman was hugging a young human child and then she realized who had killed the exile. Lowering her shotgun, she nodded her understanding. All around her lay death and decay, rotting bodies and destroyed lives. The morale of an entire crew had been shattered by this attack. Cerberus had declared war against the Migrant Fleet by boarding the Idenna. The ship would be avenged.

Tali quietly weeped as she traversed the destruction that lay around her. The only people she knew to survive the attack was Prazza and his parents, herself and the captain. The casualities numbered over sixty; nine percent of that being children. She couldn't understand why an attack like this was nessacary; why Cerberus had to resort to mass murder to put their point across. Now she realized why they were called terrorists; this attack was cowardice and therefore a personal attack against the quarian people.

Cerberus had made a new enemy today; not that it meant much, but she knew it would bite them in the ass the next time the flotilla dropped by. And if she ever found their HQ, she would personally request to have the Neema nuke it from orbit using what limited nuclear arsenal they had. She would do it for the Idenna.

It wasn't long before Tali came face to face with Prazza; his posture enlightened with fury.

"You  _res'tak_ bitch!" Prazza spat, "Why did you stop me!? You got my sister killed you pathetic sack of shit!"

Tali knew her decision was justified. She didn't mean that she enjoyed standing by as Yalu, the quarian who could have been on pilgrimage by tomorrow, was blown apart by the marine's incoming missile, but if she had let Prazza go to save her, then he would have been shredded in the explosion as well. She knew his sister knew this too.

"You would have gotten yourself killed had I not stopped you!" Tali retorted, catching the attention of a few nearby quarians and Prazza's parents.

"Fuck you bitch!" Prazza snarled, "I could have saved her!"

"She was already dead!" Tali responded in kind, "Even if there wasn't a rocket heading towards her, those soldiers would have surely shot her before you could do anything! Don't act as if I'm the villan here! Blame Cerberus!"

Prazza shook his head in disgust, "You don't understand! I could have-I could-"

Tali shook her head, "No, you couldn't have. If your sister was still alive, she'd say the same."

Prazza just pointed an accusing finger at her, "How dare you pretend to know her! You know nothing! Hear me?  _ **Nothing!**_ "

Before Tali could respond, his parents stepped in and, surprisingly, supported Tali's side of the argument.

"Prazza, darling," His mother choked out, barely able to speak due to her sobbing, "The major is right. She-She wouldn't want this."

Prazza was shocked to know that even his parents wouldn't back him up. He chucked glances at both his parents and Tali, not knowing what to think. Eventually, he backed into a nearby wall and slid onto the ground, curling into a fetal position and sobbing. Prazza would forever hate Tali for what she did; and she was perfectly content with it, if it meant another marine got to live.

And as much as she hated it, her eyes fell once again onto the dead mother shielding her child and now the scene was even more horrible. The woman's husband was leaning over her dead body, cradling it and the child as he wailed, screaming with sorrow. And she saw why. Not only was his wife dead, but a bullet had penetrated the sterile bubble. Due to the rush of bacteria, the child's immune system could barely put up a fight, and she died shortly after. The engineer tore her eyes away, realizing that clean up had to be done. And she needed Prazza's help. It was time for her inner commander to come out.

_Do what Marcus would have done._

"Prazza, get up and stand to!" Tali barked.

Prazza immediately shot up, standing to attention in an instant, years of military training drilled into his head like programming.

"You know what to do!" Tali declared, "The captain has most likely already contacted the nearest liveship for medical aid. I want you coordinating any CASEVAC (CASualty EVACuation) teams. There's also going to be a large amount of civilians recovering from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder/Syndrome), so I want you on call. Stay alert and keep your cool. I'm going to get a sitrep from the captain."

Prazza nodded and immediately executed his task as Tali nodded moved towards the ship's bridge, nodding to his parents as she passed by.

_Ancestors forgive me._

**"The Cerberus attack on the Idenna was remembered by all quarians forever. Even today we still gun down anyone carrying their logo. They'd attacked us personally; enough to make us hate them. Alot."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"So what next?"**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Well, my anecdote is coming to an end. Nothing really happened during the rest of that yearly period. Garrus managed to piss off some more mercs, I rose through the ranks to become a Colonel and Liara became an information broker, intent on tracking down and destroying the Shadow Broker after the kidnapping of her friend, turned lover, Feron."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Wait, what? You never mentioned they were lovers; in fact, you barely mentioned them."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"I went on what Liara told me during that period. What I didn't tell you is that she sent me a message shortly after her one about Feron's refuge, telling me about what had happened. After that, she ceased contacting me, telling me she was going to become an information broker. Apparently she had gotten real close to Feron; enough to want to declare a one-woman war against the galaxy's most influential information dealer."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"So...where are we jumping to?"**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Like I said, my personal experience is coming to an end. All the key aspects of my life and the life of your former comrades has been told and now it must end. Of course there is still the tale about the fall of Archangel, which I'll get to later. For now, we'll jump to July 19, 2185, just about two years after your death. The phoenix was rising. The ashes being brought together. You were coming back to me."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

_**Author's Note:** _

**Yeah, remember how I promised you ten chapters on this? Yeah, well, I was close enough. To be honest, the next chapter I had was going to be called 'Turbulance' and after skimming through it recently, I realized just how pointless it actually is. I'm surprised I didn't see it. It's essentially filler for the inevitable chapter of Shepard's return and served absolutely no purpose to the story; offering no fuel to go with.**

**So yes, the next chapter will be Shepard's return; of sorts. You'll see when it comes. This is where Prophecy really starts to get interesting; this was mostly just build up. ;)**


	8. Alot Has Changed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard returns from the dead. Garrus is betrayed. Tali leads a mission to rescue a scared pilgrim on Freedom's Progress.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER SEVEN:**

**ALOT HAS CHANGED**

_July 19, 2185_

_0703 hours._

_Main Laboratory, Level 13, Lazarus Station, Remus System._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard._

Twenty Seconds. Twenty short, but surprisingly long seconds. Probably the longest seconds of his life. That was the amount of time that had passed since his death over Alchera. Twenty be damned seconds. He was sure that he should be with God now; not going to Heaven, but simply with god, as the old jewish faith stated. But he had been pushed away. He didn't know why, he didn't know how, he just know he did. He had heard God speak it.

Or he thought he did. Either way, he had been willed into existence. Or had he? He found himself in a long, black room, wearing nothing but a robe, with nothing on underneath. He felt vulnerable, weak and unnatural. Something wasn't right about this whole thing. He was dead. He knew he was dead. He had been spaced, run out of oxygen and been thrown into Alchera's atmosphere; he was dead. There was no rescue team.

And yet, here he was, standing in this room. How was this possible? Did God's hand play in this like it did during the battle of the citadel? Or was this all just somekind of illusion? His mind mocking him as he was slowly dragged from the mortal realm of existence and into the arms of god, his soul leaving his body forever. If this is what death felt like, then he hated it. All he could think about was the people he lost and how he never got to say goodbye to any of them.

_Mum. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I left and died like dad did; never saying goodbye._

_And Tali. I...I'm sorry too. I just hope you move on and find someone else. You're an amazing girl; don't let my death hinder your ability to feel alive. I'm not worth it. I never have been. Why mourn over a simple soldier?_

Marcus immediately looked up from his makeshift robe and saw that there was now spontaneous lighting. All kinds of colors danced on the floor and all over his body; with explosions of purple and pink, red and blue, green and yellow. It was beautiful. Although, he was still left questioning where the lights had come from.

Then, out of nowhere, came the slim, feminine frame of his lover. Tali. She stood with her hands on her hips, poking out one hip and doing that seductive pose she would always use to tease him. He reached out a hand to touch her, but it was almost as if she wasn't even standing there, but rather kilometers away. He would run and try to grab her hand, but she would always stretch out of reach. Then he heard Tali speak, as if taunting him.

"You left me," She taunted.

"I didn't want to!" He shouted back.

"You've left me a jibbering wreck," she responded, as if unperturbed by his words or ignoring me, "You've ruined me. How could you die on me?"

Before he could answer, distant voices spoke, as if in his head.

_His heart-rate is climbing. How is that possible? Did you check the cybernetics?_

He didn't recognize the voice. It was a human female, that much he could tell from the voice and the accent was Australian. Whoever this person was, she seemed busy, rushed and worried, all in one. A second, unknown voice; this one an american-accented human male, entered through.

_I don't know what's happening. His heart-rate should still be zero. His lungs...they're active! I'm trying to stabilize! If he wakes up now, he'll be uncontrollable!_

_You think I don't know that? Inject him with the strongest sedative you have. I don't care how much; just make sure he stays under! He's not ready yet!_

The voices started to irritate him. He wanted them removed. He wanted them gone. He wanted to stay dead; to be saved the torment the image of Tali's form was giving him.  _What if this is what death is like? Torturous voices and painful memories taunting me?_

_It's not working! He's still waking up! I can't stop it!_

Slowly, Marcus felt the dream fade away. Tali's form disappeared and the lights ceased. The ground beneath his feet vanished as a bright light entered his vision. The brilliance of it was too much for his eyes to handle and he covered his face, as if shielding himself from the light of an atomic blast.

He felt his eyes opening. No, that couldn't be possible. How could his eyes be opening? What was going on? Was this another dream? It had to be. He fell into a planet for godsake! Noone could have saved him and definitely couldn't have survived it! He was for all intents and purposes, dead!

With his eyes fully opened, he examined the room. His eyes were surrounded by bouts of pain, but they were too dull to really annoy him. The room he was in was illuminated by a bright light; observation windows opening onto another deck up above. At least he thought it was a deck; he could have been in a ground facility for all he knew.

But he definitely wasn't on Alchera anymore. As he looked around, he saw numerous pieces of scientific equipment; ranging from neural implanters, cybernetic fusors, X-Ray screens and other materials. He could tell he was lying down and he could tell he was hooked up to a monitoring machine; he could hear the steady beeping of his heartbeat.

As he got up, he could see who the people were. To make sure he was in a dream, he hit himself on the leg and felt a jolt of pain. His eyes widened at the realization that this wasn't a dream.  _But how the hell am I alive? This defies the laws of life!_ The woman to his left was looking at one of the monitoring devices, typing rapidly on a terminal infront of her.

She wore a white catsuit, with a black belt tightened around her waist. Her hair was raven black and flowed down her head, stopping past her shoulders. Her butt was a little too big to ignore in his peripheral vision, but he got the feeling he wasn't in a formal military facility.  _Definitely not Alliance. Captured by mercenaries?_

Before he could see who the male was, the woman had turned around, revealing the rest of her features. Her face was smooth and beautiful, but the most obvious thing that his eyes caught on to was her breasts; they were simply too big. What was worse, was that her suit was so skin tight, that they almost bulged out.  _Jesus woman...have some modesty._

"Commander Shepard, you're awake," the woman said shakily, "I'm Miranda Lawson. We need to put you back to sleep. You're not-"

The woman's words became mute as his eyes fixed upon the insignia resting on her left breast. It was the symbol of injustice and murder. It was the source of his hatred and wrath, as well as his prejudice. It was the symbol of human disgrace; an organization that shouldn't exist, but did. One he swore to destroy as soon as he picked up a rifle.

Without letting the woman named Miranda finish, he grabbed her around the neck and closer to him, breathing on her face as he glared menacingly at her.

"You're Cerberus," Marcus spat, but before he could say much more, he saw his hand.  _That_ hand. Whatever it was. His skin was peeled away and revealed bits of bone, enough to make him sick, but what he saw latched to his bones was worse. Cybernetic bits and pieces and were latched to his bones, glowing with orange ferocity.

With renewed hatred and fury, his grip tightened around her throat as he summoned his biotic powers. He needed to get out of here.

" _ **WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!?**_ "

Miranda suddenly found herself flying across the room within seconds, her body slamming into numerous pieces of equipment before collapsing onto the floor. Marcus found that his biotics were causing him unbelievable pain, but appeared to be stronger than normal. The other cerberus scientist tried to restrain him, but found himself the victim of a headbutt, followed by a punch to the nose that knocked him out.

Confused as to what to do, Marcus bade a beeline for the door. But Miranda wasn't letting him escape that easily; keying her omni-tool, she put the station on high alert and ordered all units to tranquilize him. Just as Marcus reached the door, he found it closing. Before it did however, he reached out his hands and stopped it. He was shocked. These doors were extremely powerful; being able to cut solid titantium in half. Whatever they had loaded into his body augmented his strength majorly.

He also noticed that the door's design was different to usual ones, looking more like a geth's design; instead of a side panel, it had a glowing holographic interface in the middle, which you had to tap to open the door. He rolled his eyes as he looked at the door; having two Cerberus logos on it.

It didn't take him long to open the second one either, only to find himself face to face with two more Cerberus servants. One tried to fire what looked like a striker pistol at him, but he reacted with reflexes he didn't know he had. Within seconds he had the man pinned in an arm lock and the other guy unconscious via tranquilizer dart. He also noticed that the internal structure of the weapon was different.  _Where the hell am I?_

As he ran up the stairs, he looked into a window and saw his reflection. He stood frozen, disgusted by what he saw. His body didn't even look human; he looked more akin to a geth, just with flesh and bones as well as cybernetics. His chest was in the process of being skinned over, with the section over his longs the only place still transparent. He had numerous scars all over his body that glowed the same orange light that his hand had; even his face had the same scars.

His eyes looked like that of a Terminator; glowing a dull orange. He looked absolutely hideous.  _Just what the hell have Cerberus done to me? Hell, how can I even say..._  It was then that he realized just who he should get to.  _Tali! I have to find Tali! She'll be shocked to know I'm alive, but it's better than dead!_ It was then that he remembered his appearence.  _What will Tali think? Can the Alliance remove half of this stuff? Am I even human anymore? Hell, I'm supposed to be dead! For all I know, I could be a clone or a synthetic impostor!_

Throwing these thoughts aside, he looked up the stairway to his right to see two mechs headed towards him. He immediately recognized them as LOKI defense mechs. They were dumb little things that lacked even a basic VI; mostly run by an outdated computing software. They had no strategic capabilities and were good for nothing except common cannon fodder or a distraction.

His right hand immediately snapped up and launched a biotic singularity, lifting the two dumbass mechs off the ground and into the air, dropping two weapons of a type he didn't quite know, except it looked alot like those SMGs he had read about when he was a child about the Second American Civil War.  _But they haven't manufactured those for ages. Just what facility is this?_

He simply and casually walked past the floating mechs, letting the singularity deal with them. When the door was closed, he saw the interface glow red and if he understood right, that meant it was locked. He saw that the other door was locked as well.  _Great. A fucking lockdown. Now what do I do?_ He searched around for options, but he wasn't really seeing any. He had to think quickly. Cerberus would get to him soon.

Just as he lumbered into the middle of the room, both doors unlocked and two squads of Cerberus commandos entered, all bearing avenger and...diamond back assault rifles? He also noticed a few more LOKI mechs. A young man with a Cerberus uniform stood out from the squad that had entered from his goal door. He was obviously african-american, judging by the way he carried himself and the color of his skin.

From behind him, came the whole too memorable Miranda; her australian accent identifiable from a mile away.

"Please Shepard, just let us help," The woman pleaded.

Marcus' head snapped towards her, "Help?  _ **You've turned me into a cyborg!**_ Tell me...am I even human anymore?  _ **Just what the fuck have you done to me? And where's my friends! If you've so much as hurt them, I'll tear you apart and feed you to the fucking thresher maws on Akuze.**_ Nothing like a taste of your own medicine, huh?"

Miranda was shocked. This wasn't the Shepard she had read up. He was more calm and negoitable. This one was filled with rage and vehemence. But she couldn't blame him; waking up to find yourself in the home of over a hundred of your enemies would be enough to piss anyone off.

"You're friends are mine," Miranda gulped, "Moved on, actually. They got over your death. Made new lives. Have for a while, you know."

Marcus glowed with biotics, ableit unstable and shifting. Everyone in the room felt it, even if the human didn't intend it. Even some objects in the room lifted and fell at will. His biotics were too unstable; anymore and he could fry his brain from overload.  _Damn it, haven't even inserted the L4 implant yet._

"What the hell is that supposed to mean!? Moved on? Made new lives? I...I've only been unconscious for twenty seconds!"

Miranda shook her head, "You weren't unconscious Marcus and certainly not for twenty seconds. Not by a mile."

Marcus rolled his eyes and pointed a finger directly at her, " _ **Don't fuck with me! People don't just rise up from the grave! Once they are dead, they stay that way! You can't play god!**_ "

"Too the contrary," Miranda pointed out, "We did. Cerberus pored thousands of resources into bringing you back. You're our number one chance at stopping the Reapers."

Marcus calmed down a little, confused, "Say I believe you. Just how long have I been...'dead'" He finished with air quotes, still not believing the Cerberus woman. He had no reason to and he certainly wouldn't start trusting the likes of her. Not after Akuze. He wouldn't go through that again. Not with Tali.

Miranda gulped, "This is going to come as a shock to you-"

" _ **How fucking long!?**_ " Marcus demanded.

"Two years," Miranda blurted out, ready to fight if Shepard lost control. However, he didn't. He just stood there, his pose frozen. She couldn't imagine what was going on within his head right now; losing two years of your life and feeling like it had only been twenty seconds would suck to anyone; not that necromancy was a common thing, anyway.

"Two...years?" Marcus couldn't bear it.  _I've lost two years of my life? Just gone? And what about the Reapers? What about my friends...I...Tali...has she moved on? Found someone else? I...no, this can't be happening!_

Before he had anymore time to contemplate it, he felt a sharp bite in the back of his neck. He pulled out the dart just as he fell unconscious on the ground, nothing but his steady heartbeat to worry about. Miranda nodded her thanks to Jacob for having put the man down before he did anything else irrational. She immediately turned to the two commandos holding up Shepard.

"Get him back to the lab and set back up on the table. He won't be ready for another month," Miranda said, moving out of the way as the soldiers dragged Shepard back to the lab. She rubbed her temples at the mess this had caused; Shepard wasn't supposed to have awoken yet and already he knew too much. It was information he wasn't ready for.

All she knew is that she had a report to file. The Illusive Man had to know about this.

**{Loading...}**

_July 19, 2185_

_0721 hours._

_'Humanity's Sanctum', Upper Level, Cronos Station, Anadius System._

_The Illusive Man, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

Cerberus' leader waited patiently as Lazarus Station connected their quantum entanglement communicator. It was state of the art technology; being able to develop a crystal-clear hologram of the messenger using photosythesized digital images. It was advanced tech and only Cerberus used it to it's full advantage. Now he was getting an unscheduled call from the station. It had better bring good news.

He took a puff of his cigar and watched as Miranda's form came into full view, dataslate held under her right armpit. He sighed as he lay his hand in his hand, dipping his cigar into the ash tray to his right.

"Miss Lawson," he began, "This is unexpected. I wasn't expecting an update for another month. This is ahead of schedule."

Miranda gulped as he answered, "We've had a...complication."

TIM sighed in annoyance at her use of cryptic messaging, "Just get to the point. I hate failures, but what I hate more is people who dance around it."

Miranda straightened her posture and cleared her throat as she responded, "Shepard woke up ahead of schedule. I told him of his situation. To say he was angry would be the colossal understatement of the century."

TIM raised a brow, "And how was this bad? If he's awake now, that just means he'll be able to fight earlier."

Miranda frowned, "Sir, you of all people should know that he shouldn't have woken up. The state he was in...he would be in a period of unbelievable pain, not to mention he almost tore the place up trying to escape."

"What was the damage done?"

"Two jammed doors, six neural scanners, three X-Ray machines and two LOKI mechs."

TIM shook his head as he once again took a snuff of his cigar, "The mechs and equipment are replacable, but the doors will take some time to fix. Not that it matters; Shepard is alive and we know he can kill. We also know that he has some basic memory, do we not?"

Miranda nodded, "He seems to remember the Normandy's destruction and his crew. As far as that however, we're in the dark. We're finishing what work we have now and he should be ready for service as soon as August. Are you sure we should not inform his crew? If they found out we've been harboring him or if he finds out that his quarian friend thought he was dead..."

TIM shook his head, "It's too late for that now; two years is too long to be dead, especially for people who have moved on. Besides, informing his quarian friend that he's alive and under a Cerberus flag would end any friendship they had. I do believe you remember what happened on the Idenna. No, keep them in the dark and inform Chakwas and Joker of his awakening."

Inputting the data onto her datapad, she looked back at her leader, "What about the Normandy? How's that coming along, if I may ask."

"Progress is going far better than expected," TIM responded in his usual calm demeanour, "It took some time, but the stealth drive was acquired and is going through...upgrades. The Normandy is all but complete at this stage; just running pre-flight checks, inserting the stealth unit and getting the damn elevator to operate. They can't get it to go at the right speed. Also, I've considered adding a vehicle to the ship, much like the Mako."

Miranda raised a brow, "Won't it be difficult to get our hands on an alliance vehicle, sir?"

"We have plenty of alliance cruisers under our flag," TIM retorted, "But no, I will not be adding a Mako. I think it would be wise to move Project: Firewalker under the Normandy's umbrella project."

"Firewalker, sir?" Miranda asked, "You mean the prototype mobile artillery unit? The one with powerful missiles but armor like tissue paper?"

TIM rolled his eyes, "As it stands, the time required to upgrade the Hammerhead's armor will take too long. It will have to be upgraded as the mission progresses. For now, it has a operable weapon system and jet thrusters that put the Mako to shame. It is technology no other species has; Shepard will be unstoppable with it."

"So we're giving the only unit we have to a guy who can't drive. I'm sure you've read his dossier," Miranda stated, crossing her arms, "Firewalker cost millions of credits to develop. That's twenty-two million credits down the drain."

"I have faith that Shepard will be able to operate the Hammerhead much easier," TIM deadpanned, "Besides, we've already poured two billion into him and have enough to create a whole fleet of Normandys and thousands more like him. Five million is a small sacrifice."

Miranda smiled, "We have to be the richest terrorists in the galaxy."

TIM pointed his cigar at Miranda to punctuate his point, "Not terrorists, revolutionists."

Miranda nodded, snapping a crisp salute, "Yes, sir. You'll have another report by August."

Before Miranda left and TIM could turn around, Miranda's voice spoke up again.

"One more thing sir."

TIM turned back around, his patience ringing through his cool and calm voice, "Yes?"

"I have...worries about Wilson. I don't trust him. Something about him makes me shiver. I sense...I don't know, like something's wrong about him."

Miranda thought she heard him sigh, but it was just him letting out a puff of smoke from his cigar, "As I'm aware. He's an odd man, but the way he acts is anything but subtle. I've had his contacts list shortlisted and I've discovered that he's been a double agent for many organizations before joining Cerberus."

"So you think he could be working for the Shadow Broker? Maybe the Alliance?"

"It's entirely possible. For now, I recommend keeping an eye on him. I don't expect him to stay loyal for too long but if you think he's going to jeopardize the safety of Project: Lazarus, then you terminate him. I don't care how you do it, just keep Shepard safe."

"I'll have Jacob keep tabs on him as well. Lawson out," Miranda then finally signed off, her orange holographic form disappearing.

**{Loading...}**

_July 21, 2185_

_1020 hours._

_Mining Platform 017, Mining Sector, Kenzo District, Omega._

_Merc Leader Garrus 'Archangel' Vakarian._

Nothing yet. That's all he had seen so far. Nothing. Just nothing. His scope scanned the area like a bird of prey seeking out it's next meal, his talon over the trigger, ready to end the life of the first Blood pack mercenary his sights fell over. He was alone, with his team back at the Den, safe and tight, working over their attack plan on Tarak's base of operations, the leader of the Blue Suns on Omega.

Only a few hours ago had he been woken up by Sidonis. The turian had gone out to buy some items in the Omega Markets that was located near Afterlife, but had come back looking like he had been to death by a dozen krogan. His left mandible was limp, his eye blackened and numerous bits of body oozing blood. He had informed Garrus that the Blood Pack had captured him and beaten him. During his interrogation, he had overheard them mentioning Garm leading a blood pack smuggling operation in the Mining sector of the Kenzo District. Shortly after, he had narrowly escaped.

Garrus had insisted on taking out the smugglers by himself, not wanting to bring a fully-equipped team for something like this. Besides the fact that the mining sector was a dangerous battlefield and had a dozen areas where a good marksman could lie in hiding, take out his enemies, and never reveal him or herself. So now here he was, about to catch them completely off guard.

He had a mere fifteen minutes until they passed through his area on the way to the Mytay District, where they would exchange it with some red sand dealers. Garrus had strongly considered leaking the location to the Eclipse, who owned the district and watching as the two mercenary factions killed each other. The Blue Suns, Eclipse and Blood Pack may have been the top factions, but they hated each other to death. They had recently ceased all operations against each other, but he had simply ignored it. An alliance between them was as likely as a krogan scientist.

So now he waited. Patiently. Silently. Quietly. He only paused to take a bite of his ration bar and a drink from his water canteen but apart from that, he remained absolutely still, not making a single sound. The smooth steel exterior of his sniper rifle felt like human skin under his exoskeleton, a feeling of bliss. He should feel sadistic for thinking a rifle could feel like happiness, but too an expert sniper, it shouldn't be surprising. Afterall, he had spent two years as Archangel and pissing off every mercenary company in existence: the Blue Suns, Eclipse, Blood Pack, Talons, The Dark Raiders, The Primals, and many more.

Hell, he'd even dealt with religious mercenaries. Ha! Mercs of faith! The Christian Zealots, The Jewish Boilers, Islamic Al Queda, Hindu Servants and even a few human mercs who believed in the quarian worship of their ancestors and the turian enlightenment of the spirits. And of course, the hanar servitude of the long extinct protheans. If you included the geth worshipping the Reapers, then he'd probably killed servants belonging to every religion in existence.

Five minutes. He readied his rifle and leaned over the platform he was using for his sniping position. The heat was like fire on his face, but it was tolerable and a nessacary sacrifice for such a good position. He was within 20 klicks of his target's path, so that guaranteed him a good hiding spot while remaining within range.

He waited and he waited and five minutes later, there was no sign of the Blood Pack convoy. Sidonis' information had been accurate to the very last second, so they should be here. He decided to wait a little bit longer. Maybe the convoy had been delayed by Aria's mercenaries or something. Ten minutes he waited and still no sign of them. Eventually, he decided he'd contact Sidonis.

His omni-tool took a whole minute to get an answer as it beeped a bright-orange to signal that he had a stable connection. With a look of annoyance, he watched as Sidonis stepped into view, his face still covered in beating marks. Garrus was confused by the turian's surroundings; he looked like he was in a shuttle and not the Den. What was he doing? He also looked...ashamed.

"Sidonis? Where are you? The Blood Pack convoy didn't turn up. Are you sure your information wasn't falsified or you just misheard about the timings or existence of it?" Garrus asked. He watched as Sidonis lowered his head, looking ashamed about something. He heard the pilot call out, saying "We've just departed from Omega." The turian's eyes locked with Garrus' at that.

"Why are you leaving? Sidonis, what the hell are you doing?" Garrus demanded, practically shouting at his comm as he packed up his sniper rifle and abandoned the food sack, opting to slide down the ladder. Something wasn't right.

"I'm sorry Garrus, they got to me. Tortured me," Sidonis said, his voice shaky, "Said they'd kill me slowly if I didn't let up."

"What the hell do you mean? Who!?" Garrus growled, not liking where this was going. He raced for his skycar which was parked perfectly nearby. He slid on his helmet as he reached it, ripping the door open and tossing his sniper rifle in, quickly keying the ignition.

"The Blood Pack. I lied to you Garrus. I'm so sorry." Sidonis admitted.

"What the hell did you do?" Garrus' voice began to lower, visibly pissed. Not only had Sidonis lied to him, but he didn't like what he thought Sidonis had done. He can't have. Please tell the turian he didn't. The skycar ascended and began to speed out of the district at full-speed back to the Den.

"When I was interrogated, I didn't overhear anything about a convoy. I made it up to lure you away from the Den," Sidonis admitted. Garrus snarled as he realized where this was headed. He began to speed up, "Garm and his men said they'd rip me apart if I didn't tell them where the Den was. So I-"

" _ **You told them the location of our hideout!?**_ " With his fears confirmed, Garrus didn't even bother trying to be discreet. He barelled through Omega's traffic on the way to his hideout in the Joto District. The Den had once been an office building, but had long been abandoned since Aria took over the station from Patriarch, the station's original krogan ruler who now served as Aria's trophy and puppet.

"I had to. They were going to flay me alive!" Sidonis retorted, "Garm and his Blood Pack have joined forces with the Eclipse and Blue Suns! They left to attack the Den an hour ago!"

"Our team won't see it coming! They won't stand a chance!" Garrus responded, " _ **How could you betray us like this you spineless coward!?**_ "

"They were going to kill me," Sidonis repeated.

"You betrayed everything you stood for. You betrayed your comrades; you're friends. You're a coward, Sidonis. A spirits be damned coward.  _ **We trusted you! I protected you! I gave you a home where you could feel safe and this is how you repay me!?**_ "

"What's done is done. I'm sorry it had to end this way," Sidonis replied, "I've left on a shuttle. I'm not telling you where I'm going and by the time you get off the station, I'll be long gone. I will no longer exist. Don't bother coming after me."

" _ **Listen closely you spineless fuck,"**_ Garrus growled menacingly,  _ **"I won't stop until I find you. When I do, I'll fucking kill you and I'll finish what Garm didn't. I will personally carve the names of the friends you betrayed into your fucking skull. So don't think for a FUCKING SECOND, THAT THIS IS OVER! DO YOU HEAR ME! I'LL FUCKING FIND YOU AND KILL YOU, YOU MOTHERFUCKING-**_ " Garrus never got to finish as Sidonis cut the line. The turian viglante slammed his fist into the panel in anger. The console's GPS beeped to let him know he was now closing in on the Den. As he rounded the corner, he saw the Den come into view.

From what he could see, the bridge splitting the abandoned shopping plaza and the Den was all but devoid of mercenary forces. But as he got closer, he could see that the building wasn't empty. Numerous vorcha and a few krogan littered the building, probably looking for his team. Good. That means they're still alive.

He made sure to gently lay the skycar next to the building and he creeped out, holstering his sniper rifle and pulling out his vindicator. Comming his omni-tool, he tried to contact his team. No response. Most likely under radio silence. He swore he heard a choking sound, but he dismissed it more out of denial than optimism.

He rushed inside, fitting a silencer on his weapon. He gunned down two vorcha guarding the side entrance and swiftly ended a third with the butt of his weapon and a shot to the back of his head. He visibly reeled back upon seeing Caity's body lying on the ground. Slowly approaching her and rolling her body over, he sighed in anger as he saw her open eyes and the entry wound left by an omni-blade. She was dead.

Omni-blades were a new design among the military and mercenaries alike. It was a program for military-grade omni-tools that allowed for the holographic but solid projection of a extendable omni-blade, which acted as a normal blade, but was made of pure energy and was more painful to be killed by due to it's plasmatic properties. It was one of the many omni weapons designed; others being omni-shields, which acted as a giant roman shield made of energy and omni-bows, which was a holographic projection of a crossbow that fired explosive plasma bolts.

Silently mourning Caity, he moved further inside and managed to catch a krogan by surprise, silently slicing his throat open with his own omni-blade. He then quickly eliminated his two Blue Suns cohorts. Sidonis hadn't lied about that; the three mercenary companies really had teamed up. His team must have really pissed them off to get people who hated each other to death to team up against them.

He quickly moved up the stairs, noticing what looked like Pash's dead body thrown into the corner, nothing left to identify; Pash's head was the only identifiable part of the batarian, with everything else having been blown apart by a claymore weapon or some other form of explosive. Another comrade dead because of Sidonis' treachery.

He quickly made his way back down the stairs and cleared the rest of the area, finding the numerous bodies of his team; ten dead, with only Talan and Mak unaccounted for. He hoped, more than anything, for one of them to be alive. His hopes dwindled as he reached the top of the stairs and turned right, seeing Talan's dead body lying flat on the floor, face towards the ceiling and sniper rifle tossed a few meters away. Never even got to fire the weapon, from the looks of it.

Before he could declare his team dead, he heard muffled moans from behind him. Turning, he saw the face of a sealed door. Inputting his code, he unlocked and opened it, only to watch as Mak collapsed into his arms. The quarian moaned in deep pain, cradling his leg. Garrus let out a sigh of relief as he lay the engineer down on the ground and up against the wall. Upon seeing his injuries, Garrus felt like he'd been shot twice in the back.

Mak's right leg was gone, nothing but a bloody pulp. His mask was cracked, but not shattered and he was riddled with gunshots. His omni-tool emitter had been destroyed in whatever firefight he was in and his drone was missing, probably destroyed as well. Mak began to mumble something again.

"What is it Mak?"

He mumbled.

Garrus then noticed that his vocalizer wasn't flashing. Unlatching the quarian's helmet, he ripped it off and tossed it away, revealing the quarian man's face. He was surprised when he was met by a human looking face; his eyes glowed lightly, with two tattoo like lines on his upper features. His ears were slightly pointed, like an elf.  _Of course._ His features were smooth, part of his use he guessed, but that was ruined by the blood that streaked from his mouth. The poor kid.

"First quarian face, huh?" Mak interrupted Garrus' examination and the turian immediately snapped his attention back. He needed to stay focused.

"I'm going to get you out of this," Garrus reassured the quarian, activating his omni-tool and preparing to administer some medi-gel along with omni-gel to fix his suit. Before he could, the quarian had held up his omni-tool and forced the turian to look. Garrus did just that and looked to see that it was the quarian's lifesigns he was looking at.

_Suit Damage: 92%_

_Medi-Gel Supply: 0%_

_Omni-Gel Supply: 0%_

_Heart Rate: Low._

_Body Damage: Left Leg Amputated, Right Leg Sprained, Blood Sugar Levels Low, Blood Loss Significant, Tissue Damage Severe, Multiple Other Life Threatening Injuries._

_Chances of Survival: 5%_

Garrus gave a defeated sigh as he leaned back. He gave a humorless chuckle at the predicament and shook his head. He then looked into Mak's eyes. The quarian managed to give off an aura of sadness, of defeat, of pain. He was visibly dying and there was nothing the turian could do. Before long, the engineer switched off his omni-tool.

"There's nothing you can do for me, Garrus," Mak spoke up, his voice low and full of agony, "The best you can do is avenge me. Find Sidonis. End that...traitor. Just...don't let it plague you. The mercs are united against you now, but I know you'll make a tough target for them. You always were a stubborn piece of shit."

Garrus gave another laugh, this one also devoid of comedy. He was sitting here, on his ass, watching as his quarian friend died; and scarily enough, he could picture Tali in his place. The young and vibrant quarian, so full of life and innocence, ready to take on the galaxy and go on massive adventures, with a gigantic, unstarving curiosity to quench. Only to have that innocence brutally murdered and that curiosity bloodsoaked, leaving a dead and dying woman who realized one thing; she hated the galaxy.

And when he thought of Tali, he could only imagine Mak; what if she had suffered his fate? What if she was gunned down by the geth or pirates? Mak was one hell of a kid, and now his parents weren't even going to get his body back. He would be forever lost; his parents completely oblivious to his death on Omega, dying for a justified cause. A hero that was eternally silenced, his name forgotten or never known. The hero that never was.

Blood caked the floor around the quarian, relentless in the amount that poured out. Mak didn't have long. Garrus just sat there, chatting with him, for all it was worth. Mak was going to die, there was no denying it, but he shouldn't spend it alone. Noone deserves that. Except maybe the bastard that caused him to die in the first place. Sidonis would pay in blood.

A few minutes later and it was all over. Mak's lifesigns flatlined and his body went limp, his head falling to his side. He was gone, taken by whatever ancestors he worshipped into the high skies to live the rest of his life in spirit form. He silently gave a prayer to Talos, hoping the turian spirit would welcome Mak into his embrace. It was then that he closed Mak's eyes and rested his body on the ground, hands folded on his chest. He followed suit with the rest of his squad, laying them in a straight line below.

Picking up his vindicator, he stepped into the team's original debriefing room, this time alone. His team was gone, it was just him now. He had failed to live up to Shepard's legacy; he had gotten his team killed because he was all too trusting.  _I'm sorry Shepard, I've failed you. I tried to be like you, and I failed._

There was only one option now. He stood up the windowsill, looking out over the bridge. A good sniper could hold position here for days, maybe months. A good defendable position. He lay his vindicator on the sofa in the middle of the room, where Talan would sit and crack jokes to Sidonis and the gang about his many kills. He then extended his reaper sniper rifle and took position at the window.

He then hacked into the area's comm systems, making sure the mercenaries could hear him. He then spoke, loud and clear, his tone full of anger and the promise of vengeance.

"Jaroth, Garm, Tarak. If you can hear me, listen carefully," Garrus growled, "You've invaded my home. You've murdered my friends. The people who swore to take down the scum of the galaxy; that's you. Now hold your temper tantrums for a moment. I hope you realize just who I am. And just who you're fucking with. I helped take down an army of geth, I took down Saren Arterius and I sent a shit load of krogan straight to hell. I'm handsome, I'm downright beautiful. I have the eye of an eagle and the reflexes of a cat. So, think of this as you charge my base to kill me,"

"I'm Garrus Vakarian. I am the Archangel of Omega. And you are on my hit list."

**{Loading...}**

_August 2, 2185_

_1411 hours._

_Shuttle Bay, Zarasis-Class Light Cruiser QMFV Neema, Migrant Fleet currently in FTL inbound for Zeus Aluticus Cluster._

_Colonel Tali'Zorah vas Neema, First Lieutenant Prazza'Sal vas Idenna, Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema._

With a strengthened pose and a stronger demeanour, Tali steadily entered the shuttle bay of her homeship, the Neema. The door's haptic interface flickered out of existence and the door slid open, prompted by her omission. As the quarian stepped inside, she saw Admiral Gerrel already standing next to the shuttle and, unsurprisingly, Prazza in parade rest.

Ever since Cerberus' attack on the Idenna, Prazza had hated her. It had seemed that they were finally going to get along and then Cerberus came along and killed his sister. He had had a burning hatred for her ever since. It was one of the reasons he was only a First Lieutenant; he had disobeyed her orders or questioned so much that he wiped out any chances of promotion. But Prazza simply didn't care.

Ever since then however, Tali's military career flourished. She was now a Colonel, with Kal's old  _Wys'trek_ battalion now firmly under her command. Kal had since been promoted to Brigadier General, commanding her battalion while also leading  _Tael_ Regiment. Prazza of course, was still stuck with his old platoon and probably would stay that way if his behaviour kept up. Rael had occassionally come to visit her on the Neema, but their meetings were always awkward and never lasted long.

Tali kept up her brisk pace until she stood next to Prazza, facing Gerrel. Whilst there, she snapped a crisp salute.

"At ease, Colonel," Gerrel immediately said afterwards and the engineer ceased the salute, hands resting at her back in a parade rest. Tali remembered the days when she had to be prompted to do that. It had been Marcus who drilled that military precision into her head and now look at her; commanding an entire battalion and on par with a navy commander, which meant she ranked next to him.  _He'd be so proud of me._

She noticed the shuttle bay had numerous marines around in it and noticed that alot of them belonged to Prazza's platoon. Confused, she turned to Gerrel to ask, "If I may ask admiral, just why is Prazza's platoon present? If this is a mission for him, I don't know what you'd need me for."

She was sure she heard Prazza mumbling under his breath, but she ignored it. Best not to know what kind of insults he was throwing her way.

Gerrel nodded, "Prazza and his platoon are indeed here because they are on mission. You're here because you'll be their mission leader."

Prazza's posture was unstable as he answered, "Sir, we all due respect, I don't need-"

"It's not in your position to question the admirality's orders, Prazza. Especially not Rael'Zorah's and mine," Gerrel snapped, causing Prazza to slip back into parade rest, "Colonel Zorah will be leading your platoon as mission leader and you will obey her orders to the letter. It's that or you'll find yourself in the position of a private. Understood?"

Prazza simply nodded in response. If Tali could see his face, she would see him giving her his best sneer. It was Tali's turn to question.

"Sir, why am I required as mission leader for a platoon?" Tali asked, "I'm a battalion commander, a colonel, not a platoon leader. Prazza's platoon falls under my juristiction and therefore it would make more sense to have the entirety of my battalion assist on the mission so I can lead them better. Group cohesion if you will."

Gerrel nodded, "If you were launching a defensive operation or major offensive, then you'd be correct. But this is not the case. This mission calls for a small team, in this case a platoon, to land quietly and discreetly."

"A stealth mission? Special operations?" Prazza asked.

"Exactly," Gerrel nodded, "But not just any stealth mission. This one's a rescue operation."

Tali raised a brow.  _I'm used to storming geth strongholds, boarding pirate vessels, infiltrating merc bases and acting as security for warships, such as the Idenna. A rescue mission is definitely something new and I can see why a battalion would be a detriment to such a mission; a force of three-hundred quarian marines storming a facility to save someone would attract too much attention and the target might get killed before we can rescue them. Yes, a platoon is more discreet, more stealthy. I can do stealthy._

"Who are we rescuing sir?" It was a simple question.

"I think you know him. He's one of ours," Gerrel added causing Tali to raise her brows again. She had to stop doing it; noone could see it, "His name is Veetor. Veetor'Nara."

Tali felt her jaw drop. Veetor had gone on pilgrimage four months ago. Noone had told her just where he was going for his pilgrimage, but she guessed it would be somewhere safe and beyond any crowded areas. Veetor always had a fear of crowds and claustrophobia; so it would be somewhere large and spacey with next to noone around. If there was more than six people, it was a crowd and he didn't like it.

"Veetor? What kind of danger is he in that requires us to extract him, sir?" Prazza beat her to the punch, asking the question before she could mouth it from her lips. She both hated and forgave him for it.

"That's exactly it. We have no clue," Gerrel answered cryptically, "When he left on pilgrimage, he went to the colony of Freedom's Progress; it's a human colony located just on the border of the Terminus systems, in the Quebec Cluster, Arilus System. He preferred working among humans and promised to help them deal with maintenance for at least five months before they gave him a huge stock of dextro food to take back to the fleet and complete his pilgrimage with."

"I'm guessing the humans betrayed him," Prazza spat out without hesitation, "The primates are unpredictable."

Tali snapped her head towards him with a look of rage, "Not all humans are like Cerberus, Prazza. Alot of them are good people. I would know; I served alongside one and he treated me like an equal."

"Yeah, and we all know why. To get inside your suit," Prazza rumored.

Tali wanted to rip his mask open and watch him die, but Gerrel's voice stopped those thoughts. She immediately turned back to Gerrel, straightening her posture.

"Apologies. Won't happen again sir." Tali and Prazza stated in unison.

Gerrel nodded and then continued, pacing as he did, "Approximately five hours ago, all contact with Freedom's Progress ceased. Not a single transmission, not even a low-band wave. Completely silent. Even Veetor's omni-tool isn't responding to our attempts to communicate. We've looked at all the variables and we've come to one conclusion."

"We fear Freedom's Progress may be another victim of the constant disappearence of human colonies. Some unknown enemy is responsible for abducting entire human colonies on the fringes of the Terminus and inside the Traverse. Close to fifty-seven human colonies have already disappeared and we think Freedom's Progress has already fallen. If so, we want you to land before the human authorities arrive and evac Veetor. Considering the scale of the attacks, the enemy only wants humans and won't abduct a quarian. He's still alive, or so we believe."

"Will the Neema provide transport?" Tali asked, knowing full well what she had to do. Veetor may be loopy, but he was her friend and Marcus certainly didn't abandon friends, so neither would she.

Gerrel shook his head, "You'll be going in via shuttle. The Neema will attract too much attention and cause the Alliance to think we're looting the colony. That's the last thing we need. A shuttle can get in quick and quietly without drawing attention."

Tali snapped another salute. It held no militaristic meaning, but held a promise; the promise to bring Veetor back. Whatever enemy humanity was facing had no quarrel with her people and if they did, she would end them. Her people knew of the Reapers and unlike the Council, they believed her and used it as one of the reasons to find a temporary world so they could prepare for the sentient dreadnoughts' invasion.

"We'll bring Veetor back sir. That I can guarantee you. Anyone trying to stop us will be gunned down like any other geth. If alliance marines, we'll talk them down. I'll make sure Prazza and his platoon get the job done sir."

Prazza was probably grimacing behind his mask. Good for him.

Gerrel simply nodded, "Good. You depart now. Depending on our distance from the Quebec Cluster, it should take you two days to get to Freedom's Progress and four days to reach us in the Zeus Aluticus. I'd wish you luck, but I doubt the Heroine of the Citadel will need it. I should wish luck to those who oppose you. They need it most."

Tali smiled at the admiral's compliment and both herself and Prazza snapped one final salute before Gerrel left the shuttle bay to return to the bridge. Tali opened the hatch to the shuttle and was about to enter when Prazza spoke up behind her.

"You may be captain Gerrel's favourite, but that doesn't make you mine," he hissed.

Tali didn't even turn to him as she entered the cockpit, "Doesn't bother me Prazza."

"Just remember this Colonel," Prazza continued, "These are my men. If I have to disobey your orders, I will."

"And remember this Lieutenant," Tali snarled back, regretting the words as they rolled out of her mouth, "Your sister will roll around in her grave if you do."

Prazza snarled as he slammed his fist into the shuttle wall and moved out of her view. Tali cursed at herself for doing it; it was true, but it hadn't made the situation any better, if only pissing Prazza off even more.

Tali sighed as she booted up the main systems. Relations between herself and Prazza would never be the same again. But that didn't matter.

She just had to make sure Prazza didn't stuff up.

**"The rest is yours. Do you remember what happened on August 2? The day you woke up officially?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"I think I do...yes! YES! Yes, I do! I was back on Lazarus still, and I'd just woken up. However, the scenery wasn't the same as it was the first time I woke up and I found myself escaping in a much different manner."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

_**Author's Notes:** _

**And this is where the story finally picks up and enters ME2. I hope you enjoyed the back story and continue to enjoy what I give you ahead. Not alot will be different, but I will be mingling story arcs a little, if you catch my drift. ;)**


	9. Back and Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard awakens to find the facility under attack: Cerberus extracts him.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER EIGHT:**

**BACK AND BETTER**

_August 2, 2185_

_1411 hours._

_Main Laboratory, Level 13, Lazarus Station, Remus System._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard._

So he was alive. He was actually alive. He hadn't died over Alchera, but had actually survived, recovered by his long time. The more he thought about it, the more it made him sick. He was alive and well, his friends oblivious or dead and he was in a Cerberus facility, a known enemy to the Council and the galaxy. He couldn't care less about the Council anyway; from what he had heard, they had swept his problems and friends under the table and he hated all three of them for it. Did Anderson get kicked out?

And now he was here. On Lazarus Station, from what he gathered, alive but not dead. If he ever saw his mother or friends again, he would have alot to explain. And what about the Alliance? He was technically KIA. And the Council? Did he even count as a spectre anymore? He had alot to catch up on and alot of time to do it in. The Reapers also hadn't invaded yet, meaning there was still time. Tons of time if he heard right.

He also had alot of time to think about the one woman he cared about more than anything; Tali. So much can happen in two years and his favourite quarian engineer that was so full of spunk and curiosity had most likely moved on with her life. He felt selfish for hoping she hadn't; that he just wanted to continue their relationship from where it left off. But if she had found another man, then it wasn't his place to rip her away from the life she now had. If he truly cared for her, he would allow it and not complain.

It just felt hard to come to terms with two years of lost life; Tali had seemed like the ideal woman he wanted to spend his life with and now she had probably moved on. And what of Garrus? The brotherhood he had developed with the turian had been tough, but not unbreakable. Had the ex-cop heeded his wisdom and found otherways of upholding justice? Or had he slipped back into his old ways without even meaning to?

Multiple questions he wanted answered so much. What had become of Liara? Kaidan? Joker? Chakwas? Adams? His mum? Anderson? And what about all the people he had saved during the Saren campaign? All those lives on Feros, Noveria, Virmire, Therum, The Citadel. What if Cerberus was lying to him? Did he have any reason to believe them? What if he was actually a clone? What if his friends were brutally murdered by them or even held prisoner by the terrorist organization? What if the Council had been overthrown? What if this was somekind of illusion manufactured by the Reapers to trick him into a false sense of security? Could he just be like those husks they had fought?

Now that was paranoia. He highly doubted Cerberus or the Reapers could be capable of such things, but he knew one thing was possible; Cerberus could be lying. He was definitely alive, but had Cerberus really said all those things just so they can lure him into working for them? Did he have a control chip in his brain? And for that matter, how did he get resurrected in the first place? Wasn't necromancy scientifically impossible? Of course the Reapers could achieve it, but could Cerberus?

_Shepard, wake up! Now!_

He ignored the voice in his head. The woman. Miranda Lawson he heard them call her. She was Australian by accent. Marcus didn't like her at all, especially due to her tendency to assert authority over everyone and everything. It was a quality about her he preferred to avoid, but he couldn't deny that she was physically attractive. She was like the perfect woman. Almost. The only woman he'd give that title too, and only out of opinion, would be the one that now thought he was dead.

_Shepard, you really need to wake up now! We don't have time for this! Wake up now or you're dead!_

He took notice of that. He didn't know whether he should take that as a threat or whether it's a warning. Knowing Cerberus, it would likely be the former. However, considering their side of the story and how they had supposedly brought him back from the dead, it didn't make sense for them to go through all that effort only to kill him. So that left the warning part sounding all the more likely...

_Wake up goddammit! This facility is under attack!_

That did. Warning it was. It was time to wake up.

Suddenly, he felt his eyes opening. As he did, his vision was overwhelmed by a bright light, causing him to squint. He managed to overcome it however and his entire body was covered, knee to toe, in a dull aching sensation. He could hear muffled gunfire in the background, followed by the occassional bang. Looking up, he noticed the observational windows outside that allowed people on the upper deck to look down. Now he saw a firefight outside, along with barely contained fires raging. He could also hear the station wide emergency alarm going off.

Sitting up, he groaned as his body objected in pain.

"I know you're not exactly ready yet," Miranda said again, Marcus realizing that noone was inside with him and that the voice was coming from a comm system, "But you need to get moving. There should be a locker nearby with some basic N7 armor we acquired along with a standard M-3 Predator pistol. Now get moving!"

Marcus, although not happy about it and still confused as to what was going on, obliged and sat up on the table, immediately feeling unclean as he looked upon the Cerberus uniform he wore.  _Oh you have got to be kidding me..._

"Well don't just sit there!  _ **Move!**_ " Miranda screamed once more, her voice demanding. He immediately leapt off the operating table and approached one of the many lockers and opened it via the green haptic interface. Sitting there was a pile of N7 armor, but of a different make; instead of looking like a swimsuit with armor plating over it, this looked like  _actual_ armor. It was made of polished titantium, with red and black streaks all over it, symbolizing the N7 colors. The N7 insignia was also located on the right breast.

Picking up the chestplate first, he fitted the armor on, finally finishing by latching the helmet on, which was much the same as it was two years ago, being largely unchanged. He then picked up what they called a 'Predator' pistol, which looked the weapon the two cerberus agents had used when he tried to escape.

"This weapon doesn't have a mass effect field generator," Marcus pointed out as he examined the weapon, steadily approaching what looked like the door he had damaged last time. The battle outside raged on, not halting at all. Whoever their enemy was, they were relentless...and resourceful.

"That's because weapons don't use mass effect generators anymore. We abandoned them for a heat sink design," Miranda explained, "The geth used it and therefore it was a more efficient manufacture and all the weapons made today come with heat sinks now. In layman's terms; who use ammunication now, aka 'thermal clips.'"

"Isn't that more of a step backwards than forwards in weaponry evolution?" Marcus pondered, finding the area where the supposed heat sink was meant to be. Finding no ammo around, he gave up and holstered the weapon, happy to see that at least magnetic holsters weren't tossed away.

"This is trivial. We should focus on getting you out of there," Miranda said, changing the subject to more recent matters, "I'll tell you everything you need to know later. You'd better hurry though. The mechs are closing in on your position."

Marcus raised his eyebrows at that, passing through the clearly wrecked doors.

"Mechs? I thought they were part of the security."

"They were, until someone reprogrammed them. Now they're attacking every on sight that isn't a fellow mech. It's a massacre. But everyone is expendable; we need to get you out of there! Think you're combat skills are still up to scratch?"

Marcus didn't like Miranda's logic in terms to labelling the crew as 'expendable', but in his eyes, they were Cerberus and he didn't really care. Finding a red, glowing object on the ground, he picked up and was presently surprised to see that it fit into the heat sink. With clicking sound, the weapon activated and signalled that it had ammo. Now he knew what thermal clips looked like.

"You'd better believe it," Marcus stated, entering combat mode. From what he could tell from his HUD, his shields were lighter than his old suit and the armor not has versatile, but it was enough to fight off mechs; as long as he didn't come into contact with any YMIRs, he should be fine. Raising his pistol, he pushed forward and up the stairs.

He picked up two green dots on his motion tracker and was about to dismiss them when he realized the mechs were still technically registered as friendlies. This was confirmed an SMG burst hit him in the side, his shields taking the blast. Spinning, he fired one and then two shots into the LOKI mech's head.

The mech's head exploded in a small blast of fire, causing the now useless piece of scrap to fall to the ground, destroyed, SMG falling with it. He quickly did the same to it's partner, ending both mechs quickly and rapidly. The predator he noticed had a large magazine capacity and packed a punch. It would do for now. He also noticed that thermal clips were universal and could be used in all weapons.

Relieving the mechs of their thermal clips while also taking one of their SMGs, which was designated a 'M-4 Shuriken', and, like the predator, was the standard SMG for all military units, even outside Cerberus. Deciding that an SMG might come in handy, he slipped it onto his left hip and continued past the door and entered the room where his original escape attempt had ended badly.

The room was in flames and the uniforms of numerous Cerberus security guards and scientists could be identified among the flames, all dead. Holstering his predator, he pulled out his shuriken and surveyed the wrecked room, only to watch as four LOKI mechs seemingly rose out of the flames, attacking him on sight.

Luckily, they really weren't that smart. They didn't even use tactics or cover; they just strolled casually towards him, firing as they did. With precision capable of a recruit fresh out of basic, he took down every mech he came into contact with, before reloading and continuing through the door nearby.

"Miranda, do you know who reprogrammed the mechs?" Marcus asked, entering a corridor with a glass panel looking into another corridor. He watched as five cerberus commandos, all armed with avenger assault rifles, were slaughtered by a YMIR mech's heavy machine gun. Finishing them off, the giant walking tank then disappeared into the flames, blood soaking the walls.

"I have some idea, but I need to get to the bastard to find out. You just keep on going. There should be a door to your right. Take it and follow the corridor to the main security wing. Hopefully Jacob can help-" Miranda tried to say. Only static followed.

"Miranda?" Marcus asked.

Static once again. Something was jamming her, which meant he was on his own. Continuing down the corridor, he opened the door at the end and ended up in what looked like a cargo transfer bay. A small lift sat to his right with a bridge down below. He watched as two more cerberus scientists, all armed with predator pistols, were gunned down as they fleed a fireteam of LOKI mechs.

It was now that he noticed a strange, heavy looking weapon laying next to the body of a dead commando. Picking it up, he made a quick once over of it. The weapon had the look of a heavy shotgun, but the middle section was cut off by a large bulbous section that arced over the top. It also had a second handle at the end of the weapon's barrel. Reading the side inscription, it read 'Elanus Risk Control Services: M-100 Grenade Launcher'. Marcus raised a brow. The last time he had encountered ERCS was on Noveria, and he had no idea they made weapons, especially grenade launchers.

But he wasn't one to argue. Seeing the weapon had five grenades already in the slot and had only spent one of six of them, he took aim with the weapon and prepared to fire in the middle of the advancing group of mechs.

Without even aiming properly, he pulled the trigger and let loose a single projectile, the grenade landing perfectly in the center of the hostile enemy group. It connected with the head of the mechs, exploding in a flurry of fire and destroying the four of them. Impressed by the weapon, he holstered it on his back and reequipped his skuriken, taking the elevator down to the level below and progressing across the bridge.

There wasn't much resistance from that point on to the security wing. Most of the corridors were filled with the bodies of dead soldiers and scientists, guards and mechs. He found a few terminals containing information on Lazarus, including how they managed to bring him back and what there plans were. He even found info on Wilson, the man who cooperated in his resurrection. Apparently he had bad views of Miranda, labelling her a 'ice queen.'

Finally though, he left the research wing behind and came across the security sector. The area was open; just a large area with numerous rooms below and a bridge extending across the middle. Scorch marks littered the walls along with some holes. To his left was another door and a platform, but it was occupied by a group of LOKI mechs firing upon him. He immediately took cover next to a cerberus guard holding a predator pistol.

Marcus examined the man. He had skin of an african-american and he realized that this was man that had blocked his escape a month ago.

"Commander? I didn't think you'd be up yet," The man commented, stopping only to reach out of cover and reached out with his biotics, ripping a mech from it's position and tossing it violently across and into a wall, shattering it like bits of glass. The man then returned back to his position, "I ain't complaining though. These mechs are a pain in the ass."

"I didn't exactly think I'd be in a Cerberus facility either. But...here I am!" Marcus responded with an unusual amount of loathing. He didn't mean it, but he couldn't help it. He wasn't used to conversing with cerberus troops unless it was at gunpoint.

"Fair point. I guess today is full of surprises," The man responded, before firing another burst of fire at the enemy, "I'm Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor by the way and I can help you with any questions you might have. Of course, most of the little details were explained when you first woke up, but we didn't go into detail. I can tell you the specifics, but the rest will have to be explained when we get the hell off this station. Deal?"

Marcus nodded, before suddenly leaping up and summoning a biotic singularity. His biotics were more focused this time and he didn't feel a resurgence of pain when he used them. The mechs were torn from the ground they so happily treaded their mechanical feet on and Marcus emptied SMG bursts into each one of them, finishing them off easily.

Jacob stood up and surveyed the aftermath of the singularity, visibly impressed.

"Leave it to you to make it seem almost casual, commander," Jacob spoke up before quickly turning to Marcus and saluting, "Now to address the questions you wanted answered. What do you need to know?"

Marcus didn't even hesitate in asking the one question that he wanted answered immediately, above all else, "What happened to Tali'Zorah?"

Jacob looked regretful when he answered, "That I can't answer. I'm just a lowly security officer; I'm kept off the loop on those kinda things. You'd have to ask the Illusive Man about that. Afterall, he is going to want to speak to you when we get out of here."

Marcus quickly stepped forward, making sure he was inches from Jacob's face, "Just you remember this; I'm not working for him or Cerberus. I don't care if you brought me back or not; I'm not working for terrorists."

Jacob held his hands up defensively, "Noone's forcing you to do anything commander, we only want you to listen to what we have to say. The Illusive Man didn't bring you back just for the Reapers, you know."

Before Marcus could ask for elaboration on that, Jacob's omni-tool began to beep rapidly and the soldier leant down to activate it. A familiar voice came through it. It was the voice of the male human who had helped resurrect him. Wilson.

"Hello? Hello? Is anyone on this frequency?" Wilson's voice seemed hurried and panicky, while also concealing some kind of pain, "Respond goddammit!"

"This is Jacob. Wilson, is that you? Where the hell are you?" The soldier demanded.

"I'm over in D wing. Some bastard LOKI got me in the leg. I've got mechs closing in on me and I doubt my omni-tool can hold them off for long. Is Miranda with you?" Wilson asked.

Jacob shook his head, "I don't know where she is. But I've got Shepard with me; he's alive and well, and also kicking ass."

Wilson's voice didn't sound as excited at the prospect, "S-Shepard's alive?" gunfire could be heard over the comm and the scientist's voice returned in an instant of panic, "It doesn't matter! Just get down here now and get me out of here! Damn it, they're getting closer!"

"Roger that Wilson," Jacob acknowledged, unholstering his odd looking shotgun, "Stay on this frequency."

Marcus eyed Jacob's weapon oddly, "What shotgun model is that?"

Jacob looked at his shotgun before looking back at Marcus, "What, this old thing? It's an M-22 Eviscerator model. It's not used by the other races because it's manufactured by Cerberus shunkworks; only Cerberus personnel use it. Handy weapon."

Marcus rolled his eyes as he took point, motioning for Jacob to follow. Hopefully the cerberus soldier understood rank enough to know that Marcus was his commanding officer and would follow his lead. From the sound of footsteps behind him, apparently he did. Good, at least that was one thing he liked about Jacob.

They traversed the security wing pretty easily. Apart from a light amount of LOKI mech resistance, they didn't encounter many hostiles and made it to D Wing's server room without missing a beat. The mechs Wilson referred to were looming over the human, raising their weapons to kill him. Before they could, Marcus tossed them aside like ragdolls with his biotics, finishing them off with headshots before approaching Wilson, who lay on the floor, blood oozing from his wound.

"You Wilson?" Marcus asked, watching as Jacob administered medi-gel to the man's wound.

"Well what do you think?" Wilson spat.

Ignoring the backhanded comment, Marcus helped Jacob assist the scientist in standing up, watching as Wilson regained his balance and picked up the predator discarded at his feet.

"Wilson, do you know where Miranda is?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah, over in C Wing. That area is crawling with mechs though, so I very much doubt she's even alive." Wilson replied.

"It'll take more than mechs to stop Miranda," Jacob piped in, "She's alive."

"Yeah? And how do we know she wasn't the one to reprogram the mechs?" Wilson asked.

"Miranda was nowhere near the mech's server rooms when that attack began. She was in her office, over in C Wing, where she is now."

"Okay, maybe she didn't," Wilson said, continuing his conspiracy theories, "What if-"

"Will you shut up," Marcus snapped, causing Wilson and Jacob to snap their attention to him, "I don't trust any of you at the moment so we'll keep it at that. Now let's just get to a shuttle before the mechs decide we're a priority."

The two men nodded, following behind Marcus as they continued to battle their way through the base. Once again, the resistance was extremely light, with only LOKI mechs focusing on them. Any YMIR or FENRIS mechs must have been focusing on the more highly populated regions of the station. Finally, they reached the shuttle bay and Wilson ran for the door, keying the code.

"Well, I guess I don't need you anymore," Wilson piped up, aiming his weapon at Marcus with a triumphant stare, "I've got the shuttle, you've got nothing. I hope you enjoy your mech frie-"

Just as the door opened and Wilson turned to pass through, a predator pistol extended and the barrel touched Wilson's forehead. He stared down the barrel, his triumphant smug grin disappearing as it turned into a look of sheer terror as he looked upon the person holding the weapon.

A shot rang out, echoing through the room as Wilson's body fell to the floor, pistol falling from his grip. Marcus looked at Wilson's body in disgust as Jacob watched the feminine form of Miranda step inside, pistol at her side. Marcus looked up and met Miranda's gaze.

"I guess I don't have to tell you that Wilson was the one who reprogrammed the mechs and tried to kill you?" Miranda asked rhetorically.

"Why did he? He was working with you, wasn't he?" Marcus asked.

"Yes, but Wilson has never been devoted to Cerberus' ideals and goals," Miranda stated, looking over the scientist's dead body, "Now it's obvious. He was a traitor from the beginning. Probably worked for Cerberus just to bring us down but when we began to resurrect you, he took the chance to kill you. That obviously failed."

"Obviously," Marcus repeated, "We should go back and see if there any survivors. They could-" Just as Marcus turned around to save them, Miranda spoke up.

"Commander, I know how you're morals are, but I can assure you, anyone who is not here right now is either dead or trapped and about to die. Everyone here is expendable. They all died for you."

Marcus was about to retort when Jacob came to Miranda's aid.

"Miranda's right," he stated, "Everyone here knew what they signed up for with Lazarus. They were ready to give their lives for the project, for  _you_. They were willing to die."

"And right now we need to leave," Miranda stated, "This shuttle can take us straight to Minuteman Station; it's one of our facilities located in the Quebec Cluster, Irisa System. It's about a day's flight via shuttle from here. The Illusive Man can explain the rest to you there."

Marcus gave a reluctant nod, following the two of them onto the kodiak shuttle. As the hatch closed and he sat down, the shuttle powered up and took off out of the hangar, leaving Lazarus Station behind. Plotting the coordinates, the shuttle entered FTL, heading for Minuteman station. Miranda and Jacob sat opposite of him; remaining quiet.

Marcus took off his helmet and let it sit at his side. Rubbing his face, he began to think of how this meeting with the Illusive Man will go. He wasn't overjoyed to be conversing with what he called a terrorist leader, but if there was something Cerberus was good at, it was information. Using that info, he could find out what happened to his friends and how to link up with them. He might even find Tali.

For now however, he was stuck in a shuttle with two cerberus agents for a whole day. He might as well make the most of it.

**"And that's how you escaped the Lazarus facility? So what happened next?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"You did."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

_**Author's Notes:** _

**Short chapter you say? Well...shuddup I say.**

**Also, Tali is awesome sexiness.**

**Am I high? Possibly.**

**Am I going full retard? Most likely.**

**Am I waiting for a mate? Yep.**


	10. A Run In With Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard forms an uneasy alliance with Cerberus. His investigation on Freedom's Progress has him crossing paths with a former flame. Together, they discover the nature of their new foe.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER NINE:**

**RUN IN WITH FATE**

_August 3, 2185_

_0753 hours._

_Shuttle Bay, Level 10, Minuteman Station, Irisa System._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor._

Marcus sighed as he felt the shuttle come into contact with the station's shuttle bay; they were finally here. During the entire period of time that passed between leaving Lazarus and getting to the other station, Miranda had made sure his memory was intact and in turn, he would interrogate them for answers. All in all, Marcus' memory was perfect and Cerberus' intentions clear; he was brought back to stop the disappearences of human colonies as well as stop the Reapers.

The supersoldier stood up and watched as the kodiak's hatch opened, omitting them onto the deck of Minuteman station. It was much the same as Lazarus, just much more bigger and wider. Where Lazarus had looked like a spire in space, Minuteman had a more semi-circle design to it. It was unique. Minuteman was also much more heavily protected, with a sizable Cerberus fleet on patrol outside. No match for an alliance battlegroup, but still able to put up a fight.

He was greeted by a young woman who orange hair; a ginger, no less. She wore alot of makeup, but not as much Miranda apparently. Her posture reminded him of Jenkins before his death on Eden Prime; full of excitement and curiosity. Her smile seemed genuine, but he wasn't falling for it. She was Cerberus, and he didn't trust her.

"Hello, commander!" The young girl practically squealed, "I'm Yeoman Kelly Chambers! Nice to meet-" The woman had been motioning to shake Marcus' hand, but he had pushed past her, ignoring the woman as he moved towards the comm room, where Miranda had told him the Illusive Man would be waiting.

Just as Jacob passed on the way to the armoury and Miranda to her terminal, Kelly stopped Miranda.

"Is he always that...hostile?" Kelly asked. She was supposed to be the psychologist on Shepard's crew, serving to help the crew if they had any problems they needed dealing with. Due to her degree in social engineering, she had been perfect for the job.

"No," Miranda answered immediately, "I think he's hostile to you because of the uniform you wear. He hates Cerberus."

Without waiting for Kelly's response, Miranda turned back around and headed down to her console.

Marcus hit the haptic interface for the door and watched as it opened fully, omitting him to a flight of stairs leading into a dark room. Moving down them, he ended up in a small, dark room with a circular panel in the floor. Stepping onto it, he watched as he was scanned. It was odd, the sensation felt ticklish but also very smooth. It was then, when he looked up, he realized he wasn't on Minuteman anymore.

He was now in a much wider room, circular in shape but dark all the same. A bright pulsating red star shone brightly into the room, the station orbitting it clearly being very close. And then, he spotted Cerberus' leader; there, sitting in a leather chair facing him with a cigar in hand and whiskey in the other, was the Illusive Man, husk like blue eyes staring at him.

"Teleportation? I didn't think it was possible," Marcus added.

TIM held down a chuckle, "Not teleporation, no. You're still on Minuteman Station, you're just being projected via hologram. My one is a smaller model, and therefore I can only see you. However, your one is more advanced and therefore projects a hologram of not just me, but the entire room. I can't blame you for thinking you teleported. Quantum Entanglement can be very...convincing."

"I thought we'd be meeting face to face," Marcus stated, crossing his arms.

"I had to take precautions. The people at Cerberus are all too aware of your prejudice against us, even if it is mildly misguided," TIM stated, taking a puff from his cigarette, "But I assure you that Cerberus is the least of your problems right now. We both know who is the real threat."

Marcus knew what he meant without even thinking, "The Reapers. Glad to see someone listened."

TIM nodded, "Good to see your memory is up to scratch, and unlike the rest of the galaxy, Cerberus isn't weakened by political stop signs; we operate and do things the better way. How are you feeling?"

Marcus rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Stop trying to make me feel like I'm at home, because I'm damn well ain't. And if you think acting all friendly will get me to join Cerberus, you're sadly mistaken. I'll never join the likes of you."

"Although I believe your hatred of us is misguided in some terms," TIM started, taking a sip of his drink, "I would never force you to join us. That isn't my intention at all. I merely brought you back to keep doing what you do best; fighting Reapers, and right now, the threat they pose is greater than ever. I'm sure you're aware of the disappearence of our colonies in the Terminus and Traverse?"

Marcus nodded, "And that it's progressively getting worse. Miranda informed me after my wake up call."

TIM nodded, "Then you'll know that it's highly likely this is connected to the Reapers. These attacks commenced just after the destruction of the Normandy and your death, so we believe these abductions and your death are somehow connected. I've had my best agents look at the data but with one of them a dead traitor and the others unable to find anything conclusive, it's been nothing but deadends."

"What about my old team? What happened to them?" Marcus asked.

"Ah yes, I thought you might be curious about that so I've had my various sources scrounge up what they could," TIM informed him, "Urdnot Wrex, as you know, is currently on Tuchanka. For the past two years, he has been uniting the krogan clans and from what we've heard, he's been largely successful. Kaidan Alenko had many repostings and we've found it currently impossible to track down his current whereabouts. All we know is that he still serves the Alliance and is on colonial posting."

"Garrus Vakarian tried to become a spectre and continue in your legacy, but from what I've heard he was rejected. Afterwards, he left the Citadel and, like Alenko, we've been unable to track him down. Liara T'Soni is currently on Illium, but what she does there is an unknown. Apparently all the agents I've sent to gather more info have mysteriously vanished. Your mother is still in the alliance and is still commanding the Orizaba..."

"And Tali? What about Tali?" Marcus asked.

"Ah yes, Miss Zorah," TIM said with very well hidden disdain, "Your quarian friend left the Citadel shortly after your death and returned to the fleet to complete her pilgrimage. We haven't been able to figure out what happened to her since. So, far now, you're girlfriend is currently out of reach."

Marcus was infuriated by that.  _How the hell does he know about my relationship with her?_ "How the hell do you know about that? Have you been keeping tabs on me?"

TIM shook his head, "Information is business commander and the Shadow Broker pays handsomely. I had to know how you'd react to entering a new world and I must say, I didn't expect the quarian. Still, it'd be best if you don't try to contact her."

"And why the hell wouldn't I?" Marcus demanded.

"Because it's in your best interests," TIM answered cryptically before elaborating, "It has been two years since you died, commander. Your quarian has most likely moved on with her life. Now tell me, just what is the point of reopening old, healed wounds? What if she has found a new man to be with? What would be the consequences of you interfering with her new life?"

Marcus was about to say he had no right to decide that, that he had no idea what Tali was like. But as much as he hated to admit, the Illusive Man was right. Tali had probably found someone else to be with and as much as he loathed the thought, there was no point in contacting her to say he was alright. What would be her response? She would probably hate him for disappearing for two years and then contacting her. Besides, why would she believe the story of resurrection? Hell, she could think he's some Cerberus impostor.

"I guess you're right," Marcus admitted, feeling defeated, "But what now?"

"Right, straight to business. I like that," TIM stated, "Go to Freedom's Progress. It's a colony that's just recently disappeared, round about a day ago. Take Jacob and Miranda down to the surface and find out what happened before the Alliance show up to claim the area. If you find any clues as to what did this, then we may be able to find out who's doing this and stop them."

"I've only just woken up and already you're giving me orders?" Marcus declared, his posture straightening.

"Not orders, direction. Guidance," TIM countered, "I'm simply giving you a suggestion as to where to start. The rest is up to you. If you find what you need there, then you can be on your merry way. However, if you do find the resources Cerberus has to offer useful, then do come back to us. Cerberus is not the enemy here Shepard; we want the Reapers stopped just as much as you do."

"It's not the side you choose that I hate, it's the morals," Marcus responded.

"Cerberus is for the betterment of humanity Shepard, but we are not racists," TIM declared, "What we do here is for mankind's benefit, but if a few aliens get killed to pursue that goal, so be it."

"And that's exactly the kind of attitude I've come to dispise," Marcus added, "I'll go to Freedom's Progress and I'll find out what happened to them. And I will bring the evidence you need."

With that, Marcus ended the call, turning to leave.

**{Loading...}**

_August 4, 2185_

_1300 hours._

_Town Center, Main Plaza, Little Rock, Freedom's Progress._

_Colonel Tali'Zorah vas Neema, First Lieutenant Prazza'Sal vas Idenna._

Tali looked outside the shuttle window to see that they were descending rapidly into the town's central area and she readied her shotgun. Signalling the rest of Prazza's squad to follow. The pilot had long taken over piloting the shuttle, as the flight had taken two days, so it allowed her time to think. Now they were about to land on Freedom's Progress, and she was about to ready to leap out and tackle whatever wanted to kill her.

She felt the shuttle vibrate as it came into contact with the ground, the vehicle ceasing all movement as the engines disengaged and the landing thrusters deactivated. With the engines locked, the hatch opened and the marine platoon spread out, one by one, securing the area quick and easy. Prazza lead them while Tali acted as overseer with her shotgun scouring the area for hostiles. The team's sniper reported nothing.

And that was just it; there was nothing, not even a sound. Apart from her platoon, the colony was totally devoid of life; not a single lifeform to be seen. What made less sense was that there was no signs of any struggle or battle. Whoever had taken everyone had done it before any defense could be done and that was just downright impossible. What kind of enemy could take an entire colony without any retaliation whatsoever? Hell, the only sound to be heard was a humming terminal nearby and the sound of quarian feet scuttling around the place.

"Ma'am, I don't like this. There isn't a single human lifeform in this area. I've checked," one of the marines stated, "But I am picking up the IFFs of numerous defense mechs as well as one quarian lifesign boxed up in a bunker just a klick ahead of our location. I believe it's in the city's assembly area, just across from the cargo port and seperated by a blast door."

Tali nodded, "Then that's where we go, but I don't trust this place. Whatever came here to take these colonists has considerable technology at their disposal and that could involve motion jammers to disguise their IFFs. We'll split up into three teams; Hotel, Kilo and Sierra."

"Prazza," She began, turning to the lieutenant, "You take Kilo team; that's Pol, Li, Gyu, Ora and Tipil. Circle around the left and cut through the houses. Usil, you take Hotel; that's Ketev, Usak, Setlv, Notari, Ashra and Mgar. Same as Prazza, but take the right. I'll take Sierra team with Devo, Myr, Xwa, Leewee and Yhj. We'll push through the center. We'll all link up at the mayor's office. Do a sweep; clean the area of hostiles. Good luck. The rest of you stay with the shuttle and defend it."

With that, they all moved out, Prazza without objection. Leading Sierra team, Tali lowered her shotgun and hit the haptic interface of the nearest bunker, motioning for her team to follow before closing the door behind her. Slowly, and steadily, they moved forward, checking every nook and cranny. It wasn't long before Hotel team reported that the mechs were hostile; reprogrammed by Veetor to attack anyone trying to get him. Obviously whoever attacked the colony had really spooked him out.

Luckily, the only mechs they found as an issue were a few LOKI and FENRIS mechs. FENRIS charges were a pain, but they were easily dealt with by the team's techs, so therefore she didn't think much of it. The more mechs her team plowed through, the closer they go to Veetor. Within two minutes, they would arrive at the mayor's office and the platoon would push forward and into the assembly area. They would evac Veetor and all would be fine.

At least she hoped it was that easy.

**{Loading...}**

_August 4, 2185_

_1309 hours._

_Main Atmosphere, Little Rock, Freedom's Progress._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor._

"ETA to Freedom's Progress two minutes." The shuttle's VI reported.

Marcus' examination of his face in the shuttle's window reflection ceased at the VI's announcement and he put his helmet on. Apparently Cerberus had done an excellent job at fixing him up and he no longer looked like a fleshy geth. Apart from the few scars that glowed a dull orange on his face, he was exactly as he was before. Hopefully the scars would fix themselves up as well.

"When we land, what do you plan to do, sir?" Jacob asked, sticking to formality. Marcus hadn't been too happy about Miranda, as she had the tendency to have a superiority complex and therefore thought she was right all the time. She also never wore armor into combat, as she was dropping in with just her catsuit. He'd have to fix that. Jacob at least wore armor and sticked to formality; something he liked. Jacob had been an ex-Corsair; the alliance's version of spectres just with more regulations. He then got the attention of TIM and here he was; working for Cerberus.

"Obviously, due to the nature of the attacks, looking for survivors is pointless," Marcus stated, leaning forward in his seat, "So we should stick right to finding out just what attacked the colony and how best to prevent it from happening ever again. We'll spread out, cover as much ground as possible, then meet up at the mayor's office. Once there, we'll compare our findings and return to Minuteman. Hopefully we'll find out who's doing this."

Miranda simply nodded while Jacob gave a stern 'aye, aye sir' to accompany his acknowledgement. It wasn't long before the shuttle finally touched down on one of the colony's landing platforms, the shuttle's engines deactivating and landing thrusters shutting off. The hatch popped open and they stepped out into the cold, empty night filled colony.

He had been provided with what he wanted; a basic M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle, a M-3 Predator Pistol, his newfound favourite; a M-4 Shuriken and a M-22 Eviscerator shotgun. He clearly didn't like wielding the cerberus crafted weapon, but he had been told that it was a efficient model and decided to go with it for now. Besides, after this he'd probably go back to the alliance and get a proper weapon, depending on what they had.

During some talk on the shuttle, he found that Jacob was proficient with pistols and shotguns, much like Tali, and that Miranda preferred SMGs and pistols. Although Miranda had a better model of SMG than his; as hers was a M-9 Tempest, he still carried a Shuriken, as apparently they had a surprise for him later on where he would get access to get better tech, but that depended on his decision to leave or stay.

Without hesitation, took position on the left side of the door, motioning for Miranda to take the opposite side of him and Jacob to hit the door's interface. He had to give it to them; they at least knew military precision, moving and executing his orders quickly and rapidly. Jacob hit the door and they rushed inside, Marcus taking point with his avenger levelled. Not a hostile to be seen. What was worse was the ever present smell of fresh food and drinks, left untouched.  _What enemy possesses such power?_

No blood stains, no broken dishes, no scorch marks or bullet holes and no spent thermal clips. Not a single sign of battle or a struggle. Quickly, they moved outside to see if there was anything evidence there and once again, found nothing but the quiet sound of the breeze and the ever empty balconies and streets.

Just as he stepped outside, an SMG burst pinged off the wall followed by another. Spinning to his left, he let out an irritated groan as he saw six LOKI mechs round the corner, immediately opening fire on them, followed by two FENRIS mechs that were content with bullrushing their position, but were met by Jacob's twin shotgun rounds entering their blood red optics.

"These mechs shouldn't be attacking us," Miranda pointed out, taking apart a nearby LOKI with her SMG before ripping apart another with her biotics, "They're programmed to recognize humans as friendlies. Someone, like on Lazarus, must have reprogrammed them."

Marcus hit an epiphany, "Which must mean someone is still alive around here. We may have discovered the best evidence yet; a witness!"

Miranda shook her head as Jacob took down the final mech, "But what if...whatever attacked this colony, were the ones to reprogram them? What if they just did it to slow us down or have a little extra fun?"

"There isn't much logic behind that, Miranda," Jacob spoke up, "What would be the point in that? They've already cleansened all evidence, what would be the point of reprogramming the mechs to attack whatever came here? It makes no sense. Shepard is right; someone is here and we have to find them."

Marcus nodded, "Which is why we'll go with the original plan; split up. If you find the survivor, bring them to the mayor's office and we'll link up there." Nodding, Jacob leapt over the bridge they were on and onto the street just a few feet below. Before he could be noticed, he disappeared into the shadows. Miranda quickly retraced their steps into the bunker, but taking an alternate route while Marcus continued to push forward and towards the mayor's office. For all they knew, the survivor could be the mayor herself.

The cold night air brushed against his armor as he moved forward. Apparently there was some aerial defense drones as well; flying adversaries that were similiar to geth assault drones he had encountered in the past, but just as dumb as the mechs and without the offensive firepower that it's geth counterpart had. The drones had armor like tissue paper, so they fell like flies. He was beginning to think more and more as to why these mechs were even developed. They were about as useful as a soldier without arms. Cannon fodder at best.

Another squad of mechs and a flight of drones later, he reached the mayor's office. In case he startled the person into thinking he was hostile, he silently crept up to the side of the door, readying himself to hit the door's interface and open it. Just as he did, he heard voices. Synthesized voices, low but clear. It was clear the survivor was in here but he knew something else; he'd have to add a plural to that. There wasn't just one survivor; there were multiple. There was definitely a conversation going on in there and from what he heard, the communications were jammed, so it couldn't be a offworldly source.

Raising his rifle and bracing it against his shoulder, he set it to stun rounds; the survivors had been through what was likely to have been a traumatic experience and he might have to stun them if they were delirious. With a inhale of breath and the cold night to support him, he palmed the interface and charged, crouching on the floor as he sat there with his weapon raised.

What he saw was definitely not what he expected. Instead of the human survivors he thought he'd encounter, delirious and mumbling in fright, he saw an entire platoon of suited aliens, their opaque visors hiding their faces while giving away their bright eyes, their skintight suits portraying numerous features. Hearing the door open, they all turned around to see him, immediately raising their weapons to take aim on the lone human; a mass of rifles, SMGs and shotguns turning to face him as he crouched their confused. Soldiers, but not human soldiers.

_Quarians? What in the world are quarians doing here?_

Before he could say or do anything, the quarian that looked like the platoon leader or sergeant; visibly male by his height and apparent build, immediately yelled at the human, "It's one of the Cerberus scumbags who landed here! I saw their shuttle! Kill him! Shoot him now!"

Marcus had no idea what to do. And he knew people hated Cerberus, but the hatred he was seeing, burning in their physical features, looked personal, like they wanted to rip him limb from limb, and that was hatred for the organization even he couldn't conjure.  _Just what did Cerberus do to the quarians to garner so much hatred? It must be recent; Tali had no idea what Cerberus was when I first met her._

Just as they were about to fire, he stood up and dropped his weapon, "Stop! I'm not Cerberus! I don't want to harm you! I'm friendly!" He realized just how futile this attempt was. The quarians weren't going to back down and he didn't have much evidence in his favor; no alliance shuttles had landed.

"He's wearing N7 armor, maybe he's telling the truth," One marine spoke up.

The male didn't look happy at that, "Bullshit! Cerberus probably stole it! They are humans, are they not? The primate scum probably had it stolen! Just kill him!"

Before they could however, a loud, authoritive but feminine voice rose up above the yelling and the marines ceased all movement. The voice was familiar, he would recognize it from anywhere. But it couldn't be. Not here, not now. Not after all this time. The coincidence was just too much.

A female quarian pushed through the crowd, not the quarian he expected. "Stop! Hold your fire!" She then turned to Marcus, her eyes piercing his. If this was Tali, as he expected, then her suit had changed significantly. And the authority in her voice; did she command this platoon? He had to keep the smile from creeping upon his face; Tali had matured, that much was certain. Before he could continue his musing, the quarian spoke.

"You, human. T-tha-that voice. I-I rememb-speak again," The quarian ordered, raising her pistol, "Speak now or so help me I will fire!"

There was only one word he could say right now. Only one word. Only one question he could spit out, "Tali?"

The quarian's body went limp. She seemed to lower her weapon slightly, her posture weakening. He saw the sadness in her posture, the reaction she had to hearing her name. Yes, this was definitely Tali. It had to be. She had changed, but this was definitely the Tali he knew and cared about all those years ago.

Miranda and Jacob quickly entered the room and raised their weapons at seeing the quarians. Before they could fully raise them, Marcus raised his hand and ordered his team not to fire and to lower their weapons. They objected at first, but when Marcus turned around and gave them a glare strong enough to melt through a reaper's armor, they did what he said and dropped their weapons.

He turned around, only to see the male from before laugh humorlessly, "Not Cerberus. Yeah, and he thought we were just stupid suit-rats."

"How do you know my name?" Tali demanded, raising her pistol once more. He wasn't used to being at gunpoint with the woman he loved, but he needed to take this carefully. Two years was a long time to be dead.

"It's me Tali-" He tried to reason.

"Stop saying my name! I am Miss Zorah or Colonel Zorah to you, Cerberus bosh'tet!" Tali growled, her marines also raising their weapons. Marcus was surprised at the rank she mentioned.  _Tali, my Tali, is a Colonel? Damn, she's done good while I was gone. At least all my teachings on leadership didn't go out the window._

Taking this slow, he tried to reason with her, "It's me, Colonel. I am Commander Shepard. I came back."

" _ **You lie!**_ " Tali hissed, " _ **You're nothing but a Cerberus copy! A clone! An impostor! How dare you disgrace the man I loved with your very existence! I will end you! You don't deserve the armor you wear!**_ " Tali's voice was full of distress and denial and he wanted nothing but to hug her and tell her it would be alright. But doing that would probably end with a shotgun hole in his face so he took things slower. He then realized the one thing that prove his existence as Marcus Shepard. The one thing Tali would remember.

"Remember that geth data I gave you Tali?" He said, using her real name, uncaring of the consequences, "Did it help you complete your pilgrimage?"

Tali's posture weakened once again and she ordered her men to lower their weapons before turning back to Marcus. She slowly approached but stopped a meter away from him, gaining control of herself.

"How do I know they didn't implant that memory inside of you?" Tali asked, choking up as he could hear it in her voice. He could visualize the tears forming in her eyes; the tears of happiness and of hope.

"Okay, how about one they can't imprint," Marcus stated, "Remember that day where we went to the models shop? And then we went into an alley way and we finally fixed our relationship? How we...admitted the feelings we had for each other?"

Tali stood still for but a moment. She then broke her trance and stepped forward, lifting her hand to the side of his face. He felt her fingers stroke his cheek, as if touch alone would confirm his identity. He didn't care; he sighed contently at her touch, not wanting her to let go and apparently she reciprocated the feeling. Suddenly however, she stopped and moved back, realizing that they were in an occupied room.

That was about to change, "Prazza, take your men and wait outside."

The man Marcus now recognized as Prazza was quick to object, " _Ma'am_ , we don't have time for this. We need to get to Veet-"

Tali spun around to face him in an instant, "Take your men and get out!  _ **Now.**_ " The last word that came out of her vocalizer was like ice; if Tali could breathe it, the room would be frozen right now. Prazza, reluctantly, signalled his men to leave, following behind them, growling as he did. As he stepped outside, the door closed behind him.

Tali's eyes turned to him and glanced between his team and himself. He got what she meant. He turned around, "Both of you wait outside. We need some time."

"But commander-" Miranda began to object. It looked like Marcus had his own Prazza to deal with.

"Miranda, learn to follow orders and get outside."

For a second, it looked like Jacob and Miranda wouldn't leave, but eventually Jacob just left, door closing behind him. Miranda rolled her eyes.

"I swear to god Miranda," Marcus growled, "If you don't get the fuck outside right now, I'll make sure your returned piece by piece to the Illusive Man's front door."

Miranda didn't even flinch at his threat; possibly being used to them. Go figure. With a final grimace, she left. Even Tali had felt the iron in Marcus' voice; one she hadn't heard before. It was cold and ruthless, but that all evaporated when he turned to face her again, warmth in his eyes. She immediately relaxed her tense posture, holstering her pistol.  _How does he do that? Can he possess people or something?_

"Marcus?" Tali asked, finally saying his name rhetorically. It felt alien on her tongue after so long.

"It's me Tali," Marcus smiled and laughed, taking the quarian up in an embrace, "It's definitely me."

After about a second, Tali returned the embrace and both of them broke it when they felt content enough. Marcus noticed that it had been two years and their relationship would be a bit shaky; so he avoided kissing her on the visor like he had done all those years ago. He couldn't just launch their relationship from it had been before; it would take time to rebuild. But at least he had Tali back; or so he hoped.

The words that came next were pretty sudden, "Tali...are you seeing anyone else?"

Tali chuckled and broke away from him, doubling over. Marcus found himself smiling at that; so he just waited for her to finish her laughing fit. He was pretty sure the answer was clear just by her response.

When she was finished, she regained her composure and stood up, "Two years? Two bloody years and that's the first question you ask me?" Before Marcus even knew what was going on, Tali's hand met his cheek in an instance of speed, sending him reeling back in pain. When he looked back, Tali was a meter away.

"Two years, Marcus! Where the hell were you this entire time!? Why didn't you contact me? Didn't you care enough to at least let me know you were alive!? I thought you were dead! All this time, you let me grieve!"

Marcus regained his own posture, "I was  _dead_  Tali,  _dead._ Those entire two years, I was just a corpse on an operating table."

Tali shook her head, "Impossible. You're ly-"

He grabbed Tali's arms and shook her, "I'm not lying! You have to trust me when I say I've been dead these two years! Cerberus brought me back; they gave me my life back! I only just woke up a couple of days ago!"

Realizing how he was holding the quarian, he let go and moved back, clearing his throat. Tali had been mortified by how he had manhandled her, but she saw past that for her harsh reasoning. Marcus had tried to defend himself and she had lost faith in him. She immediately felt ashamed of herself.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean- I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

"It's okay," Marcus reassured her, rubbing the quarian's left arm tenderly, "You couldn't have known. Maybe when this is over you can tell me about what I've missed out on. For now, I've got some leads to chase up. What are you doing here anyway? You didn't kidnap the colonists did you?" The last one was a tease, a lopsided grin creasing his features.

Tali lightly pushed him back, noticing his grin, "No, we didn't take your colonists, so you can rest easy tonight," The quarian retorted, "No, my platoon, or  _Prazza's_ platoon, is here under my command to rescue a quarian named Veetor. He chose to do his pilgrimage here as he finds humans comforting to be around rather than...say...the other Council races."

Marcus nodded, picking up his avenger as he did, "It would appear we have similiar goals then. At first we thought the reprogrammed mechs were the job of a surviving colonist, but if Veetor is anything like you, then it's likely he was the one to reprogram the mechs and may have seen what abducted the colonists; so I think we should team up to rescue him."

"I don't trust your squad, no offense, but they're Cerberus," Tali said the organization's name like it was poison; wanting nothing more but to throw it away.

Marcus raised a brow, "The galaxy hates Cerberus but your people seem to genuinely want to wipe them off the map. You're going to have to explain that one to me."

Tali shook her head, turning away, "Later. For now, we need to get to Veetor and rescue him. I trust you to make sure your squad don't do anything rash."

"You know me, Tali," Marcus started, grinning as he winked, "I'll keep 'em in line. Just make sure that Prazza guy doesn't shoot me in the back. He seems intent on murdering me."

Tali nodded and he was sure he could see a smile in her eyes, "I'll have your back, Marcus. Don't you worry about that," she then extended her shotgun, "So let's go kick some mech ass. Not exactly like old times but...it's close enough."

Marcus smiled, keying his omni-tool. Seconds later, Miranda and Jacob took positions behind him, weapons out and ready. Just as he was about to head outside with Tali, her voice from behind him stopped him.

"And Marcus?"

The man stopped for a moment, turning around and smiling warmly as he did, "Yes?"

"It's good to have you back. I mean, it's  _really_ good."

He chuckled, continuing his trek outside with his friend at his side, "It's great to be back."

Tali moved up to take point, needing to make sure her team would not open fire on her new found allies. As the door opened however and they looked outside, it looked quickly apparent that Prazza and his platoon had gone up ahead without orders.

Tali fumed as she hit the wall with the butt of her shotgun, "Idiotic bosh'tet! He's never trusted my orders and now he's run off with my ancestors forsaken platoon! Can you believe that? My entire unit; turned against me! Morons!  _Ta'zit!_ "

Marcus put a hand on her shoulder as if to comfort her but both of them stopped as gunshots were heard in the distance. The group turned towards the source of the sound and heard an explosion followed by a scream. A very quarian sounding scream.

"Keelah. Marcus, we have to save them!" Tali stated, running up ahead before he could respond. Nodding, he followed after her and out of necessity, his squad followed, weapons in tow. They were forced to fight through numerous LOKI and FENRIS mechs once again but like before, it wasn't anything they couldn't handle.

Finally, they reached the cargo port where a large blast door lay wide open. Gunfire streaked through the doorway and into the open area, the quarian platoon currently in combat with mechanized forces. But from the sound of it, they weren't winning. Marcus motioned Tali to take cover behind the door's side along with his squad while he scoped out the situation. When he turned the corner, he saw just what was causing the quarians such hassle.

The bunker in which Veetor was situated in was seperated by a courtyard of sorts which served as the colony's assembly. In the middle of that assembly was the source of the platoon's predicament; a YMIR mech, and it had the element of surprise and heavy firepower at it's disposal. He watched on in horror as three quarian marines tried to retreat, but were gunned down by the mech's HMG. It trapped one surviving female marine under it's feet, reducing her head into tiny bits of unidentifiable flesh and blood.

Looking across, he saw the platoon was decimated. Only a few quarians had survived, and two of them were injured, with the third trying to apply medi-gel to their gruesome wounds. Two more marines tried to reach their position in the opposite bunker, but were caught in the explosion of one the YMIR's rockets. Looking across, Marcus found what was left of Prazza's body; just mangled bones and flesh. That mech had to be stopped.

"Tali, in a second I'm about to do something stupid and I want you to get to the bunker of there and see to those marines; keep them safe. Miranda, Jacob, riddle that thing's shields. Bring them down as much as you can."

Before he could charge out, Tali had his arms, "Whatever you're about to do just...be careful." By the look of her posture, she was worried.

"I can't promise that. I can promise I'll be back with seventy percent of my body intact though." With that stupid grin of his, he charged out, firing his assault rifle directly at the mech's midsection. The YMIR took immediate attention to this, seeing that the one hundred pounds of human in medium body armor was a more immediate threat than helpless quarian marines.

He watched Tali on his motion tracker make a beeline for the bunker. He watched as one of her overload's hit the mech, but before it could attack her, he fired again, regaining it's attention. Miranda and Jacob flanked from both sides, pouring fire from their SMGs and pistols into the mech. Too slow and too dumb to counterattack both of them, it stopped all locomotion and focused soley on Marcus. Too late.

The N7 soldier managed to close the distance between him and the mech much faster than he had predicted. Within seconds he was sliding under it's legs and was directly behind it. Not programmed to enact melee retaliations, the mech just stood there as he leapt onto it's back, the soldier rendering all the mech's heavy weaponry and shielding moot. What had once been a hellstorm of fury was now reduced to a helpless inanimate object.

Reaching into one of his pouches, he pulled out a fragmentation grenade and found the design to be different, but the trigger was the same. Priming it, he thrusted it into the mech's optics, shattering the glass protecting it and wedging it inside. Leaping off the juggernaut, he ran back and watched as the YMIR turned around to attack. Before it could move even 140 degrees, it's head exploded, causing the mech to topple over, destroyed.

Miranda and Jacob nodded to him as he passed, the soldier entering the bunker in which the quarians were stationed. Tali was kneeling down next to one of the young quarians, her head hung low as she checked his injuries. Noticing his presence, she looked up at him, "Go ahead and get Veetor. I'll join you in a minute; I just need to tend to these wounds. Did you find Prazza?"

Marcus nodded solemnly, "What's left of him, yeah."

Tali sighed, "He always was an insufferable bosh'tet, but I can't say I'm pleased he's dead. It doesn't matter now. Just get to Veetor and find out what happened to this colony. He's bound to know. I just hope it was all worth it."

Nodding, he ordered Miranda and Jacob to follow him into Veetor's bunker and free the quarian. Entering the room, they were prepared for a jibbering, terrified quarian holding a pistol and attempting to defend himself. Instead, they found him sitting at the bunker's control station, back to them as he accessed numerous systems, reprogramming the colony's defenses to his will and monitoring other areas. Multiple screens stood infront of him.

Lowering his rifle, he holstered it and motioned for Miranda and Jacob to do the same. Unarmed, he approached the seated quarian, standing less than three meters away from him.

"Veetor? It's safe now. They're gone."

Veetor's voice was hurried and panicy, "Monsters gone now. But they'll be back. To finish the job. Never leave job finished. Too much collateral damage. Not safe. Have to hide. Come back for me."

"Veetor? Really, we're here to help." Marcus pleaded with the quarian, but it was obvious that Veetor either wasn't listening or was too deep in his own fear to hear them. He was about to walk up and stop the quarian, but saw the screens turn off, one by one, leaving them with glowing triangles with statement marks in them, covered in static. The quarian stopped typing, turning towards them.

Marcus turned to see who did it and found Tali striding into the room, holding up her omni-tool. Nodding to him, she deactivated her omni-tool and stood there, motioning for Marcus to continue. He smiled. She trusted him to deal with the situation. Turning back to Veetor, he kept up his smile.

It was Veetor who spoke first, "You...survived? But how did you-they didn't take you? But they take everyone. The swarms are very thorough. Monsters too good at work. Noone escapes. How did you survive?"

Marcus eyed his cohorts with a worried look before turning back to Veetor, "Monsters? Swarms? Who did this Veetor? Who took the colonists?"

Veetor shook his head, "You didn't see them. You not survivors. You saviors, alliance maybe. I also see fellow fleet-sister among your group. The monsters and swarms take them all; every last one. No time to retaliate. No time to fight back. You want answers; I will show you them." With that, Veetor raised his omni-tool typed in a few more commands, the screens flickering back on, but showing footage from the surviellance cameras, all in different areas. The time was stamped August 2.

They watched the screens as an immense swarm of bug-like creatures swarmed over the colony, attacking the colonists. They fled, but stopped in their motion, as if frozen in ice. An unusual current of energy encased their bodies, immobilizing them. The bugs, or 'swarms' as Veetor referred to them, swamped the colony and froze everyone in a matter of a minute. That explains the lack of battle signs.

Then the swarms retreated and in came their enemy. They were humanoid, that much was certain. They had three fingers and, like the swarms, held a bug-like appearence, even giving off clicking noises, communicating with their allies. Their heads were twisted and oddly shaped, with four eyes vertically aligned. He remembered seeing them from somewhere, but he couldn't place where. They moved around, carrying small pods and placing the colonists in them, before sprouting wings like those of a fly and taking them up to what looked like an enormous dreadnought. He immediately recognized it as the one he saw two years ago. The one that destroyed the Normandy.  _So they are connected. But who are they?_

In the middle of the group was one that stood out; it was the same as the others, but was alight with acidic fire, scorched marks like cracks all over the body, eyes glowing with hate filled intent. It directed the others with intimidation and strength, it's voice low and strong, filled with dread. This was obviously the leader, or at least one of it's lieutenants.

It didn't take long before Miranda to speak up, apparently recognizing them, "My god...that's..."

Marcus looked at her, as if expecting answer, but got it from Tali.

"Collectors. They're collectors." Tali declared.

Marcus raised his eyebrows at them, Veetor apparently falling back into his chair and muttering to himself, "Collectors? What the hell are Collectors?" He looked to Tali for answers.

"They're an advanced race that are believed to live beyond the infamous Omega 4 Relay; the point of no return," Tali explained, "They occassionally pop up out of nowhere to exchange their advanced technology with people for specimens; and when I say specimens, I mean 'living' people. A traitor of my people named Golo had gotten himself exiled for trying to hand over twenty-four 'pure' quarians over to them. That was before Cerberus allied with him." Tali then shot a glare over at Miranda, to which the woman pretended not to notice.

"So basically they're mysterious and noone knows where they live?" Marcus finished.

"Well if evidence is anything to go by, it's fully possible they live beyond the Omega 4 Relay," Miranda stated, "We can't prove it because apparently the collectors have the relay rigged to only allow them passage. Anyone else who use it is either destroyed, sent into oblivion, vaporized, sent somewhere else, erased, we don't know."

"All we know is that any ship that goes through it, never returns." Tali concluded.

"Great, an enemy we barely know anything about," Marcus stated, "At least with the geth we knew their basic history. I've never even heard of Collectors before."

"Not surprising. They aren't all that famous; they only pop up every once and a while and are gone before you can say 'oh look, a collector'. They leave no finanical trace or a twig of their existence. Once they get what they want, there's rumors that they just kill the people after dealing with them. Better to do that then hand over their technology to some mercenary with money."

"But now they're abducting your colonies," Tali piped up, "Collectors have never conducted such abductions on such large scale before. Usually there's an exchange, but they're just taking the colonies. Whatever purpose they have in store of your captured colonists, I don't think it's good Marcus."

"Me neither," Marcus admitted, "Veetor, anything else you can tell us?"

The quarian shook his head, happy to be included again, "No words. Data on omni-tool."

Miranda nodded, "Good. Let's grab the quarian and call the Illusive Man for extraction."

Tali immediatly stepped in, standing to Marcus' side, "What!? Look at him!" She pointed at the terrified quarian, "He's sick and scared! What he needs is his parents and medical attention, not an interrogation! I won't let you Cerberus scum touch him! I'll kill you first!"

Jacob immediately stepped in, "We only want to ask him a few questions. He'll be retur-"

"What, like the Idenna!?" Tali spat, causing Jacob to back away, "I won't let...murderers take a kid of his age off to an interrogation room. No, he's coming with me."

That caught Marcus right away.  _Idenna. Murder. So Cerberus has done something to the quarians that involves murder and a ship called the Idenna? Well, that solves that then._

"Miss, we must insist on-" Miranda began, but was cut off by Marcus.

"There is no 'we', Miss Lawson," Marcus declared, "Veetor goes with Tali. He can give us his omni-tool data and we'll let him go back to the fleet."

Miranda wasn't about to give in though, "Commander, you can't let personal feelings-"

"Miranda, learn to shut it," Marcus snapped, "I don't know if the Illusive Man is okay with second-guessing or backchat, but I certainly won't tolerate it. You either follow my orders or you can take the next Alliance scout ship back home, but I run this camp and I've made my decision. Veetor goes with Tali. You want to argue this more, then I'm sure Tali would be more than happy to talk. Now shut it."

Tali grinned behind her mask at the sight of the annoyed look on Miranda's face, but the Cerberus woman didn't even respond, just motioning for Jacob to follow her outside, door closing.

"I'm glad you're still tugging the strings, Marcus," Tali said.

He chuckled, "You've mucked up the expression. It's  _pulling_ the strings, not  _tugging_ the strings."

Tali couldn't help but smile as she nudged him, "Shut up. I'm out of practise. I'll get the hang of it eventually."

With a sigh, he asked the big question that had been on his mind the entire time, "Tali, I could really use people I could trust on the mission I'm sure to embark on. The Collectors need to be stopped, and I need my friends on side, including you. Will you join me?"

Tali felt her head droop as she began fiddling with her fingers at her waist. She got control of herself before it got out of control however and then turned to her right, motioning to Veetor.

"Veetor, why don't you go wait outside. Ask for Myr; he'll take you back to the shuttle. And stay away from those Cerberus bosh'tets."

Veetor nodded, limping past her, apparently having an injury. As the door closed behind him, it left them both alone in the room. Finally, with a sigh from both parties, Tali turned to Marcus and his smile dropped. Her posture didn't look good; it radiated something else; regret? Sadness?

"I can't," Tali deadpanned.

Marcus was disappointed, but he didn't demand answers. He knew she had her reasons. Besides, he had been gone for two years, said hello and asked her to join him again. She had the right to reject or at the very least hesitate to in joining him.

"Why not?" Marcus felt the question roll off his lips. No anger consided in his words, only sadness.

"Marcus, believe me when I say this; I'd  _love_ to join you. I'd be more than willing to toss my life aside to join you. Ancestors know how much I want to. But it's not that simple. You've been gone two years; I have obligations to my people. There's a mission I must complete; it's due to happen within the month. I'd be willing to have someone else lead the mission, but it's just too dangerous for anyone else to do; I can't risk someone else dying, doing a task I should have done. No, I need to do this. For my people. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Marcus immediately said, closing the distance between them but not wrapping his arms around her, "I understand. I do. I can't just waltz in and pretend everything was fine Tali; it never will be the same again. But what about us? What will happen to us? I need to know Tali; did you find someone else?"

Tali immediately shook her head and wrapped her arms around him, "Of course not! I spent a whole year mourning and the next leading military expeditions. I didn't have time for love. Even if I did, noone caught my interest. There is one man who is still gunning for me, but he doesn't have a chance. Besides, you're back, so I think his chances of tagging me are 'nill now."

He smiled as he hugged her back, but quickly seperated when he remembered the mission she mentioned, "So this...mission, you must embark on...how dangerous is it?"

"It's in geth space, deep inside the Far Rim," Tali admitted, "That should tell you."

Marcus' eyes widened with horror, "The Far Rim!? Tali, that's suicide! The geth will kill you!"

Tali nodded, "Which is why I alone must lead it. It's too dangerous and important for anyone else to do. If I survive that, then I'll join you in a heartbeat."

"You know damn well that the odds of that are slim as fuck," Marcus stated firmly, "Even for you."

Tali smiled, "I know," She gently stroked his cheek, three-fingers gliding across his skin like silk. The feeling was bliss, "I just...I'm sorry."

"No, sorry isn't good enough," Marcus declared, "You tell me what planet your headed to right now."

"Marcus, you know I can't. The punishment for revealing classified military intelligence is accusation of treason. I'll be exiled." Tali stated.

"You can do it via my new account. It's encrypted and is secure enough to ward off the best salarian hacker. Please, tell me now. I want to help."

"You have a mission to do and so do I." Tali retorted.

"As far as I'm concerned, your safety  _is_ the mission. Tell me what planet your heading to and what system right now. I don't care if I have to arrive on a goddamn fighter; I'll be there as soon as it happens."

Despite herself, Tali felt humbled at his sense of concern and overprotectiveness. Noone had felt that way towards her; except her late mother and Aunty Shala. And even then, they weren't N7 infiltrators, the liberator of Elysium, Hero of the Citadel and a Council spectre. She smiled. She knew she would face heavy consequences for this, but she she had to. Marcus' expression was too much for her to ignore.

"Haestrom. The planet is Haestrom, located in the Dholen System. It's in the Far Rim, which is right nextdoor to the Perseus." Tali spat out.

Marcus smiled, "Haestrom? Wasn't that orginally a quarian colony? You know, before the war?"

Tali nodded sadly, "And it will be again...someday..."

Marcus nodded, kissing her on the visor, "I promise to be there. It's a home call for you, of sorts, and I want to be there to enjoy it with you."

Tali giggled, "Providing the geth give us one half of a chance."

He smiled with his big stupid grin, "Not up to them. They don't like it and they can deal with an angry human and his favourite quarian."

The two of them continued to enjoy each other's company for awhile until Miranda radioed in, stating that an alliance scout vessel had just dropped out of FTL and would arrive at the colony in two hours. With a sigh, Marcus realized it was time to say goodbye, if only for awhile. The rest of the quarians had returned to their shuttle and Miranda and Jacob were prepping up theirs. Marcus turned to Tali one last time, both of them next to the Cerberus shuttle.

"You've got my extranet address. Message at least once a day," Tali stated, giving Marcus one last hug.

"And I'l see you soon." Marcus stated, turning to enter the shuttle but before the hatch closed, Tali spoke once more.

"And be careful, Marcus. Cerberus can't be trusted. You don't know what they did to my people; they are murderers and traitors. They'll stab you in the back at some point; possibly betray you."

Marcus smiled, glancing at Miranda and Jacob at the back of the shuttle, the two agents engaged in animated conversation, "Don't worry Tali, I'll keep an eye on them. And if they do, I know just who to call."

Tali smiled, "Keelah Se'lai Marcus. May the ancestors watch over you."

With that, the kodiak's hatch finally closed, Marcus watching as Tali walked off, her back to the shuttle. He watched her slender form retreat into one of the buildings, heading for her shuttle. He would see her again; in awhile at least. But for now, he had to report his findings to the Illusive Man. Sitting down opposite Miranda and Jacob, he looked out the window as the kodiak climbed into the atmosphere, leaving Freedom's Progress behind.

He had decided to work with Cerberus for now; they had resources he could exploit and he had to admit that Miranda and Jacob, although untrustworthy and the former sorta irritating, were still very skilled soldiers and would make valuable additions to his squad. Tali was merely the beginning; he would make sure to bring back the entire old gang. The collectors hadn't a single clue who they were messing with.

Turning to Miranda, he sighed and closed his eyes, ready for sleep. It was a long travel back to Minuteman station.

And a long partnership.

**"Freedom's Progress changed my perspective on being brought back. It gave me something worth living for. Worth suffering through Cerberus bullshit to acquire."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"I loved you. I still do. And it wouldn't be long before we were back together."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Indeed. And if being back alive, packed full of synthetics and seeing the love of my life again was shock enough, I didn't see what was coming next."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**


	11. Nostalgic Moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard gets introduced to his new ship: its more familiar than he knows. And with it come some equally familiar faces.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER TEN:**

**NOSTALGIC MOMENTS**

_August 6, 2185_

_1152 hours._

_Communications Hold, Level 14, Minuteman Station, Irisa System._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, The Illusive Man._

Marcus sighed irritably as he walked down the staircase towards the communicator room. He had felt a great weight taken off his shoulders when he had bumped into Tali on Freedom's Progress and had felt happy ever since. He had woken up from the dead, found Tali still single and was confident he could continue their relationship, even if it would take time to rebuild; time he most certainly had. But now he had to report back to Cerberus' infamous leader; which wouldn't be fun at all.

The main reason behind this was because TIM had been right; Cerberus did have enormous resources that Marcus would use to his best ability and Miranda had even mentioned a gift that Cerberus going to give him if he stayed. Despite his gut telling him not to, he couldn't resist the temptation to find out what that gift was. Still, he didn't like working with terrorists and he knew he would come to regret it, but now it seemed like the best option. Logic triumphed over emotion this time. He walked in with full armor, his weapons left behind and his helmet as well.

It wasn't long before he found himself standing on the communicator; the room's sensors once again scanning him as they projected his holographic form to the Illusive Man's even more illusive location. He watched as the bright light of the system's sun enveloped him and the room the Illusive Man called home materialized before him. In his usual position, was TIM himself.

"Shepard, I heard the mission down on Freedom's Progress was a success and you found out who was behind the attacks," TIM stated in an almost smug manner. He didn't seem all that surprised.

"Yes, I did and I've decided to accept your help. But you don't seem all that surprised," Marcus stated, raising a brow at the man.

TIM shook his head as he snuffed his cigar, "Information is my business and it works well for me. I thought the collectors were behind the attacks; I just needed proof. And now I, we, have it. However, you're willingness to accept our cause is something of an unexpected turn of events but not one I don't appreciate. Together, we'll put a stop to the collector threat."

"I'm guessing you knew about Tali being there too, didn't you?" Marcus asked, he had to know.

"As far as my resources go, the Migrant Fleet is out of my reach," TIM assured him, "So bumping into your quarian friend on Freedom's Progress wasn't something I saw coming. I'm sure you dealt with the situation, however?"

"You can bet," Marcus said, finding himself smiling, "Also, she seemed to hate Cerberus more than anyone else I know. Just what did Cerberus do to her people to warrant such prejudice? I don't care if it's classified; I want to know."

TIM held his hands up in defense, "It's hardly classified; something like that can't be kept a secret. In essence we had a little...misunderstanding with the quarians. They were harboring one of my agents' daughter on their ship, so I got help from a quarian exile and boarded the Idenna. The mission was a failure though and the girl's been missing ever since."

Marcus fumed in anger, "So you gave them authorization to butcher quarian civilians? Tali told me what you did and it was murder! Cold-blooded murder and for what? A child? Did it ever occur to you that the child may have been there because she wanted to be there?"

TIM didn't even flinch from the accusation, "It wasn't anything personal, just a matter of cerberus' interests. What happened during that time isn't any of your concern and I'm not willing to dwell on it. We have much bigger threats to deal with; like the collectors. Their abductions have to stop; you know this just as well as I do."

"Agreed," Marcus stated, "What's our next step?"

"You build your team," TIM stated, "And I don't mean your old team; they've most likely moved on. I mean a new team; you will need the best of the best to succeed. I've already pulled up the dossiers for four I think will suit your services most. One is an excellent sniper, another a brilliant scientist. The last two are also a scientist and an unbelievably powerful biotic, the latter of which I'll have to discuss with you about later. I've had the dossiers uploaded to your private terminal."

Marcus raised his brow, "And you're saying that you hadn't expected me to join Cerberus? It sounds like you had this planned out since before I got back. And what do you mean 'private terminal', I wasn't aware I had one."

TIM smiled, "I have my methods. And about the terminal; I don't think you've been informed of your new vessel. While I'm at it, I might as well introduce you to your new pilot. I think you'll like him; he's one of the best. Now I must go; you can't defeat the collectors with just weapons and I have to find out what they're up to behind that relay. Miranda and Jacob will accompany you; now good luck."

Marcus nodded as TIM ended the call and the N7 almost jumped at the sound of the familiar voice behind him as the call ended, turning around to see the one man he thought he'd never see again; even wearing a Cerberus uniform and cap.

"Joker?" Marcus asked out of disbelief.

"It's good to have you back, Shepard," The pilot greeted back, a big grin on his face.

**{Loading...}**

_August 6, 2185_

_1205 hours._

_Drydock, Level 7, Minuteman Station, Irisa System._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau._

"Joker, what are you doing with Cerberus?" Marcus asked the pilot as the two of them traversed Minuteman's corridors, passing numerous scientific areas, security guards, mechs and scientific personnel. The station was much larger than Lazarus and probably of a different classification due to the design differences between the stations. He would have been impressed by the stature of Cerberus' forces, especially their fleet, if it hadn't been for the cerberus logos pasted on  _every single_ wall he came across.

Joker grinned widely at that, "Easy. The Alliance essentially grounded me after what happened over Alchera and I had nowhere else to go. Besides, what would you have done? Stay with a faction that had basically disowned you, or join one that had said that they were going to bring your friend back to life and give you a purpose again?"

Marcus nodded, "Point. What about the others? Not the ground team, I know what happened to them, but what about Chakwas? Or Adams?" He left Pressly and Johnson out, remembering how they had been killed during the attack. He mourned their deaths, but had long since gotten over them. He hadn't gotten to know them very well and didn't take their deaths as hard as say, he might have taken Tali's or Garrus' if they died.

Joker nodded, "Chakwas is back and working  _with_ Cerberus too. Don't worry, these uniforms are just for show," Joker declared, tugging at his shirt with disgust, "We're only here for you. We don't work for them, we work with them; which I've heard is going to be for alot longer than we thought now that we have these collectors to deal with. Life was much simpler when it was just geth and a rogue turian we had to worry about."

Marcus snorted, "Tell me about it. What about Adams?"

Joker shook his head sadly, "He refused the offer. Chakwas tried to convince him, but he said he wasn't having any of it. Alliance officer through and through he said; he'd never betray them to join Cerberus, even for you. He even expressed his doubts at what Cerberus said about you and I couldn't blame him; resurrection isn't exactly like curing cancer."

Marcus nodded in disappointment, "Had it been for the alliance not sweeping the reaper threat under the rug, I'd have agreed with him, but now I can't go back. The Alliance and the Council have turned their backs on me and the Reapers, and it's up to us to finish what they should have started."

Joker nodded as they reached the final stretch to the dock; a single corridor, "We're with you on that commander. Just a pity that the old ground team won't be joining us; I really liked Tali and Garrus."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Tali would always occassionally hang out in the cockpit and we'd chat and Garrus and I would just trade jokes all the time. Those were the good old days."

"They certainly were. I met Tali on Freedom's Progress; she couldn't join us now, but pretty soon, I think she will. So don't worry, it's not all bad. And no matter what TIM says, I'm still going to search for the old team. I'm not one to abandon my friends."

Joker smiled at the use of the Cerberus leader's nickname, "And they'll have a shiny new ship to serve on, piloted by none other than myself, of course."

Marcus raised a brow at that as they reached an observation corridor that ringed around the dock. It was dark inside and he could barely make out the inside. Joker slowly limped over to a console under the windows, grinning from ear to ear.

"They only told me about this a week ago," Joker informed him, "I'm surprised they went to all the trouble of building this ship for us. Chakwas was more than ecstatic when she saw it. I'm sure you're going to love it."

Walking up to one of the glass panels aligning the walls, he crossed his arm and raised a brow at the former alliance pilot. Hitting the switch, the lights of the dock began to switch on, one by one. Joker came to stand next to him, crossing his own arms and waiting for Marcus' response as the final light switched on. Marcus was lost for words at the sight beheld before him; two years worth of melancholy vanishing.

There, hovering in the dock, was a sleek and beautiful new vessel. It was big; twice as big as the Normandy. It shared mostly the name design as the old frigate, except the wings at the back were 'clipped', with only the wing sections remaining and the prongs removed. The engines looked more powerful than before and more sleek. The gold and white colors of Cerberus aligned the stealth frigate's exterior, with a single one of the terrorist organization's insignia's aligning it's port side. And, glistening along it's side, was the exact letters he had expected from a ship of it's design.

_CAW Normandy SR-2_

He grimaced at the site of the letters 'CAW' (Cerberus Assault Warship) lining the vessel's designation, but the word 'Normandy' brought a smile to his face. He was home; the ship he commanded and lead into battle was reborn with him and would be his to command once again; his weapon against the collectors. The Normandy would could get the chance to avenge it's predecessor.

"You think this is cool?" Joker piped up, breaking the spectre from his trance, "You should check the inside. It's fucking awesome, I tell ya."

Marcus nodded and motioned for Joker to lead the way, to which the pilot excitedly accepted limping up ahead as the soldier followed him, continuing to examine the new Normandy's sleek outline and overall massive exterior. It would probably be slower than the original and definitely not as manevuerable, but it would still outrun any cruiser in the council fleets.

It wasn't along before they crossed the threshold seperating them from the ship and entered the Normandy's airlock, activating the all too familiar decontamination suite. However, the annoying VI was absent, and he thanked Cerberus for that. It had been useful in calculating firing solutions, but it was annoying for everything else. As the decon cycle concluded, the 'geth designed' door opened to omit them entrance into the vessel.

The greeting was much the same with a deck splitting off to the left and right; cockpit to the left, flight deck to the right. He gazed into the cockpit and found the design to be the same, although the observation windows on the ceiling had expanded and had shutters to close over them. The pilot's seat was much larger and the work stations on the left and right upper area were removed, leaving only three pilot areas, along with a captain's chair in the middle of the cockpit; his seat.

Miranda and Jacob were already waiting for him so they decided to show the commander the rest of the ship, Joker retreating to his seat in the cockpit, smiling all the way. Marcus lead the way turning to walk down the flight deck. It was much the same, but much brighter and filled with cerberus crew members executing their numerous tasks and preflight checks.

When he stepped off the flight deck and out into the actual CIC, he found it was definitely larger than the original's. Numerous stations, just like the ones aligning the flight deck, were situated around it's cirumfrance and the middle table holding the galaxy map was much the same. Infront of the galaxy map held a holographic view of the Normandy and all it's systems. Quite impressive.

As he moved along, he came along the ramp leading up to the galaxy map. To it's right was a terminal where a young cerberus woman worked eagerly and to the left was, what was explained, as his private terminal. Why it wasn't up in his cabin he had no clue. Seeing Marcus, the young woman looked up and smiled holding out her hand for him to shake.

"Commander Shepard, an honor to have you onboard," The woman greeted, "My name is Yeoman Kelly Chambers. I'm the ship's psychologist; I can deal with people's affairs and troubles as well as settle them, whilst reporting them to you. I can also inform you when you have new messages on your terminal."

He shook her hand and smiled, "I don't think that'll be nesscary. I'm quite capable of checking my own messages and I usually talk to the crew myself anyway. I'm sure you'll make a nice addition to the crew anyway." With that, he continued examining the ship.

Where the entrance to the debriefing room once was, was now an elevator which apparently replaced the stairs and allowed access to every part of the ship. Where the door leading to the left stairs once was now lead into a storage room which then lead into a Tech and Research Lab, essentially a large R&D Area. The right door lead to the ship's main armoury, which was where Jacob worked. Miranda was apparently his XO, which he cringed at the very thought at. Linking the armoury and the lab was a corridor which then lead to the main debriefing room.

Walking into the door to his left, he watched it unlatch and slide open to reveal a small room, cubed room. It served absolutely no purpose and he found himself questioning why it was even there. Storage compartment, maybe? Another door was at the opposite end of the room and they quickly stepped through it and into the actual Tech Lab. As he looked around, he awed at the impressive technology in his presence and the amount of equipment just lying around for some scientist to get his hands on.

To his immediate right was another door that presumably lead into the corridor that seperated the armoury and debriefing room. To his right was a holographic terminal that was, he assumed, a terminal for placing requisition orders and requests. Not far to the right of that terminal was a desk, most likely where the ship's resident scientist would be working and ontop of it was a private terminal and numerous pieces of lab equipment. Directly behind the desk was an observation window which, once again, had reinforced shutters.

Next to the corridor entrance was a large, glass tank on another desk and around that was more lab equipment. A matress lay to the back of the room and an observation window allowed him free view of the engine room two decks down; giving him a clear view of the ship's new drive core. An impressive sight indeed; he didn't have to imagine Tali's reaction when she came to see it.

With his inspection of the tech lab complete, they moved into the corridor, which was extremely short. Not surprising considering the space between the lab and armoury. To the left was another door leading into the debriefing room, to which he decided to check out first. As the door opened, the room looked entirely different from the original Normandy's. Instead of a viewscreen at the back and seven chairs surrounding the cirumfrance, there was a single observation window at the back allowing a clear view of the drive core and a single table in the middle of the room, a large, oval hole cut into the middle of it and no chairs. He noticed that the table had a holographic projector as a hologram of the Normandy was hovering above it.

Miranda also told him that the table could be retracted and serve as the projector for the ship's quantum entanglement communicator, just like the one he used to contact the Illusive Man on Minuteman Station. He marvelled at having access to his own communicator, but he imagined it was mostly for the Illusive Man to get reports from him. Stepping out, he headed into the armoury, hoping to be just as impressed as he was with the Tech Lab. Still, he found it odd to put an armoury right next to the ship's command center.

As the door opened, he found that he would have no quarrels with this part of the ship either. The room was as large as the tech lab, if not larger as it didn't have the trouble of that useless box seperating it from the CIC. Benches upon benches of weapons spread out as far as he could see and up to forty weapons lockers; some for the ground team and others for the ships' commando security detachment. Apparently the Illusive Man made no expense for men and firepower and donated a squad of his most elite commandos to the Normandy's crew. He figured he'd need them. He saw that most of the lockers were named, and three had his first name, Miranda's and Jacob's etched into them. Rows upon rows of weapons could be seen, some looking more lethal than others. Standing infront of the bench closest to the observation window, was Jacob, which was just across from the corridor's door.

Like the Tech Lab, this room also had a viewing window allowing observation of the engine core below. Jacob, hearing the door open, put down the assault rifle he was so happily cleaning and gave a snarky grin at the look of sheer awe on the commander's face. Aside from the quarian he apparently fell in love with mentioned on the dossier and the turian C-Sec officer he heard mention of, weapons were the man's best friend. He loved them and this armoury was heaven.

"Like what you see commander?" Jacob asked, breaking the spectre from his trance. Former spectre. He'd have to visit the Citadel and see about that at some point. The Council had alot to answer for.

"You'd better know it," Marcus grinned even wider, "Is my locker full?"

Jacob nodded, apparently hitting a realization as he motioned for the N7 to follow him, "Certainly. I've just finished cleaning and double checking your equipment. Don't worry, you've got state-of-the-art weaponry. We tried to retrieve your Diamond Back assault rifle and Armageddon Shotgun, but they've been discontinued and your ones appear to have been disintegrated in the Normandy's crash."

Marcus shook his head, "I gave my shotgun to Tali. As far as I know, she still has it. Besides, I'm pretty sure after seeing the weapons I just saw, my favourite weapons will be obsolete anyways. What do you have for me? If you have a geth pulse rifle, I'll make sure you get five promotions. That weapon worked wonders in the short time I had it."

Jacob chuckled as they reached his locker, "Unfortunately not commander; geth are a bit hard to come by these days. However, I think you'll be impressed by this, all the same. You'll have to enter your access code, I don't have the authorization to open it."

Marcus nodded, inputting his code. Watching the locker flip open, he looked inside not only to see his shiny new weapons, but also a state-of-the-art, masterly crafted suit of heavy combat armor as well. For their sake, the armor was either not of Cerberus design or they had them removed. Good; Tali's team was bad enough, he didn't want to imagine what anyone else's reaction would have been like.

Picking up his new assault rifle, he examined it. At least he guessed it was an assault rifle; from the design, it was more likely to be a heavy rifle or battle rifle. The design was very abstract; it had an open shoulder brace, reinforced trigger point and seperated into two horizontal sections; the bottom serving as the barrel while the upper half served as a red dot sight. A scope was positioned on the top of the weapon as well. Turning it over, he widened his eyes at the N7 logo on the weapon's other side.

"This weapon's N7. Top of the line stuff," Marcus pointed out.

"Top of the line is right. I've tested that baby and it has almost no recoil, but firepower heavy enough to give a krogan pause. Accurate, deadly and packs a punch. Makes our standard Mattock Heavy Rifles seem like plastic cap guns. It's called a N7 Valkyrie heavy rifle and it's definitely your kind of weapon."

With a smile to accompany his expression, he placed the Valkyrie pack into it's position in the locker and pulled out his new pistol. This weapon wasn't N7, but it did look powerful. It a grey polymer finish as well as a sleek design. Solid steel with firepower to accompany it. While the predator looked light, this looked heavy.

"That's a M-6 Carnifex Hand Cannon," Jacob stated, "It has pretty big recoil but I'm sure with your cybernetics, you'll barely notice it. Like the Valkyrie but has way more stopping power. Limited magazine size but it makes up for that in firepower. Think of a shotgun, except smaller."

He grabbed the SMG next. It was the same model as Miranda's, a Tempest. The shotgun was apparently a Claymore shotgun; possibly one of the most lethal shotguns in the galaxy had only the krogan had the strength to deal with it's recoil. But Marcus was different; thanks to his enhancements, he could handle the kickback. He was starting to love them more and more.

And now came the armor. It was an unusual design; it had a sleek chrome exterior with a silver outline, followed by streaks of red. The helmet covered the entire head, with a breathing apparatus on the outside with red slit to act as his visor. The form of a red dragon was painted on the front of the armor, with numerous pieces of armor plating covering it's outline. It was a piece of work and looked very heavy.

"That armor is some advanced hardware, commander," Jacob piped up, "It came straight from Earth's Urban Combat Championships. It has power cells that costs as much as a EUCC (European Union for Coastal Conservation) rookie's contract. It has everything. That armor will keep you alive; that much is certain commander."

Marcus nodded as he finished examining the armor, not sure whether he should wear the armor meant for sports or proper combat armor. Still, he'd wear it for now whenever the time came. For now, he had a tour to complete. Motioning for Miranda to continue, he followed her outside and into the elevator, Jacob closing and locking his locker. He watched as the door for the elevator closed and Miranda hit the button for the Crew Deck.

Just like the old Normandy, the elevator was intolerably slow, but slightly faster. What felt like half an hour later they arrived on the Crew Deck, only for the door to open and a wall with the initials 'SR-2' to greet them. Stepping out, he found two corridors leading off to his left and right; a port and starboard observation deck from what Miranda told him. In these corridors was also a male and female restroom along with life support on the port side. He decided to check out Starboard Observation first.

Inside was a single couch, followed by, as the name suggests, a large observation window allowing free view of the dock's walls, but soon, a free view of space. Numerous assorted pieces of comfort and luxury were scattered all over the room, including a book case and reading table. Nodding his head, they continued to the port side, where he quickly checked life support; nothing interesting except a dark gloomy room, a case for storing equipment, a desk, camper bed and a window allowing observation of the engine core. This ship certainly had alot of those.

Then they entered Port Observation. It was much the same as Starboard, but with some differences; another window allowed observation of space and three couches were in the middle of the room. Numerous bookcases occupied the left side of the room while a bar was located on the right; a numerous assortment of alcohol accompanying the place. It was nice and he knew where he'd be coming to blow off some steam after missions. With a nod, they continued into the refurbished mess hall.

The place hadn't changed much apart from being slightly bigger. His quarters looked to be in the same location but when he looked, he saw that it wasn't his, but his XO's; Miranda's quarters. The mess table was the same but another one had been added on the other side of the pillars. A kitchen sort of arrangement was added next to the sleeper deck and one of the cerberus cooks was hard at work preparing food. The sleeper deck was aligned with sleeper pods and at the end of the deck was the gunnery control station. The medical bay was in the same location but when he went inside, he noticed just how much bigger it was. More tables, more equipment and Chakwas' desk was right next to the door, just on the left. A door at the back of the room lead to a room he wasn't allowed to enter for now. After exchanging pleasantries with Chakwas once again, they continued back towards the elevator, only for the ship's cook to call them over.

"Commander Shepard!" The man boomed, taking the man's hand and shaking it eagerly, "The same's Rupert. Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner! I'm the ship's cook! No more basic rations; you get proper food now! Here, have a taste!" The cook offered a spoonfull of a soup he was making and Marcus sipped it eagerly. Hiding his disgusted look and pretending to like it, he gave the man a thumbs up and they continued towards the elevator. Once inside, Miranda hit the engineering deck and Marcus finally swallowed.

"Gardner's cooking isn't the best, but at least it's something," Marcus pointed out. Miranda just remained silent. He also noticed that engineering had a whole deck to itself now. Must be damn big. As the door opened, he was immediately greeted by a long corridor that extended horizontally across from the elevator. To his immediate left and right were doors that lead to engineering while at both ends of the corridors was apparently the cargo bay and the Port Storage Compartment and Garbage Disposal. The corridor was aligned with observation windows that allowed a view of the shuttle bay down below.

Turning to his left, he moved through the door and found a stairway that lead further down. Ignoring it, he moved passed the second door and into engineering itself. He was greeted by two consoles manned by two cerberus engineers; introduced as Gabby and Kenneth. Ken was scottish and cheeky to an extent, while Gabby was the one that was more american and kept him in check, while both of them were great friends. Apparently they weren't even Cerberus; they were Alliance and served on the Perugia during the Battle of the Citadel, but when they saw Marcus' warnings get downplayed, they left and joined Cerberus to serve alongside him.

Another set of consoles exactly like theirs was four meters across from them; presumably being the chief engineer's console, which was absent. Seperating these four consoles was a pathway that lead into the main control room, where the drive core was situated and it's control terminal. Unlike the original Normandy's drive core, this one was much bigger but didn't turn and twist like the gears on an engine and didn't glow bright blue; it was a simple, large, grey spherical object that hummed and vibrated with energy. Once again, it seemed the chief engineer was absent.

"Where's the ship's chief engineer?" Marcus asked Miranda as they left, saluting Ken and Gabby as they left and stepped into the elevator, heading down to the shuttle bay.

"The ship doesn't have one," Miranda stated, "Currently, Gabby and Ken run engineering. The Illusive Man wanted the best of the best. He tried to get in contact with Adams and propose a post for him, but he rejected it."

Marcus nodded as he felt regret pour over his features.  _No Adams. Although, when Tali joins the ship...yes. If she's a Colonel in the quarian military, then I have no doubt she'll make an excellent chief engineer. Adams would be proud._

Finally, they hit the final deck. The Shuttle Bay. It was definitely large; it stretched out for what seemed like hundreds of meters, but was actually only thirty-one meters in length. Two Cerberus-style Kodiak Shuttles rested in the Normandy's bay, all tethered to launch pads on both the port and starboard sides, with a single hangar bay door at the end of the hangar. Two air control consoles rested at the front of the bay, with numerous heavy metal support beams holding up the ships' integrity. It was pretty damn impressive.

Seeing all the decks checked out, Marcus and Miranda stepped back into the elevator and he watched Miranda hit what appeared to say Deck One. Good, back to the CIC. He wanted to leave for Omega immediately; the dossier mentioned a skilled marksman and a brilliant scientist were located there and that's where he'd begin his search for recruits.

"Now the final deck. I think you'll like this one the most commander," Miranda stated cooly.

Marcus raised his eyebrows, "Another deck? What else could you possibly have?"

"Your quarters of course," Miranda stated as the elevator finally arrived at the ship's top deck, the door opening into a small area. 'Captain's Quarters' was etched on the wall, followed by a Cerberus logo. Rolling his eyes, he followed Miranda inside. What met his eyes was beyond belief.

His new quarters were huge. From what he saw, there was two platforms to the room. The first platform, the one they stood on, contained a large 'L-shaped' room with no door to his right which contained a large desk. A terminal and large amounts of datapads lay on the desk, presumably his working area. A glass fibre window which Miranda told him was not only a protective case for any ship models he decided to buy, but also acted as a vidscreen for conversations. To the back of that was a restroom; a sink and a shower cubicle, accompanied by a toilet.

Along the left side of the wall was a large aquarium or fish tank, packed with crystal clear water and numerous fish and underwater plants. A railed stairway lead onto the second platform. At the back of this platform was a large queen-sized bed, with sheets that were pure white and two large plush pillows. Cerberus didn't exactly care about turning the interior of a warship into a luxury liner. To the right was a small circular desk with an L-shaped sofa to surround it. To the left of his bed was a stool where a picture frame lay followed by a lamp. On the other side was something similiar, except with a music station accompanying it. An observation window was put into the ceiling of the cabin, just above his bed, but also had shutters. He'd have a difficult time waking up to that.

"This is my quarters? Don't you think this is all a bit overboard?" Marcus questioned the woman, only to find that she wasn't present anymore, the doors closing behind her. He snorted, "Could have at least given some warning." With a sigh, he climbed the stairs and fell into the seat at his desk, finding another picture frame located on his desk, right of his terminal. Smiling, he got out his omni-tool and synced with the frame, uploading a picture he had taken of Tali, the quarian trying the best to smile behind her mask. The result was just adorable. He was surprised his omni-tool had surprised his crash landing into Alchera, but didn't question it too much. He was alive, logic could go fuck itself.

He sighed as he smiled at Tali's picture. Soon she would be back onboard and then he'd have to reunite the team. It'd be just like the old days.

He hit the intercom on his desk and selected the cockpit. An unknown feminine voice answered through the comms.

"Yes commander?" Marcus didn't recognize the voice at all. It was alien to him.

"Who's this? I don't believe we've met," Marcus stated.

"I am the Normandy's Enhanced Defense Intelligence. The crew refer to me as EDI," the voice answered.

He nodded, "Ah, the ship's new VI. Could you inform Joker to set acourse for Omega as soon as possible, please?"

The voice didn't take anytime in answering, "Of course commander. I must also inform you that I am not a VI. I'm a fully-aware AI."

Marcus felt his head hit the table faster than EDI could finish.

This'll be fun.

**"Of course, my initial reaction to EDI was less than subtle. Afterall, I had devoted my life to destroying the geth all those years ago, and they were as close to AI as we were going to get."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"I'm sure I remember my reaction being quite the same, but we all got used to her, didn't we?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Certainly did. I miss her, too. Tell me, did she survive the war Tali? Did she survive what I...what I did?"**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"No. She didn't survive Mark, I'm sorry. But that's the point, we need to think about the present. Now, you had just gotten the Normandy and you had headed to Omega. What happened next?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Next stop, criminal haven. I think I'm going to need a soda to get through this one. Omega was like what my alter-ego imagined in his private time."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**


	12. I Am Omega!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard arrives at Omega to seek his first recruits. Tali internally celebrates her change in fortune.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN:**

**I AM OMEGA!**

_August 11, 2185_

_1042 hours._

_Dock, Dyuko District, Omega._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

Hearing about Omega was one thing, seeing it in all it's criminal, repulsive glory was a whole different story. As soon as he had stepped out of the Normandy's airlock, the putrid stench of the place and the sheer state it was in was enough to confirm his opinion of the station. With a inhale of breath, he must coughed back out the annoying smell that kept sifting up his nose. It was repulsive and extremely unpleasant.

The hallway they walked along was gloomy but lit. Numerous piles of garbage litted the corridor, along with what looked like a putrid pile of vorcha excrement. The Citadel may have been dirty, but it was at least subtle. Omega wasn't even trying. He walked down the corridor with Miranda and Jacob flanking his sides, all three of them armed and armoured. On Omega, it was best to bring all the weapons you could. And in his Blood Dragon Armor, he'd make an intimidating foe indeed.

He strolled down the corridor with only one goal at hand; find the recruits he needed. EDI, as much as he didn't really trust the AI, and neither did Joker apparently as they argued constantly, had provided up-to-date info on them. Apparently Archangel had pissed off every merc on the station along with his team while the salarian who's name was Mordin Solus, a salarian he had fought with on Virmire was helping cure a plague that had caused an entire sector to go into quarantine.

As they moved down the corridor, he watched as a salarian in ragged clothes rushed down towards them, a large, coy grin on his face.

"New visitors, always welcome!" the salarian declared as he came to a stop in front of them, "Pay you good, lots of work, plenty to do!"

The salarian didn't get to say much more as a batarian, two turians and a few humans approached from outside, the batarian shoving the salarian aside. Marcus visibly flinched at the sight of a batarian, but he made no further motions, deciding to see what this man wanted.

"Leave Fargut. Aria T'Loak requests an audience with these humans," The batarian declared, shooting a glare down on the salarian.

"Of course, Moklan! Whatever Aria wants!" The salarian named Fargut declared, running off as the turians allowed them passage. Marcus dropped his grip on his SMG to the side of his torso. Obviously the batarian was one of Aria's cohorts, sent by Aria, the ruler of Omega, to escort them to her den. He really didn't have time for this however. Before he could object, the batarian named Moklan spoke up.

"Commander Shepard. It's not every day a dead spectre turns up here. Aria wants to know what brought you to Omega." Moklan stated.

"I'm on a dangerous mission to recruit the most elite to destroy the collectors, who are threatening human colonies. Two of those people are on Omega and I've come to acquire their services. That's all your...leader needs to know. Besides, I wasn't aware that she even knew who I was." Marcus replied bluntly.

"We had you and your ship tagged as you entered the Terminus. Aria has sent me to escort you to Afterlife. She wants to speak with you, as she does all new visitors here. She doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"That's too bad, because I don't have time to waste with petty greetings." Marcus responded aggressively.

The batarian growled, "Noone keeps Aria waiting. They usually end up dead."

Marcus smirked, "If that were Saren's policy, it didn't work for him, did it? Do you really think I'm intimidated by her? I fought an army of geth and krogan, killed the Council's top spectre and died before being revived. I don't think some asari is going to be a problem for me, especially as I already took down an asari commando squad before."

"Commander, I think now is the time to be pragmatic," Miranda spoke up, "Aria could have valuable intel on our recruits; afterall, she does rule this station and therefore knows everything that goes on in this station. She would be our best bet."

"Miss Lawson's statement is logical," EDI piped up through his helmet's comm system.

Marcus sighed as he motioned for Moklan to lead them to Afterlife, "You lead, we'll follow." With that, the batarian and his group of paid thugs began to lead the trio towards Afterlife, the capital of Omega in many respects. As they passed through a door on the right, they were omitted into a massive hub of activity. Members of numerous species moved about, trying not to be caught in Omega's every day violent schedule. To the left was mostly a rapid transit terminal, or a kind of it along with a less than scenic view of Omega's cityscape.

To his right was two footpaths that extended towards two doors that lead into the district's shopping sector. Directly ahead of them was a massive structure with the blazing letters 'AFTERLIFE' looming over them. An animation of pure fire played inside the letters, a reference to its name sake. The music from the strip club was so intense and loud, he could hear it from his position outside. A short flight of stairs lead up to a blast door that allowed entrance to the club. A elcor bouncer was outside organizing a long line of people trying to get inside, its monotone voice arguing with an annoyed human and his turian girlfriend.

And to think this place had originally been an asari asteriod minerals mine. Now it was nothing but a dump. He resented even standing on the rock. Moklan continued to lead them up the stairs, the elcor moving to protest. When the batarian stated that their presence was demanded by Aria, the elcor immediately backed off, just in time to stop the human who had attempted to sneak in, dragging in his girlfriend, but to no aveil.

The doors slid open, omitting them into a long corridor that lead towards another blast door to which the main club must have been located. Again, the entire corridor was illuminated in an intense crimson glow from the animation of flames on the side walls, sofas aligning the walls. A very particular group of batarians in the corridor turned towards them, ignoring Moklan and moving straight for Marcus.

"Hey, human. I don't like your kind and I'm sure as hell not going to tolerate your-"

Before the batarian even got to finish his sentence, Marcus had already reacted. His foot shot out to kick the batarian in the knee, emitting an audible snap as the batarian screamed in agony. One of his companions tried to come to his assitance, launching a right hook to Marcus' head, but the man reacted with lightning reflexes, grabbing the arm and twisting it before headbutting the batarian. The rest steadily backed off before running off. Miranda raised her eyebrows while Jacob looked impressed. Nevertheless, he still had to ask.

"Uh, commander. Was that really nessacary?" Jacob asked.

Marcus shook his head, "I don't tolerate racist bullshit. Now come on, we've got a date with the queen of Omega." Without waiting for an answer, he continued, seeing that Moklan had waited for them. Miranda and Jacob quickly followed. As the blast door opened, they were able to see Afterlife in all it's grandeur.

The music was beyond intense, it was ear-throbbing. The central platform was a ring surrounding a spire like structure that had the close up feed of one of the many asari strippers dancing up on the spire's upper platform, the many asari pole dancing as they executed numerous sexual poses. He hated these places. They were a symbol of the repulsive society they lived in.

Numerous tables and a bar lay to the right of the club while the entrance to a private room was on the left. They followed Aria's bodyguard around the center platform and up a set of stairs to Aria's perch; her 'inner sanctum', as he preferred to call it. Inside was a squad-sized group of bodyguards, with the asari he assumed was asari sitting in the middle of a sofa overlooking the club. She wore a black and white leather vest which, to her credit, hid a modest amount of cleavage and wore other things typically assiociated with crime bosses. She had numerous facial markings but most of all was her intolerable smug grin; something he didn't like at all. Moklan made a swift leave, allowing a turian to bring up his omni-tool and run a scan of the spectre.

Marcus chuckled lightly to himself, causing the turian scanning him to raise his brow.

"If you're looking for weapons," Marcus began, unholstering his SMG and shining it infront of the turian, "You're not doing a very good job."

Aria smiled darkly, "I had to know it was actually you. It could have been anyone wearing your face. Cloning isn't exactly unachievable."

With the turian's scan over, he backed away, telling Aria that they were clean.

Marcus nodded, "You run Omega?"

Aria laughed loudly as she stood up, looking down upon the club like a queen would her subjects. She radiated power and authority; likely decades of intimidation under her belt. She suddenly stopped, before raising her arms into the air dramatically.

" _ **I AM Omega**_."

Miranda and Jacob raised their eyebrows at Aria while Marcus remained unimpressed. The asari had a way with words, but she wasn't a philosopher. With a grin that could freeze water, Aria turned, arms crossed and hips swayed.

"But you need more, don't you?" Aria declared, "Everyone always needs something and they call come to me," The asari then raised her arms as if reading off a long list, "I'm the boss, CEO,  _queen_ , if you're feeling dramatic. It doesn't matter. Omega has no titled ruler and  _only_ one rule." With that Aria fell into her couch, her smug grin larger than any he'd seen on anyone else's face. It made him cringe.

"Don't  _fuck_ with Aria." With the asari's introduction concluded, Marcus just crossed his arms and shook his head.

"I'd like it more if it actually mattered to me," Marcus stated, "Still, it's catchy, I'll give you that much."

Aria chuckled, "I like you, Shepard, but don't think flattery gets you somewhere. Ask your questions and leave. I have things to do and mercs to dispose of." With that, the asari crossed her legs and Marcus sat on the chair opposite her.

"I need to know where I can find Archangel and a Professor Mordin Solus." Marcus pondered.

Aria nodded, "Ah yes, the viglante wanting to make a difference and the doctor who never shuts up. Both of them are in equally dangerous situations. Archangel is holed up in some abandoned building. Last I heard, his team got slaughtered by the Blood Pack and he's managed to get the major merc companies to unite against him. Only a matter of time before he's dead. As for Solus, he's trying to cure the plague in the Gozu District. Apparently it's lethal and infects every species aside from vorcha and humans, the former being immune to diseases anyway. Blue Suns used to own that place, but that changed when the plague rolled in."

Marcus' eyes widened when he heard one of his recruits was in trouble, "What district and general area is Archangel in?"

Aria huffed, "Look, if you want to get in with the fun of killing him, just go join the Blue Suns downstairs. They're looking for young freelancers looking for an easy score to use as troops to storm Archangel's hideout; apparently he's made life hell for Tarak's forces, killed Jaroth's brother and has a personal vendetta with Garm. I'll warn you though; the freelancers are just cannon-fodder. They literally just throw you into his line of fire."

Marcus smiled and laughed, "We're not here to kill him, we're here to recruit him for an important mission."

Aria raised her left brow, "You'll make alot of enemies by teaming up with Archangel. The Eclipse, Blue Suns and Blood Pack want his blood. You'll be declaring a personal war."

"Trust me, they're nothing compared to what I've fought." Marcus countered.

"Believe me, I know," Aria responded dryly, "Now if that's all, I have a quarantine to maintain and mercs to feed. I really don't need Tarak charging in here getting all angry because I didn't supply him with fresh weapons and freelancer fodder."

Marcus nodded and left, Miranda and Jacob following behind him, not saying a word. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he turned to face Miranda and Jacob.

"You know what's about to happen, don't you?" Marcus stated.

Seeing Miranda and Jacob nod, he smiled, "Then let's go do it. Archangel is relying on us to save his sorry ass, and I'm not going to disappoint. Let's go get 'recruited'" With that, the trio headed down towards the hiring area. They were completely unaware of just what they'd have to face.

**{Loading...}**

_August 7, 2185_

_1755 hours._

_Mess Hall, Zarasis-Class Light Cruiser QMFV Neema, Migrant Fleet, Destination Unknown._

_Colonel Tali'Zorah vas Neema._

Tali sat at the mess hall table, happily munching on her nutrient paste. It was mostly quiet at this time of hour, with the crew mostly out working. Second shift in engineering had recently concluded and she had no marine training sessions scheduled. So here she was, alone with her thoughts. Able to enjoy them and fall into them. She enjoyed every second.

Seeing Marcus on Freedom's Progress had been something totally unexpected and thought to be impossible. But it had happened; he had popped up like nothing had happened and they had embraced. She had almost regretted doubting him, but she had to be sure. Now that she was she felt happier than ever. Her life finally had meaning once more. She thought of what would happen on Haestrom; whether Marcus would arrive soon enough; to save her, or watch her die.

It was a mixed bag. Bottled up emotions just came flooding out one by one in no particular order and she was helpless to hide them. It's why the mess hall was such a good refuge for her; noone to hear her emotional outbreak. At times she felt confused, sad, ashamed and angry. But overall, she felt an epic euphoria that continued to overthrow her other emotions. It was fantastic. She couldn't wait until she was with him once more.

Tali's thoughts were interrupted as she heard the door open and she looked up to see who had entered. To her surprise, it was the powerful and authoritive walk of Kal that greeted her, the brigadier general moving to sit opposite the woman, a tube of water in his hand.

"Ma'am," Kal greeted, "Didn't expect to find you in here."

Tali laughed lightly, "Neither did I. I guess I just need time to think."

"About Shepard?"

Tali hesitated before nodding.

Kal chuckled, "That's one hell of a man you've got after you. Had it been a damn turian, I'd be chastising you for your choice in men and I'd probably kill him soon after. But Shepard; that's a man I trust. You've got quite a man."

Tali was lost for words. She didn't think she was that obvious, "But how did you-"

Kal simply shrugged, "Word gets around quickly. Some of the survivors of your platoon apparently saw you get intimate with him and started telling everyone. I was bound to get the gossip travelling to me pretty fast; sucks when your unit is under my command."

Tali began wringing her fingers, "Does...you know..."

Kal seemed confused at first but moments later, pieced it together, "Oh! No, no, no. Your father has no idea; I've made absolutely sure he didn't find out. I can't imagine the fit he'd have if he learned his daughter was mating with a human. As for Shala, she's pretty oblivious to it all. I've made sure it stays within the marines. As far as I know, no civilian will ever know."

Tali nodded her thanks, "Thank you. I care about Marcus and want to be with him, but I can't have my father finding out. The reprecussions..."

"I know."

With that, they fell into silence, nothing else to be said. After awhile, Tali spoke up again.

"How's Veetor doing?"

"Healing pretty well from what I've heard," Kal explained, "Considering his reputation and the situation he was in, he seemed pretty okay when he was taken to medical. Doctor Elan'Shiya is taking a look at him right now."

Tali smiled behind her mask, "I can only imagine why..."

If she could see his face, he'd probably be raising an eyebrow, "Imagine what, ma'am?"

"Oh, nothing, you wouldn't understand," Tali teased, "And please, for the love of the ancestors, just call me Tali. Have you forgotten you're a higher rank than me? If anything, I should be calling you 'sir', you're deserving of all the credit."

Kal shook his head, "I'll try to keep that in mind. But we have to keep things professional, don't we, Colonel?"

Tali groaned, "Please, it's just Tali. When we're off duty, we go by first name basis, okay?"

Kal raised his hands in defense of himself, "Rightio, ma'am."

Tali decided she'd let that slip and decided to talk to him about something else, "Kal, have you noticed that Peta hasn't been harassing all that much?"

Kal nodded, "Yeah, so? He's probably learnt that flirting with a marine colonel isn't the most brighest idea; especially when she has a combat drone, a shotgun and had personally put down the rogue spectre Arterius himself."

Tali rolled her eyes, "I just don't know. I've never known Peta to be one who just gives up. And he's never been a lover of finales; forfeit isn't his game."

Kal smirked, "What, you think he's hatching some diabolical plan?"

Tali slapped him on the shoulder, "Bosh'tet. I just don't like his silence, that's all."

"Listen ma-, I mean Colonel, I mean-whatever. Listen, I know he's been a bit of a mute but he may just be coming to terms with rejection. You know how us males are like."

"Trust me, I've had experience," Tali stated, sighing, "But that was back during the times of the old traditions and the  _bos'makaz._ You know full well that those traditions died on our homeworld when we left it behind after the great war. Males aren't the same; females are more desperate for children these days that they'll take any male they can get."

"That's because our race is dying. It's practically a necessity. I'm surprised the conclave hasn't declared it a law or something," Kal dictated, "But that's hardly the point. Peta got rejected and he doesn't like it. Besides, to be honest, you had plenty of males to fall for other than him. Peta just makes me feel unclean. He feels like the bacteria that gets into your suit during battle repair."

"Talking about females," Tali added, giving a snarky grin as she leaned in, "I think Madi might be looking for a male to take comfort in and I think she's got her eyes on you." The quarian added a wink for emphasis.

Kal snorted, "Madi and I are marines; we both know that it's likely we won't see each other again. Everytime we go on a mission it's like writing our death notes. I don't see the point in battlefield romance if it be ended by a simple suit breach or lucky pirate."

Tali shrugged, "Marcus seemed to be able to look past that. He lost half his squad on Elysium, lost the rest on Torfan and then lost his second squad on Akuze. And yet, we're both in love. It's not about the loss Kal, it's about the memories. Collect them while you still can. Besides, I've seen you and Madi in action. You two coordinate like a pack of wolves hunting their prey. You know the geth don't stand a chance against you two."

"Wolves?"

"It's a human animal. I'll explain it later."

"I think we've got time to explain it now."

"You're not escaping talking about Madi. You know you'll have to make a move on her at some point."

"Why can't females make the first move?"

"Because-"

Before she could explain the necessity of a male confessing his feelings to a female, the door opened again and omitted a familiar but unexpected form. Peta.

The quarian appeared to glare at them from across the room before sitting down next to Tali.  _Right_ next to her, and it almost appeared like he was getting as close as he could to her. Even rejection didn't seem to spell it too him.

In truth, despite Tali's rejection of him, Peta still had strong feelings for her, he just did well at hiding them. As he watched Tali talk to Kal, ignoring him, he continued to secretly watch her as she spoke. Without them noticing, he opened his omni-tool and secretly keyed the icon to activate his nerve-stim pro on. Turning off his vocalizer, he silently moaned as he continued to eat his nutrient paste.

He knew Tali didn't like him. He was more than aware. But in a land full of blackmail, knew the most perfect one of all.  _Maybe if I tell Rael'Zorah that his daughter is dating a human, he'll make her change her mind?_

Maybe he would. Maybe he wouldn't.

**{Loading...}**

_August 7, 2185_

_1530 hours._

_Medical Bay, Zarasis-Class Light Cruiser QMFV Neema, Migrant Fleet, Destination Unknown._

_Pilgrim Veetor'Nara nar Rayya, Chief Medical Officer Kaso'Dbi vas Neema._

"Veetor, I need you to stop shaking so I can take a look at your suit, please," Kaso requested. Keelah, he was being unreasonable. He kept mumbling about monsters and swarms and shuddered so much that he couldn't get him to stop.

"I want to see my parents. Need to complete my pilgrimage. Need to tell them of the monsters," Veetor continued ranting. He didn't understand. Why was he being held here. Why did the doctor want to look at him so badly? Why was it that important? He just wanted to see his parents on the Rayya. He wanted to be removed from the noise of the people. They scared him. He was scared. He wanted peace.

"You can go home as soon as I can look at you," Kaso responded.

Still, Veetor was reluctant, even after he reduced his movements. He didn't want anyone touching him. They weren't normal; doctors weren't normal. He knew they wanted to put him alone, away from the other people, away from his parents. He didn't want to leave them though. He wanted to be alone, but with mum and dad. He wanted to feel safe. This doctor wasn't making it easy.

Suddenly, they both heard the door open to their right and both turned to see who had entered. In the doorway, omni-tool raised, was a single quarian woman wearing a long blue veil, her mask a shade of amber. Like all females, she had a very slim and attractive build, her suit skintight. He recognized this quarian; the one who made him feel safe. The doctor he could trust. The good doctor.

"Ah, you must be Doctor Shiya," Kaso greeted, lowering his omni-tool, "I'm glad you were able to come. Veetor has been most uncooperative."

"What did he request?" Elan'Shiya asked, taking a scan of Veetor. For a brief second, Veetor felt entranced with her eyes and stunning veil. Blue. That was his favourite color. It reminded him of the ocean; long and calm, full of tranquility. Just like Elan'Shiya. She had been his medical practitioner onboard the Rayya and they had slowly become acquanited. However, Veetor felt a strong feeling in his chest whenever he was near her. He didn't know what it was, but it always seemed to be there when she was near.

Kaso sighed, "He requested to see his parents. I told him-"

"Then that's exactly what he needs, you primal idiot," Elan scolded, "Veetor is traumatized and needs proper care, not some doctor prodding him with an omni-tool," Elan's voice became softer as she turned to Veetor, "Veetor, you're coming with me back to the Rayya. You'll be able to see your parents. I'm sure you're absolutely exhausted. Don't worry, you're pilgrimage has been cancelled. Captain Kar'Danna has made you crew of the Rayya."

Kaso fumed, "Under who's juristiction-"

"That of captain Kar'Danna vas Rayya." Elan slapped in.

"A captain has-"

"Kar has no authorization on the Neema, I know that you bosh'tet," Elan interrupted again, snapping towards Kaso and taking a menacing step towards him, "But Veetor is a member of the Rayya's crew and a captain's responsibility and authority extends to crew, no matter the vessel they harbor. And if that's not enough, Admirals Gerrel, Raan and Koris authorized the transfer themselves, as have I, as medical officer of the Rayya. Come Veetor, you're going home."

Veetor nodded eagerly and followed behind Elan, the woman dismissing Kaso with a wave. The man snorted as he went back to his desk, not happy with the events that had just transgressed. Veetor wringed his hands as he caught up with Elan, moving into a stroll next to the woman as they approached the shuttle bay.

"Doctor, thank you for taking me back," Veetor thanked.

Elan simply nodded, "It was per the parental request you be brought back and Captain Kar'Danna isn't known for rejecting the requests of his crew. Besides, the last thing you need is Kaso poking at you. The man's obsessive."

Veetor continued to smile as they continued towards the shuttle bay. He couldn't wait to see his parents again. His nightmare was over.

For now.

**"And so now, we went off to save the Archangel. The Guardian of Omega. Sentinel of the Innocent. So many names, but we only had one for him."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"I don't know. I think I used to know him as the Bosh'tet."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"True. Anyway, we joined up as freelancers for the Blue Suns. Now all we needed to do was head out to the district Archangel was in. It wasn't just a recruitment mission now; it was a rescue op."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

_**Author's Notes:** _

For all those who were begging for a Veetor/Elan fanfic, I've made an exception. Instead of making an entire independent fanfiction for it, I've decided to go with just implementing it into Prophecy and possibly the last two sequels. I won't be focusing on it too much, but at least you get alittle of what you want.

Also, have any of you played Metro: Last Light? If not, I recommend buying it. It is a game with fantastic atmosphere and characters. It also has a great soundtrack, with one particular track being very sad. If you want to know the name of the track, it's called 'Redemption.' Great game. Failed as a horror game in my opinion, but was better as a great story driven game. Try it out.


	13. Conflict Arising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the present, the Dominion-Covenant conflict continues.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER TWELVE:**

**CONFLICT ARISING**

_June 6, 2251_

_1838 hours._

_Main Bridge, Archangel-Class Battleship CSV Blood Horizon HA-6, Maginot Line, Athena Nebula._

_Terra-Rannoch War._

_Captain Xerxes vas Blood Horizon._

"Sir, we're picking up activity near Thessia."

"Tag and track. Inform orbital control. Maintain position."

"Copy. Activity being tracked. Intel relayed to Orbit."

Xerxes sat back in his command chair. The numerous human and quarian crew members on the bridge were idle, either performing stationary tasks or just sitting there, nothing to do. That's what orbital postings usually were; boring. They got plenty of action from Covenant raiders, but nothing out of the ordinary and those usually happened once a week. The Covenant would consolidate a small task force, then throw themselves at them. They would be obliderated by the Maginot defensive line and they would repeat.

The Maginot Line was located in the once inhabited Athena Nebula, in the Parnitha system. The defensive formation was located above the planet Tevura, where the border between Dominion and Non-Dominion space was formed. The Maginot Line was named after the great defensive line used in WWI by the French and briefly during World War II on Earth. During the First World War, it was known as an impenetrable defense which is why this defensive line was christened in it's name.

The Maginot Line was powerful. After the firing of the Crucible to end the Reaper threat during the Reaper War, many of the mass relays were disabled, mostly along the border to the currently known Dominion space. How perfectly convenient. The only large formation of relays still active for use in the region was in the old nebula, which is why the line was constructed. The Line consisted of numerous orbital gun stations, all with high-powered thanix main guns and a large fleet consisting of ships from the Systems Coalition, Quarian Totalitarian Republic and the Krogan Confederacy. All spearheaded by the pride of the quarian/geth fleet, the Deep Savannah; a massive dreadnought-carrier captained by Lord Admiral Nizo'Gerrel vas Deep Savannah; Han'Gerrel's eldest daughter.

The more Xerxes looked upon Thessia, the more he felt deep sorrow for the asari people. The geth platform known as Xerxes was constructed shortly before the Battle of Constantinople, seventeen years after the war began. A friend of his, a drell by the name of Kolyat Krios, had told him about the asari's dreadful fate. During the early days of the war, the Council, when they still controlled the Citadel, had tried to intervene in the Human-Batarian conflict by sending envoy ships. This failed when the vessels were shot down by the coalition vessels, causing total war to erupt.

The asari became the first target of the Coalition. It was a horrible, drastic fate and they were utterly ruthless in their war against the asari. Xerxes had been programmed to believe the asari had started the war by ordering a nuclear strike on Earth, but the drell's words had told him otherwise. By the time the turians and salarians finally intervened, the asari had only the Parnitha system left, and that didn't last long. The remnants of the asari navy put up an amendable fight, but from the losses they suffered during the conflict with the reapers, they were no match for the combined coalition's forces. The war was quickly taken to Thessia itself and it hadn't been long before the bombs fell; nuclear fire decimating Thessia.

What was left of the once beautiful planet was a desolate wasteland; Tuchanka's successor in blood. The asari fled for all it was worth; with the asari military reduced to nothing and the republic crumbling around them, they had no choice but to flee. It got even worse when the Second Battle of the Citadel broke out, with the coalition invading the Citadel. Thanks to sleeper agents produced by the Coalition's new intelligence agency, Prometheus, they managed to disable the Citadel's defensive systems and the fleet poured in. They didn't stand a chance. During the commotion, the council was assassinated and the asari's fall was complete. What was left of their proud race was now scattered amongst the stars, a shadow of their former glory. The Justicars were also nothing but a shattered memory, the last of them, Samara, having gone into hiding.

So there it was Thessia; nothing but a floating rock of slag, it's beauty sapped away like water on a stream. He shook the thoughts from his head. He was geth and had only two purposes; to serve the quarian republic and defend it's glory; and to destroy the enemies of Rannoch. If he had to nuke a few more worlds, so be it. For the glory of the republic, he kept telling himself.  _All of them are acceptable losses._

"Sir, activity build up. I think it's another attack."

Xerxes immediately sat up, "Inform the Deep Savannah. Raise shields and charge up the thanix gun. Load up the missile banks. Give me a view of the Parnitha relay. Sound the general's quarters."

He watched as the relay came up on the main view screen, the relay scorched and numerous pieces missing; all after effects of the event known as the Thessian Fallout. One by one, numerous sections of the ship reported in. Engineering, Mess, Security, Armoury, Port and Starboard Cargo, Port and Starboard Guns and finally the bridge. With all units called in and ready for battle, he waited. Before long, his communications officer reported back.

"The Deep Savannah reports that the fleet is being mobilized. We've been ordered to cover the left flank and all orbital guns are waiting for target priortization. Savannah moving to front of formation and Admiral Gerrel has ordered the fleet to assume arrowhead formation."

Xerxes nodded for the navigation officer to perform the task, watching as the battleship moved into position infront of the left flank, where a single carrier and it's destroyer escorts were assuming battle formations, a large picket of interceptors acting as a mobile shield for the carrier. Before long, the relay began to pulse with blue energy. The batarian ships were coming through.

The first covenant ship was a batarian cruiser, followed by numerous turian frigates and virtual alien keyships. The turians were another race who had been fractured by the war; however, it was due to their own self-destruction. After the Palaven Revolution, the turian military splintered and their allegiances became disjointed. Some joined the Coalition, while others became mercenary companies, joined the Covenant or simply destroyed themselves. Palaven itself, along with the Apien Crest, was now within Earth's realm of occupation. The Virtual Aliens owed their existence to the turians and therefore joined them out of allegiance. Before they knew it, the enemy fleet had turned fully and were moving with all speed towards them.

"Target the lead warships and fire the missile pods. Leave the flagship to the Savannah. Helm, bring us full starboard, all broadside." Xerxes ordered.

He felt the ship tilt slightly as they moved into attack position and he caught a glimpse of the enemy fleet opening fire. Streaks of MAC rounds and missiles shot through space, impacting the Maginot. Most of the attacks were focused on the Savannah, which, like most dreadnoughts of the current age, possessed shields adapted from Reaper technology. Essentially, all the shots pinged off harmlessly and the Savannah responded with a bright green beam of light; a sight that would have terrified them back in the Reaper War. The weapon cut through space and impacted the lead batarian cruiser, bypassing it's barriers and slicing the ship cleanly in half, explosions ripping through the ship's hull as it died. Xerxes quietly contemplated on the ship's total crew.

Two moments after assuming attack position, he was informed of a flotilla of turian frigates and two lead virtual alien keyships, he ordered the missile pods to be unloaded for the Falcon Compass, the fleet's carrier, to deploy bomber wings to harass the enemy keyships, as they were by far the most powerful of the covenant's fleet. The reason they were named keyships was due to their design. Shaped like a key, pure and simple. Keyships were probably on par with a dreadnought in terms of armor, but when it came to actual weapons and shields, they were as weak as a light cruiser.

The Blood Horizon's starboard side lit up with weapons fire as numerous missiles erupted from it's weapons banks, homing in on their enemies. One of the turian frigates tried to evade the first salvo, as it was directly in the brunt of the attack's path, but soon found it's shields annilhated and armor ripped to shreds, leaving the ship helpless. It was soon finished off, along with a few other disabled frigates by the returning bomber squadrons after they finished distracting the keyships.

One of the keyships actually managed to close the distance with Xerxes' battleship, but it didn't really matter to him. Before he had time to fire the thanix cannon, one of the planet's orbital guns fired a thanix missile directly into the ship's bow, literally shearing the ship's bow off and leaving a gaping hole where the ship's crew flew into space. It didn't take long for his ship to finish it off with a few shots of the GARDIAN turrets.

The second keyship attempted to regroup with the rest of the failed assault, but, once again, one of the orbital guns didn't give it a single chance as it scored a direct hit on the ship's engines, disabling the vessel and allowing pursuing corvettes to pick it off. Seeing that that the bulk of the enemy force had focused on their center, he didn't worry too much. For a faction that had turians on their side, they weren't very strategically aware. Attacking the enemy's center is a suicide maneveur, especially when the Savannah and the majority of their heavy forces; meaning the geth and krogan vessels, were focused there. The krogan ships and the geth merely seemed to team up on them, laying waste to the enemy while the Savannah ripped apart the enemy keyships.

Then came the final phase of the battle; the enemy's routing. Taking what was left of their woefully equipped fleet, the enemy retreated back through the relay, the line securing another victory. As he announced secure from battlestations and ordered the ship to return to it's original patrol position, he pondered on why the Covenant just threw ships at them. It was almost like they were probing; trying to get a feel for where their forces were...

Whatever it was, Xerxes dismissed. Right now, he had just received a message from the collective on Rannoch stating that the Republic had just approved sending a republican envoy, strictly quarian representatives with a krogan bodyguard lead by Battlelord Urdnot Grunt, to Alpha, the capital of Sanctum territory.

Hopefully it went better than the Covenant peace treaties those ended in perputuated war. And dead politicians.

What was the point anyway? What was keeping them from simply nuking the enemy homeworlds? They had the fleets, the resources and the men. What was stopping them? Even politicians had to understand that the Dominion was superior in terms of resources, military, politics, colonial advancement and overall imperial strength. Destroying the Covenant should have been a simple matter.

Something wasn't right. He got the feeling that the geth and the quarians, hell, maybe all the species of the Dominion, were being played. Like pieces on a chessboard.

And he felt like the person pulling the strings was close to a checkmate.

* * *

 

_June 11, 2251_

_1226 hours._

_Docking Bay 1029, Dyuko District, Sanctum Financial Zone, Alpha._

_Terra-Rannoch War._

_Ambassador Veetor'Nara pav Rome, Baltazar, Pythagoras, Aristotle, Battlelord Urdnot Grunt._

Alpha. What had decades ago been known as Omega. Funny how something can turn from a rotten, stinking sinkhole into a place that even rivalled the Citadel in beauty. Many would consider the Sanctum the last great remnants of the Council; a symbol of the once thriving galactic community that had been extinguished by greed, lust and conflict. What was supposed to be a peaceful golden age had turned into political power after political power battling it out for supremacy on the galactic stage.

Aria had once been the queen of Omega, now it seemed her daughter, Sata, was the Empress of Alpha. If he could, he'd be putting up posters of just how peaceful Sanctum is compared to the rest of the shithole the galaxy had turned into; Palaven reduced to a disgraced state, Thessia nuked beyond habitation, Irune and Dekunna shocked into pacification and submission and the Raloi's homeworld only remains because the Dominion allows it through blackmail. The only ones to survive the shittopia were Kahje and Sur'Kesh, the latter of which was grasping for dear life anyway.

So Alpha, in all it's greatness, was essentially the homeworld for many. The asari saw it as a homeworld, the volus and the elcor saw it as a safe haven and the salarians saw it as a stage of operations. He'd have suggested calling it Sanctuary, but they all saw how that name worked during the Reaper War and what a fuckfest that ended up being.

As they walked through the prestine hallways towards the Council's chambers. The place was a bussle of activity; asari, elcor, volus and people of numerous species walking around freely. There were even geth, quarians and humans; mostly people who wanted nothing to do with the ruthless policies of the Dominion and wanting to be free of the conflict. Humans and their quarian wives or husbands moved around freely, children inbetween them. Science really had come a long way. And it had been all because of Shala'Raan and Tali'Shepard. Ancestors bless them.

"This place is too peaceful," Grunt moaned, "I need something to kill."

Veetor huffed, but before he could respond, Pythagoras beat him to it, "We have come here on a diplomatic mission, Grunt-Battlelord, not to ascertain violence. Veetor-Ambassador, I think it would be better judgment only to allow me, Aristotle and Baltazar inside. The latter are battle platforms and will be able to protect you just as much as a krogan guard will."

Grunt snorted, "I said I was hungry for battle; didn't say I was going to rush out and meet it. I'll keep my hunger under. For now."

Veetor nodded, motioning for them to follow as they pushed through the crowd. As Veetor looked around, he spotted a yahg walking by, looking very suspicious. He thought he had caught the lumbering beast watching him earlier. He decided to let it go as they moved inside the Council Building; the original location of Afterlife itself apparently.

His three geth companions weren't that uncommon of a sight to him; he sees them basically all the time. Baltazar and Aristotle were both battle platforms, being fully equipped for battle. Baltazar was good at hand-to-hand and with assault rifles while Aristotle preferred the scope. Pythagoras was just an ambassadorial unit, made for that sole purpose. Baltazar was a deep shade of dark black, his platform being that of a geth shock trooper. Aristotle was more of a geth destroyer model, but with a different paint job; instead of typical crimson red, he was a more green and red. Pythagoras was a blue color, using the standard 'trooper' design. Baltazar carried a heavy pulse rifle while carrying a few plasma grenades. Aristotle had a Titan anit-material rifle and medium armor.

It didn't take long for them to arrive outside the door; the group being stopped by what looked to be raloi bodyguards. Raloi looked alike what humans would call gorillas, but with a more developed face and much more slim in shape. They held assault rifles and shotguns and didn't look all too welcoming of a trio of geth and a squad of heavily-armed krogan bodyguards ending up at their doorstep.

"I'm Ambassador Nara of the Quarian Republic and I represent the quarian people," Veetor began his introduction before turning to his geth companion, "This is Pythagoras, ambassador to the geth people. We have come here on peaceful terms. I assure you that the dominion wishes no harm against the sanctum or its people."

"Sounds like a load of horseshit," One of the asari guards, who he hadn't noticed, spoke up, "You bastards destroyed my people and my homeworld. You wanted redemption? You could have at least given us a new home!"

Veetor shook his head, "I regret what the Dominion did to Thessia, but I find myself amused by your statement. Doesn't your situation mirror my people's in many respects? Maybe this is the ancestors way of wreaking retribution upon those who caused my people misery and melancholy. So you think of that while you're condemning my people for unfair conduct. You brought it upon yourselves. We were merely the ancestor's sword. Their judgment is unquestionable. Now, as I have said before, we are here on peaceful terms. We do not wish to incite conflict."

The asari was about to call out again when one of the raloi held out a hand infront of her. The asari's building biotic power had been growing until she stopped at the sight of the raloi's hand, both sides turning to watch the guard.

"I just got confirmation from the Council," the guard announced, "You've been given clearence. I'll have you and your men escorted to the main chambers. They'll be waiting for you."

The door opened and they followed the raloi inside, immediately finding a security checkpoint waiting for them. Veetor walked through along with his guard, the scanners going off almost immediately. They were immediately dismissed however by the rachni checkpoint master. Veetor was carrying a heavy pistol as personal protection. Rachni weren't all that familiar on stations like Alpha, as they preferred to keep to themselves. Their homeworld was in Dominion space, but they were bound to the Declaration of Galactic Unification, written by Marcus Shepard himself, which stated strictly that the rachni were to be left alone and that any rachni systems were not allowed to be colonized by a foreign power, which meant that rachni multiracial colonies didn't exist. However, the rachni had to assist an allied power in times of war, which meant the rachni were peripheral support for the Dominion's empire.

Rachni fleets and armies were devastating and it was a good thing they hadn't been called upon yet. If they had, taking Titan, the defacto capital of Covenant space and all it's inner colonies would have been not only too easy, but a complete genocidal slaughter. But just because the rachni were allies, didn't make trusting them any easier.

The council building was a wreathing mass of mazes and micro-structures, but it didn't take long before they reached the heart of the building; the chambers. It was of odd design, upon exiting the elevator they entered a massive circular room with a raised platform ten meters above which had a desk type furniture ontop where five empty diases were located; the council members. On the floor of the massive room was the Sanctum's insignia; it was basically the spectre's original one, but rearranged to symbolize the unity that Sanctum provided.

Standing in the middle of the room, Baltazar lead Grunt and his squad to a position circling the room. Aristotle, whilst unnoticed, had activated it's tactical cloaking device and run off to locate a good sniping position; apparently he wasn't the only one to be weary of the yahg outside.

It wasn't long before the Council members moved in. The first was the asari empress of Alpha, Sata, moved to the middle third platform, whilst the raloi councilor took position on her left, the salarian on her right, the hanar on the salarian's right and the drell on the raloi's left. It was common knowledge that the drell had reclaimed their homeworld and built a political empire that had rivalled the human empire. Of course, this was only because the dominion supplied them with arms and technology with the hope the drell would be bound to them by oath; another ally in the growing war with the Covenant.

Veetor straightened his stance as Pythagoras took position on his left, also straightening his posture. It was funny; Veetor never would have thought he'd go from the psychologically ill quarian who had a stupid crush on his doctor to being one of the most influential politicians in the quarian republic. Plus he finally got to marry Elan. He sighed in sadness as he remembered her death all those years ago. Taken by the enemy but avenged by him. Oh yes, he avenged her. It was that day that Veetor had defeated his fears. By then however, it was too late to enjoy it.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he looked up as Sata spoke.

"Ambassador Nara, you have come to us with the premise of peace. Not exactly something you picture when thinking of the Dominion," Sata stated.

Veetor nodded, "The Dominion is known for many things, but never as negoitators. I know we've been ruthless in the past, but the Praetor and the Prime Candidates have stated their desires for peace. This war with the Covenant has been going on long enough. We need to destroy them once and for all if we are to repair this galaxy. It would be a disgrace to the Avatar's name if we didn't." The Avatar was the name given to Marcus Shepard by the quarian people. To humans, it would mean 'Greatest Knight.'

"You destroyed his name when you began this charade," The raloi councilor spoke up, "You used his name as a scapegoat for your genocide. It is because of you that Thessia lies in ruin and Palaven is but a memory."

"All mistakes. Ones that can be redeemed," Veetor replied.

"Redeemed? Thessia will take tens of thousands of years to recover from the destruction you have unleashed upon it. And another million for the environment to return to it's former glory. A million years too long. The quarians at least had a world to return to, we don't have any! You destroyed my people's pride and dignity!" Sata retorted.

Veetor wanted to retort but couldn't. She was right; the Dominion was meant to be a consolidation of the 'inferior' races of the galaxy; to show the strength of what those four species could do; humanity, quarians, geth and krogan. Instead, they had become the nightmares of a child's mind. Asari children cannot go to sleep at night without the thought of quarian and human soldiers raiding their homes and butchering their families. The images of the bombs dropping on cities, massacring thousands; hell, millions. Billions. And if this war continued, that number would soon rise to the trillions. The Dominion had become corrupted; the morals were wrong, the politics was wrong, everything about it was wrong. The Coalition ceased to exist after the reaper war; what exists now is but a dead, evil husk.

Before Veetor could say anything, a sniper shot rang out. Before he could ask what was going on, a quarian mercenary fell from the upper decks and onto the ground, marksman rifle clattering next to them. Aristotle's voice came into his earpiece.

"Creator Nara, mercenary forces detected. Mostly yahg, quarians and geth. Insignia suggests Shadow Broker."

Veetor cursed his luck, turning to his guards, "Copy that Aristotle. Cover us. We're going to evac to the ship. We're hightailing out of here," he then turned off his earpiece and spoke to his group, "Grunt, you're finally going to get what you want. You're taking point. Baltazar, cover me and Pythagoras, we're taking the rear. Aristotle will give us sniper support."

Grunt let out a slow methodical chuckle, before equipping his Claymore Mark IV shotgun, leading his squad outside. Veetor turned to see the Council being evacuated.  _Good, don't have to deal with that._ Veetor immediately followed behind Baltazar, who had equipped his heavy pulse rifle and was protecting the rear with two other krogan soldiers.

_Why would the Shadow Broker be trying to kill me? I thought he was on our side? Damn, I knew we couldn't trust him. Information brokers don't work for a certain side; they're like mercenaries. They'll work for any side who's willing to pay up._

The security checkpoint was a jossle of activity. The rachni guarding the checkpoint was mutilating a quarian female merc before it was picked up by a large, juvenile yahg and ripped in half, the towering beast letting out a roar of defiance. Krogan were big, but yahg eclipsed him completely. They had to be the size of a YMIR mech and three times as strong.

Grunt didn't show any sign of caring though; he charged the yahg, unloaded a single round from his weapon into the yahg's midsection. It's barriers took the brunt of the blast, but staggered, allowing Grunt to bypass his shields and fire a single shot into the beast's head. It exploded in a shower of gore and Grunt simply used the beast's body to crush a geth that had been using it as cover.

Two more geth troopers tried to flank them, but Aristotle dealt swiftly with them with two, clean headshots; they're optics exploding in a flurry of sparks and ripped metal. Baltazar's shields phased as a quarian vanguard hit him with a warp field before charging at the geth like a biotic missile. However, instead of strafing, Baltazar met the quarian midflight, using the butt of it's weapon to hit him across the head, throwing him into the ground. Before the quarian could get up, Baltazar crushed his head with his foot, using his rifle to gun down two charging geth.

With most of the shadow broker's forces eliminated, Veetor charged through the door.  _That was was too easy._ Just as the door opened and Grunt and his team rushed past him, he saw just why the shadow broker had barely attacked them. They were merely delaying them.

For the very bomb that sat before him.

" _ **Shit! Double back! Double-**_ "

The explosion drowned out his words.

* * *

 

_June 11, 2251_

_1310 hours._

_{UNKNOWN LOCATION}_

_Shadow Broker Liara T'Soni._

"Miss T'Soni?"

Liara snapped her attention to the floating drone before, turning away from the data she had been analyzing. Alot of information, so much of it and so little time to dig through it. She was convinced that the raloi councilor on Alpha was dirty and when she went through more of his private info, found that he was an informant feeding intelligence to the Covenant. She had sent her mercs to assassinate him and she was waiting for them to report in.

Glyph, her info drone and VI assistant, continued, "Mercenary Forces dispatched to Alpha to eliminate Councilor Arhak have reported back as assassination failed. Council was evacuated before assassination could complete. Bomb detonated and has put Ambassador Nara in a comatose state along with damaging a couple of geth platforms and injuring Battlelord Grunt."

Liara slammed a fist into the console, "Those idiots! Now the Dominion will think I've gone double agent! And is Grunt okay? Will he survive?" She hadn't known Grunt all that much, but he had served on Marcus' crew during the fight against the collectors and war against the reapers, so she needed to know he was okay.

"Battlelord Grunt is the perfect krogan. He has a regeneration rate superior to average krogan and vorcha. It is most likely that Urdnot Grunt has recovered sufficiently to only be suffering from a limp, which will most likely disappear after some medical attention. Regeneration only works with flesh, not bones."

"As I'm aware, Glyph. Thank you. And also have the lieutenant in charge of that operation report to me immediately. We need to talk."

"Lieutenant Vass'Teel was conducting the operation from this base. She is waiting outside."

"Then bring her in."

With that, the door opened and Vass stepped inside.

"You wanted to see-"

She never finished as Liara unholstered her pistol and emptied five clips into the quarian's head, killing her instantly.

"I don't need incompetent field commanders," Liara declared, holstering her pistol and she ordered nearby units to remove the body, "She probably cost me some of the Dominion's resources. Now I have to rectify this. This is the bit I hate; political chess."

"Would you like me to get you a line to the Praetor, Miss T'Soni?"

"Yes, Glyph. That would be nice. Get this sorted out before it all falls apart."

And so another period of tedious work began. She really needed to look at hiring competent people.

* * *

 

_July 6, 2251_

_1242 hours._

_Main Living Room, Shepard Residence, Savior's Canyon, Rannoch._

_Mistress of the High Senate Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch, Commander Reia'Inas pav Earth, Interrogation Subject 001._

Tali handed him the cup of coffee as she sat down. She smiled as she watched him sip the drink. Marcus was slowly starting to come back to her; and after a few more months of interrogation, he would have all his memories back and she would have him again. Not that that was a good thing. She was incredibly old; Marcus hadn't aged a day. She would die soon, leaving him all alone. Did she really want to bring her husband back only to subject him to a lonely life?

Reia seemed to melt in the background as she seemed to be in a happy conversation with Carter. She ignored them mostly because she hated Prometheus. To think she worked for them at one point. Instead, she went back to sipping her own dextro coffee while Marcus sipped his own.

All of a sudden, Marcus spoke up, "Tali, just how old are you?"

Tali was taken aback by the question, but she answered respectably, "Ninety-One. As you probably know, my birthday is in August. August 3 to be precise."

Marcus chuckled without humor, "Actually, I don't remember that."

Tali let a grim smile cross her face and she gently rubbed his arm, "You will. I promise. But, answer me this. What will you do when I'm gone? I'm an old woman Mark; the only reason I've managed to live this long was due to my battles during the war and my constant work on the Senate. What will you do when I'm gone?"

Marcus shrugged, "If I'm ever released by Prometheus, I'll probably rejoin the military. Without you, I've got nothing to look forward to. The kids don't need me; they've grown up. Hell, I don't even remember us having kids."

Tali laughed, "Technically we didn't and technically we did. Don't worry; it's not artificial insemination or adoption; these are our actual kids, right down to the last strand of DNA. However, you never really saw me give birth. You were...You..."

She let that comment trail off. Both of them knew the implications of it and didn't want to think about it. It wasn't really something they needed to think about, and wasn't the main thing on both their minds. They couldn't bare the thought of not having each other. It hadn't been something they had prepared themselves for since the Eden Prime or Reaper Wars.

It wasn't long before Reia came in to ruin the mood, "So, are we ready to continue this interrogation, or what?"

"When I'm ready and Mark is ready, yes." Tali retorted.

"Prometheus' patience wears thin, Miss," Reia stated acidly.

Tali shot the woman a glare, "As Mistress of the High Senate, I have certain abilities that allow me to overrule a Promethean's request. As of now, I'm using that proxy power. So, commander, shut up and let me do the talking. If not, I'll just have to inform Promethean Command what a naughty little girl you've been."

Reia snorted and was backing off when Marcus spoke up.

"It's okay, I'm ready. I want my memory back as fast as possible," he declared.

Reia gave a sigh of relief upon his statement, "At least someone has a basic rudimentary understanding of what kind of clock we're on here."

Tali rolled her eyes again, "I have a pretty fundamental understanding of what I'm going to do to you commander if you don't shut your mouth," the quarian retorted before resting a hand on Marcus', "Now, you were at Archangel, correct?"

Marcus simply nodded and Tali got out her datapad once again.

**"Archangel was close. We knew he was. He was in a tight spot, but we were going to bail him out."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"But what happened? You make it sound like it didn't go according to plan."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Tali, nothing** _**ever** _ **goes according to plan. We did what humans do best; we wing it."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

_**Author's Notes:** _

Incase people are wondering, yes, I based Tali's birthday off of my own. Mystery solved.

If any of you are still confused about the history about the 'future' of mass effect's universe (all events transpiring after 2186 and the Reaper War), then I will make an independent information page dedicated to explaining the mythos behind it. Remember, it's only required for people who need to understand the story. Alot of the time I won't be able to explain everything in the chapter and therefore will have to leave that to the information page. However, that page won't be my main concern or focus, and all effort will go to Prophecy. However, the thought is there.


	14. Archangel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard races to save his first recruit from certain death. The identity of this recruit is both shocking, and welcome.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN:**

**ARCHANGEL**

_August 11, 2185_

_1119 hours._

_Private Room, Upper Afterlife, Dyuko District, Omega._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

"Is this where we sign up?"

Marcus and his compatriots stood in the all but empty room as the batarian blue suns merc looked up from his console, staring up at them. Apart from his console, himself, a few couches and the three of them, the room was completely empty and devoid of life.

The batarian seemed to examine him, as if looking for anything wrong his posture and overall look. If the batarian had a chance of showing any emotion, then it fell pretty damn short.

"Yeah, sure is," the batarian finally replied, "Can't say I'm not surprised though. We've had freelancers signing up all day, but none as heavily armed as you are. It's about time we got someone who looks like they can actually fight. I've put you on the list as a blue suns freelancer; just remember that this does not make you an official member of the Blue Suns, Eclipse or Blood Pack. You are a freelancer, period. Understood?"

"Perfectly," Marcus replied, "Can you tell us just what we're up against?"

The batarian scoffed, "Not a chance. I'm merely a recruiter; you'd have to ask some of the group commanders in the district area; they'll fill you in. For now though, one of our guys is waiting at the rapid transit hub to take you to our AO," The batarian then turned to look around them, "Send in the next one!"

Marcus merely shrugged as he turned to leave, Miranda and Jacob following, as always. He didn't know if he should call out the batarian on his attitude or simply beat the information out of him, but something told him he wouldn't need it. He was an N7; he could handle himself and a single mercenary, no matter how hardcore, was nothing to him.

As he was about to leave however, the door opened to reveal a young human male teenager, probably no older than 17, walked inside, orange leatherjacket and beanie on along with steel-capped boots. The typical adolescent trying to act tough. Not only that, but this kid had a M-3 Predator pistol in his grip and was heading for the terminal. This teenager actually wanted to sign a death warrant only to have himself thrown at a highly-trained mercenary. No, he wasn't going to allow this.

He held out his arm, halting the kid who fixed him with an annoyed glare, "What?" The kid blurted out rather frustratingly.

Marcus fixed him with a hard glare, "I've think you've got the wrong place."

The kid snorted, "No, it's the place. I asked the recruiter outside; he said this is where I sign up to take on Archangel. And that's just what I'm going to do."

"Kid, this stuff isn't like what you see in movies. You're going to get yourself killed," Marcus stated, "This mercenary is dangerous and if you're not careful, you can end up a dead body on the street. Is that what you want?"

The young man simply didn't care, trying to push Marcus aside but failing due to the man's stronger grip and posture, deciding to shout in his face instead, "Let go of me, old man! What I do is none of your business!" He then pulled out his predator and waved his weapon infront of the man like a trophy, "Besides, I paid 30 credits for this thing and I plan to use it."

Marcus then immediately knew how to get the message across to the rebellious teenager. He let go of him and snatched the cheap looking pistol out of the man's grip and before the kid could object, he repeatedly smashed the pistol against the wall. Either due to his enhanced strength or merely because of cheap mass-production, the predator came away from his bashing a broken piece of hardware; the heat sink now damaged beyond usage. With a satisfied look, he tossed the pistol at the kid's feet, the man looking distraught at looking upon his now useless weapon.

"Trust me, you'll thank me for it later." Marcus stated and before the kid could even retort, his squad and himself had left the private room, leaving Afterlife behind as they approached the rapid transit hub they had seen to the right of the building. They rapidly approached a skycar that had a blue suns batarian leaning against it, the mercenary looking incredibly bored. Upon seeing the trio approaching, he stood up.

"You must be the freelancers the recruiter just radioed in about," the batarian declared before motioning to the vehicle, "Get in. I'll take you to the Den. It's where we've got Archangel holed up. Won't be long before we get him and with your help, I think we'll win."

Marcus simply gave a dark grin under his helmet upon the man's words, moving to sit inside the back of the vehicle, followed quickly by Jacob and Miranda, the merc sitting in the driver's seat.  _You won't win, but Archangel will. It's that man's lucky day._

With that, the skycar took off and sped off into Omega's skyline, heading for Archangel's hideout; the turian unaware of his approaching rescuers.

**{Loading...}**

_August 11, 2185_

_1143 hours._

_Reconfigured Mercenary Base, Abandoned Shopping Plaza, Joto District, Omega._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

The skycar landed with a thump and the doors flew open. Marcus immediately stepped out, seeing that the overall layout of the repulsive backwater station hadn't changed much from the area they just left. The Joto District wasn't all that fancy, although apparently it had been abandoned for quite a while; a testament to Omega's original rulers. That's why it was called the Joto District; In asari, Joto meant 'abandoned'. Now he saw why.

It didn't take long for Miranda and Jacob to follow behind him and he watched as the skycar took off once again, disappearing into the station's vast city as it returned to pick up further recruits. Walking up the steps, he saw many mercenaries hanging around; mostly Eclipse and Blue Suns. The Eclipse were mostly working on numerous defense mechs; mostly LOKI and FENRIS mechs, while the Blue Suns seemed to be impressed by the fresh meat sent in their battle against Archangel.

Finally, they arrived at the top and was greeted by yet another batarian blue suns merc.  _Do they have a fetish for these guys? Did the batarians subjugate the Blue Suns while I wasn't looking? I thought the turians were the dominant race in this merc company._

"Finally Tarak gets some men who looks like they can actually fight," The batarian stated, "The name's Salkie, and by am I glad to see some hardened soldiers sent into the fight. Archangel's been annihilating our men one by one and even the Eclipse's mechs can't do it. Hell, even managed to disable Tarak's Mantis Gunship with just his sniper rifle. But with our new YMIR mech and you guys, I think it's only a matter of time before we get him."

"Who's Tarak? And why do you seem to be having so much trouble with this guy?" Marcus asked, geniunely curious. He knew Archangel was good, but this guy seemed to good. Even he couldn't take down three major mercenary companies without having to fall back at least once.

"He's the leader of the Blue Suns in this district and acts as the umbrella commander for our 'alliance' with the other merc companies. He basically runs this entire operation," Salkie informed him, "As for Archangel; he's got good ground. There's a bridge seperating us from the Den and so far it's been the only way to get to him; and that's just his killing ground. The man's such a good sniper that he slaughters our men before they make it across. Ruthless butchery. However, that's changed. Tarak's got a new plan that involves sending an infiltration team along with the freelancers. With luck, he'll be too focused on you guys to bother with our infiltrators. Then we take him out."

Marcus nodded, "Thank you for the information."

Salkie nodded, "Sure. You should check in with Sergeant Cathka when you're ready; he's down near the bridge in the prefab armoury we set up; he's still trying to get Tarak's gunship up and running again. Archangel really fucked up that thing's ignition system. Cathka's had to replace it."

Salkie then left, leaving the trio alone. Making sure noone was listening in, he keyed his comm to the Normandy. He might not like the idea of an AI onboard the ship, but unlike Tali, he'd be able to see the tactical advantages of it. It didn't take long for EDI's voice to speak up.

"Yes, commander?"

"EDI, I need you to access the schematics for the Joto District, Abandoned Shopping Plaza. Can you find me an alternate route into the Den that doesn't require crossing that bridge?"

"Checking...," EDI replied. Seconds later, she replied, "I've completed my scans and I've found no new data. All data points towards the bridge being the only way across. There is an access junction located behind the Den, but without access to Omega's entire mainframe, I won't be able to gain access for you as it has a password override that hasn't been used for centuries."

Marcus cursed under his breath, "Thank you EDI, let me know if you find anything else." With that, he cut the comm and turned to Miranda and Jacob, the latter of which had a grin on his face.

"No way around, so we've got to help Archangel somehow. Only to do that is to severely hamper their efforts to kill him."

"Precisely," Marcus stated, "They said they had a YMIR mech and that Cathka was fixing their gunship. If one of you can find a way to reprogram that YMIR like Wilson did the mechs on Lazarus Station, I'll deal with Cathka."

The rest was old news. Marcus went around trying to pry information from the merc leaders. Jaroth, the district salarian eclipse leader of the eclipse apparently lost his brother in a red sand drug running operation when he was killed by Archangel and his team. Jaroth had sworn to avenge his brother's death while also wanting to stop the turian's attacks on his drug operations. Just another scumbag to kill in the end.

Garm, the district krogan blood pack leader wasn't much better but definitely much more aggressive. When he talked to Jaroth, the salarian seemed to be uncomfortable even talking to him, but he at least tried subtlety. With Garm, the krogan simply didn't care. He made Marcus feel like a parasite, the krogan seeming to be disgusted by the human's patience. His vorcha troops were also pets to him, as he witnessed the krogan casually kill the animal with his powerful claymore shotgun in a demonstration of his impatience with him.

Then, finally, came Tarak, the leader of the Blue Suns and a batarian. What do you know. He wasn't Garm in the overly aggressive factor but he was still pretty hostile. He had found him leaning over a holo table along with numerous other group commanders, along with one of his female human lieutenants. Tarak had shown an extreme irritatability with the human and had eventually ordered his men to escort him out, saying he was too busy plotting 'Archangel's damnation' to bother with human 'filth.'" His lieutenant didn't seem too happy about that statement, but kept quiet about it. All the while, his team was undermining their operation from under their noses.

Eventually they met back up and approached Sergeant Cathka who, yet again, was a batarian, but this time had his helmet on, his eyes non-visible due to his opaque visor. The batarian's voice was deeper than the other's while also sounding more croaky.

"You Cathka?" Marcus asked.

The man simply nodded, opening his omni-tool to scan the gunship he was repairing, " _Sergeant_ Cathka," The batarian then lit a cigarette and put the butt in his mouth as he set back to work, "If you're the new meat they just sent in, then you'd better get ready. Tarak's going to launch the attack any moment now and I don't think you guys want to be fiddling around when he does."

Marcus crossed his arms, "Why's that?"

Cathka chuckled, "Because he's ordered his men to shoot anyone who pussies out, that's why. You fiddle around, you're technically pussying out, so they shoot-" Before he finished, his omni-tool beeped, loudly.

Looking out the glowing device, he nodded, "It's time! The attack's started! The infiltration team is on the move and Tarak wants all freelancers moving now! You'd better get your ass moving!"

The batarian quickly turned back to the gunship, placing a arc-welder on the crate next to him as he pulled apart the gunship's numerous panels, examining it's inner workings. Instead of leaving, Marcus quietly snuck up to the crate and looked between the batarian and the arc-welder. He seemed to hesitate for a second before picking it up and switching it on, turning back to Cathka, electric energy flowing through the tool.

Hearing the sound, Cathka stood up and demanded to know who was there, but before he could turn around, Marcus was at his side, thrusting the device into Cathka's throat. The batarian screamed in agony, but over the sound of the firefight outside, noone could hear it and would merely think of it as another freelancer falling dead. Electricity flowed through the batarian's body as well as a non-stop current of red blood flooding from the man's throat. Leaving it in his neck, Marcus dropped the man's body on the ground.

"You're working too hard," He muttered to Cathka's corpse, quickly turning around and pulling out his Valkyrie, pushing past Miranda and Jacob as they stared on in shock. The Shepard they knew didn't kill unless it was nessacary; but they had just witnessed him kill the batarian in cold-blood. Shaking themselves from their surprise, Jacob equipped his shotgun and Miranda her SMG as they rushed to follow Marcus out onto the bridge, where they saw the mass amount of dead freelancers and witnessed the infiltration team on the other side. He smiled as he slapped a fresh thermal clip into his heavy rifle.

_Let's go rescue Archangel._

**{Loading...}**

_August 11, 2185_

_1157 hours._

_Upper Level, The Den, Joto District, Omega._

_Garrus 'Archangel' Vakarian._

Here they came. The big attack. The one where the Blood Pack, Blue Suns and Eclipse finally grew some brains and attacked him in force and utilizing an infiltration team. It would be Garrus' death in the most probable outcome, but he didn't care. He stopped caring when Shepard died. He stopped caring when the mercs murdered his team and Sidonis betrayed them. He had nothing left to live for; he'd already sent his last goodbyes to his friends. He would not be coming back from this.

Through his helmet, he watched as the freelancers amassed at the barricade the mercs had set up at the end of the bridge. A futile gesture considering his vantage point and Garrus' usual MO, but he let them delude themselves into a false sense of security. Whatever helped them sleep at night. Keying his omni-tool, he entered his contacts list and hesitated over the icon of his father. Eventually, he pressed it. Solona, his sister and his mother already knew.

He didn't take long for the call to connect, the face of Hierarch Thotous Vakarian appearing on his screen, "Son? Garrus, is that you? Just where are you? I haven't heard from you in ages. The first time in awhile."

Garrus smiled as the first wave of freelancers charged. With a steady precision and a strong talon, he lowered the crosshairs over the lead freelancer, a young asari, and fired. The shot tore through her skull, throwing her body limply to the ground. He didn't hesitate in switching to his next target, an adolescent hanar. Again, his rifle recoiled in his hands, another enemy eliminated.

"And probably my last, dad," Garrus responded, "I'm on Omega."

"I hear gunshots," Thotous stated, "You in a firefight?"

"More like a slaughter house; for them," Garrus chuckled, "But it looks like they'll eventually get to me. I have to run out of thermal clips at some point. You ever heard of Archangel, dad?"

"Yes. He's that hotshot viglante that everyone calls space batman." Thotous retorted.

"Yeah, and remember how he's a turian and how he has a problem with the law? Sound familiar?"

"I see." Was Thotous' enigmatic response.

Garrus' rifle fired once, twice, thrice and finally four times, taking down four my enemies. He watched as the infiltration team slowly edged across the bridge. He tried his best to target them, but he would always get pinned by some trigger-happy freelancer or occassionally one with a grenade launcher or missile launcher. He thought he spotted a freelancer in blood red armor; the only one  _with_ armor.  _A freelancer who's armed? Probably one of the higher ranked mercs. Can't say I recognize the configuration though._

Following the armoured man was a human woman in a skin-tight catsuit holding a Tempest SMG while a man in lighter armor and coffee brown skin holding a shotgun. What got him really heated was the insignia on the woman and man's shoulders; Cerberus. What sort of bet do they have on him? He didn't remember attacking Cerberus operations; then again, the merc ops he disrupted could have been linked to Cerberus in someway.

"Thing is, I might not survive this dad," Garrus declared, lowering his sights over the heavily armoured leader. He would do it for Shepard; he owed it to the man to take down a few Cerberus scumbags. He owed to Tali, who's people were slaughtered in their own home. He owed it to his brothers-in-arms. To his best friends.

"Don't give me that attitude, son. You fight like hell and you die razing your enemy. You remember the turian motto?"

Garrus nodded, "A turian can never be broken. He has a heart of iron, a head of steel and the armor of Talos." He recited the motto completely, "I'm not a defeatist father, but if I don't make it; just remember that I always loved you. I know it sounds really cliche, but I'm out of smartass one liners to say; I think generic is just fine with me."

Thotous chuckled, "As do I. Give them hell son; I expect nothing less of a proper turian. I just want you to know-"

His father's words suddenly became background noise when he moved to kill the armoured Cerberus soldier, but he stopped. The man had just shot one of the freelancers in the back of the head before throwing another off the side of the bridge with his biotics. His two companions immediately aided in this, gunning down the freelancers one by one. The Cerberus leader reminded him of Shepard; his determination in battle, his lethal attacks and deadly efficiency. Garrus suddenly remembered a quote Shepard had taught him. A human saying.  _The enemy of my enemy is my friend._

"Father, I think my chances may have just doubled. I think I might survive this afterall," With that, he closed the commlink and immediately began assisting the Cerberus troopers. They may be the enemy, but right now their help was entirely welcome. If they proved hostile afterwards, he would kill them and go down fighting.

**{Loading...}**

_August 11, 2185_

_1208 hours._

_Lower Level, The Den, Joto District, Omega._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

The last merc desperately tried to scream as Marcus drove his omni-blade across his throat, slicing it open with a crackle of energy as the freelancer fell to the ground, suffocating. He ended his misery with a SMG burst to the head. Miranda had showed him the new add-on to his omni-tool, and he thought it was a great successor to his old knife.

Running inside, they followed behind the infiltration team. They apparently thought nothing was wrong. It didn't take them long to figure out otherwise when Miranda picked up one of the blue suns troopers carrying the bomb and slammed him back into the ground, the sounds of multiple bones shattering echoing through the room as numerous eclipse and blue suns soldiers spun to face their enemy.

Marcus shot forwards like a biotic missile, slamming into the nearest eclipse merc and sending the asari flying into a wall, her skull caving in from the impact. He immediately rose his SMG and slid into a crouch, emptying an entire clip into a Pyro's shields, using his biotics to rip the flamethrower from the merc's hand and crush it, causing it to explode in an inferno that engulfed two other mercs.

He reloaded his SMG behind cover before switching to his heavy rifle again, lowering the scope over a hiding salarian eclipse engineer, the shot ripping through his shields and the second tearing his skull open and killing him faster than he could react. In no time, the infiltration team had been neatralized. He loaded a thermal clip into his rifle before moving upstairs, weapon level. Seeing no more hostiles, he lowered it and ordered Miranda to open the door leading onto the balcony as Archangel had most likely locked it. Before she could try however, it unlocked and opened of its own accord.

He stepped inside first, rifle at his side. Standing at the edge of the balcony and looking down on the bridge was a blue-armoured turian, reaper sniper rifle across his chest and helmet obscuring his features from view. As he stepped further inside, the turian spoke.

"Impressive for Cerberus, but just because you saved my sorry ass doesn't mean I forgive and forget," The turian turned to face them, raising his rifle. Marcus' look of shock was hidden by his helmet, "So how about it? You and me? One on one."

Resisting the urge to rip off his helmet, he instead said the one name he thought of when he heard that voice, "Garrus? Garrus Vakarian, is that you?"

The turian seemed to falter and he slowly lowered his sniper rifle, "How the hell do you know that name? Does Cerberus have a dossier on me?" Marcus was confused at first but then realized that his helmet distorted his voice, alot like quarian helmets made their voices sound more synthetic then they actually were.

"No, it's just that it's a name I could hardly forget," He then reached up and took off his helmet, "Especially when we spilled blood together."

Garrus' rifle, instead of lowering further, just fell to the ground as the turian ripped off his helmet and threw it onto the couch, the turian's features barely aging a day. He looked the same as he did two years ago.

"Shepard? But how- No! NO! That's not possible! You're dead!" Garrus shouted.

"Trust me, that's what Tali's reaction was. But I promise you it's me. I'm no impostor or clone; I'm the genuine article."

"You saw Tali? I'm not surprised she freaked out! We all thought you were dead! Where the hell were you all these years? Tali was a wreck!"

"I was dead, Garrus. Two years I was dead. Expired. For intents and purposes, non-living. But Cerberus brought me back; spent alot of resources doing it to. Got a bunch of new stuff too, but I'll talk about that later. I only woke up like a week ago. And don't worry, this alliance with them is purely temporary. I work  _with_ them, not  _for_ them."

Miranda looked less than pleased at Marcus' statement while Jacob showed no reaction to it at all, probably not caring. Garrus then laughed loudly and pulled Marcus into a brotherly hug, the two of them slapping each on the back as they broke the embrace, "You crazy bastard! Wait, I need to know you're really you. Which weapon makes me cringe?"

Marcus smirked, "Shotguns."

Garrus cursed under his breath, "Damn it. I was kinda hoping they made you into a sniper rifle liking trigger happy. I need somekind of leverage against Tali and Wrex."

Marcus full on guffawed this time, "Remember on Ilos? The time when you scored that shot on that armature and then Tali saved your ass with a shotgun? Just admit it Vakarian; shotguns are supreme. They are like what Francis Kitt is to Shakespeare."

"I'd rather marry a hanar prostitute," Garrus retorted, "So, just how is Tali? Let me guess, you two kissed or something? Was it linking of suits?"

"No, that would kill her."

"I know, I'm just messing with you. But honestly, have you at least tried-"

Miranda sighed, "Don't mean to break up the little reunion, but we have Eclipse inbound across the bridge. I think they're done with freelancers and are sending in the big guns."

Garrus scowled at the Cerberus agent, but nodded, moving towards the windowsill, Marcus and his squad following, "You're right. They've tried this before; it's gutsy, I'll give them that. I guess they finally grew enough krogan testicles at their wheat farm to finally have the courage to charge the bridge. It's all for nothing though; I've got you now."

Marcus gave a mock moan, "Please don't tell me you're going to use that when you propose to a woman."

Garrus shrugged, "Nah, I was saving my best one liners for that. That was mostly from what I could scrounge up from the human's worst insults vocab. Lots of interesting stuff. But do tell me, just what is a cock goblin?"

Marcus groaned, "Something you'll never get out of me in a thousand of your lifetimes. Now, Eclipse mercs wanting to kill us? Back on track?"

"Hey, you started it," Garrus grinned before an elbow from Marcus stopped him, "Yeah, well if you were thinking of escaping, you can forget it. That bridge is the only way out. The only way we're leaving is if we can severely weaken all three of the organizations' forces and then take out their leaders which means Jaroth, Garm and Tarak have to die. Here and now. Right now, Eclipse is charging, so that means Jaroth and lots of mechs."

Before he could say much more, the giant YMIR mech Salkie mentioned before smashed through the barricade and moved forward with terrifying menace.

"Oh crap," Garrus moved to take cover, but Marcus stopped him with a solid grip on his soldier.

"Just watch," Marcus stated and so they did.

As expected, the YMIR mech immediately turned on his eclipse owners, heavy machine guns tearing into the eclipse troops and ripping them apart, while also using a rocket or two to dispose of large groups. When the mech was finally hacked back, it's shields were gone and Garrus took it out with a single shot to it's optics. By then however, the eclipse forces had been left decimated and only Jaroth and a few of his squad were left charging the bridge.

"He's all yours," Marcus declared, peppering the eclipse squad below with rifle fire as he primed a handful of grenades. Garrus nodded and lowered the sights of the eclipse leader and fired, the shot piercing the salarian's shields and punching through his left eye, the salarian's retina exploding in a fountain of blood as Jaroth fell to the ground dead. Eclipse's leader was dead.

"Yes! I've been dogging that bastard for months! Now I've nailed him and his brother. Eclipse's operations on Omega are definitely going to be alittle more than chaotic now that he's dead. Line of succession on this station is pretty vague. I guess they never expected Jaroth to actually be taken out."

Marcus filled as he tossed his grenades, the cluster landing ahead of the merc squad and immediately detonating, sending the enemy squad flying; either as full bodies or just as dismembered body parts. After eliminating the final eclipse resistance, they lowered their weapons, taking the time to reload.

"With Jaroth dead that leaves the Eclipse out of the equation. I'm surprised they never used their mechs though," Garrus declared, "That leaves just Blood Pack and Blue Suns left and if I know them as much as I think I do-"

The entire building shook as a large explosion rumbled the structure. It was only a few seconds long, but it was long enough to notice. It had come from the lower levels and from further behind the building. Garrus apparently knew where.

"That would be Garm and his cronies," Garrus stated, "If I'm right in guessing, he's just blown open the rear junction and will have forces spilling in from all three sides. There are emergency hatches that were built in case of a gas leak. Seal those to cut them off; it'll slow them down long enough for us to cripple the Blue Suns and get out of here." The turian then suddenly stopped as he turned to face the bridge, a wave of Blue Suns mercs storming the Den, "And then there's them."

Marcus knew exactly what to do, although he didn't like it, "Jacob, you stay here with Garrus and fight off those hostiles. Miranda, you're with me, we're going to seal some hatches." Jacob nodded and moved to join Garrus, who was already assuming a defensive position and Miranda simply followed him out of the room, downstairs and below, to where a door leading to the rear junction was located behind the stairs.

Marcus surveyed the area, finding nothing but empty storage crates and lockers. The place was lit in a dull, crimson red glow that seemed so intense that you'd think that emergency alarms were going off. Turning left and down a set of stairs and at the end of a corridor, was the first hatch. Marcus could already see the Blood Pack troops charging down the corridor towards them, krogan leading vorcha into battle. Without hesitation, he ordered Miranda to bombard them with warp fields while he made a run for the hatch's panel.

Before he even finished the command, Miranda had already picked up the lead krogan with her abilities and thrown him backwards into his soldiers, crushing three vorcha under his weight. He tried to get back up, but Marcus put three clean shots through his forehead with his rifle. It didn't take long to reach the panel and it was a simple matter of a quick override to lock it. With the first hatch sealed, he turned right and headed down another corridor into a large cargo bay where, located on the other side, was the second hatch.

Unlike the first however, this one was already breached and numerous vorcha were spilling out, varren trailing their sides and krogan taking point. Upon seeing the duo, they immediately opened fire, varren charging at them almost immediately. One of the varren tried to rip his head off with it's powerful jaws, but he never gave the beast a chance as he took out his shotgun and fired point blank into it's open mouth, rupturing it's face like a tomato.

Seeing that a few vorcha were trying in vain to flank him, he moved to counter, grabbing one of the snarling vorcha up and over his cover, only to slam back down infront of him as his omni-blade sprung to life, bringing the energy blade down on the vorcha's face in one swift movement, killing the creature instantly. His vorcha comrades tried to fight back with their Blood Pack Punisher SMGs, but he had already moved behind the second vorcha and knocked the weapon out of it's hands, snapping it's neck.

The third vorcha charged uselessly at him, but he simply strafed it and sliced down on it's neck with his omni-blade. Due to uncontrolled speed however, he actually decapitated the vorcha rather than slit it's neck, the animal's head rolling across the floor as it's corpse collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from the wound, never seeming to stop.

He quickly moved forward, gunning down more of the Blood Pack's forces as he went. Soon, he reached the hatch, killing a krogan that had attempted a stealthy approach. Slapping the panel, the hatch sealed, leaving only a few vorcha and a krogan inside to deal with, which were swiftly targeted and killed before they moved on to the final hatch; one located in a much more claustrophobic area.

Garrus' voice flooded into his ears, "Shepard, how's it going with those hatches? These Blue Suns are getting persistent."

He keyed his helmet comm to respond, "Two hatches locked down tight. Moving on to final hatch, should be done soon. Shepard out."

With that, Miranda and himself moved into a corridor full of piping and abandoned cargo. Obviously an area meant for forklifts. And what was waiting for them at the end of the corridor; a vorcha pyro, it's flamethrower levelled at them as it pulled the trigger. A jet of flame hit empty space as the two of them dove for cover, hot fury burning through the space they had previously occupied.

He knew just how to dispatch of this nuisance. He signalled Miranda to distract the vorcha while he got his rifle levelled at it's exposed back; a flame tank strapped there. While the vorcha was busy trying to torch the Cerberus agent, he moved out of cover and fired a single shot into the tank, causing a spark of flame to pop out. Firing a second, he shot ignited the exposed gas and caused the tank to rupture, an explosion of flame enrupturing the vorcha and his comrades, the blood pack soldiers screaming in agony as they were burnt alive.

They quickly rushed past them and turned the corner on their right, where the corridor leading to the final hatch appeared. A large looking krogan with numerous varren and vorcha around him stood in a corridor behind the hatch and fixed eyes with Marcus. The two of them seemed to stare each other down before they charged, but not at each other; but for the hatch switch. However, due to the krogan's weight and Marcus' cybernetics, the latter was able to reach the hatch long before the krogan could, sealing it. The krogan dived under it, but was caught under the hatch, the door digging into the krogan's flesh before the force of the thing sliced him clean in half.

Ignoring the gory sight, they returned to the Den. He tried to comm Garrus and Jacob, but he had gotten no response. With ever increasing worry, he double timed it back to the Den and once inside, found the source of Garrus' problem; a massive krogan with a claymore shotgun and blood red blood pack heavy armor stood in the middle of the room, ordering his vorcha soldiers to search the room piece by piece.

Before the krogan, who he recognized as Garm, could move however, he had fired a single shot at the vorcha closest to him, dropping the creature and causing Garm to spin towards him in rage. He cried a battle cry and ordered his troops to attack Marcus.

"Kill them! I'll deal with Archangel!" Garm bellowed before charging up the stairs. Marcus wouldn't let that happen. With renewed determination, he charged forward bashing a few vorcha aside effortlessly. Before he could do much more, a few vorcha managed to level their rifles at him and fire, downing his shields. But they were soon met with biotic might; the ex-spectre gripping them in a azure glow before unleashing something horrible to them; he reaved them. It was something he hadn't done except to Sergeant Stirling back on Noveria two years ago.

He left Miranda to deal with the remaining vorcha, as they were hardly a threat and immediately chased after Garm. The monolithic krogan had already breached the upper level and he could hear things smashing inside along with the occassional claymore being fired. He rushed inside to see Garrus on the ground and Jacob knocked unconscious against the wall, a large bruise across his forehead and Garm stood over the turian, a wicked smile on his features as he moved to crush the turian's head with his foot.

"It's over Archangel!" Garm shouted but his foot suddenly stopped as he was thrown into a bookcase by Marcus' biotics, the human moving towards Garm with murderous rage. Garm immediately stood up, discharging his claymore at Marcus. He simply raised a biotic barrier and deflected the shot before following up with a uppercut to Garm's jaw once he was in range.

"Shepard, don't! This guy isn't a normal krogan! He'll crush you, don't be an idiot!" Garrus objected.

Marcus ignored him as he then followed with a kick to the krogan's knee, causing the krogan to fall to his feet. Before the human could continue his assault, the krogan shot an arm out and send him flying to the ground, a massive pain in the human's chest as a few of his ribs almost broke. But they didn't; his enhancements held them together.  _I'm like the bloody wolverine._

Garm picked up his shotgun and lowered it at Marcus but jerked in surprise as Marcus yanked the weapon from his grip and threw it into Garm's face. Before he knew what he was doing, he had executed a left combat roll and scooped up the krogan's dropped claymore and had stood up, raising it so it was facing Garm. The krogan simply looked doubtful; Marcus was fully aware that krogan's were the only ones with the strength to hold the heavy shotguns. But Marcus wasn't an ordinary human; he was a supersoldier.

He squeezed the trigger and the weapon discharged in his hands. The weapon kicked back against him, but he wasn't sent flying, but instead treated it like it was any other shotgun. He gave a dark smile at the look of sheer terror on the krogan's face; shields shattering in a cyclone of sparks, a huge metal slug piercing his armor and causing Garm to let out a cry of agony as he doubled back. Now was his chance.

Marcus charged forward and knocked the butt of the weapon across Garm's face, causing the krogan to be further staggered and the ex-spectre loomed over him, shotgun raised at Garm's face. Before the krogan could even cry in defiance, the weapon fired once again and the krogan's face disappeared in a flood of gore, his corpse falling to the ground, physically decapitated by the power of the super shotgun.

"Holy shit," Garrus exclaimed as he stood up, using his left arm to support himself, "What kind of shit did Cerberus give you? I've never seen a human fight a krogan in hand-to-hand before and survive; even you."

Marcus merely smirked, deciding he liked the claymore and threw away his current shotgun, switching it for the heavy shotgun, "Cerberus put alot of stuff in me when they brought me back; cybernetics included. I'm faster, stronger and can take more damage. Might even have regeneration abilities. My ribs feel like steel and I can use my biotics alot longer too."

"Sounds like you're some kind of supersoldier," Garrus remarked, snorting, "Just what we need. A man I thought was already invincible now turns up and makes krogan look like pansies. Next you'll be telling me you conquered the spirits and used the Reapers as slurpies."

Marcus simply shrugged and he approached the windowsill as Garrus picked up is sniper rifle, Miranda tending to Jacob who was only beginning to stir. It wasn't long before Garrus was back at his side, sniper rifle across his shoulder.

"You got Garm. I've been gunning for that tough bastard for months. Guy's a freak of nature," Garrus explained, "So without his freaky ass controlling things, that now leaves the Blood Pack out of the equation which now leaves us the Blue Suns and Tarak. And if I know them, the Blue Suns are the more militaristic of the three groups. They are hardcore and probably the most well-trained of the groups. So if I know Tarak's tactics well enough..."

The windows to their right exploded with a large bang as the four of them turned. Jacob was up and stated that he was fine; the bump on his head was superficial. Ropes, presumably ziplines, appeared at the edge of the windows as Blue Suns mercs dropped inside the building, weapons raised and seeking cover. Marcus ordered them into cover and used suppression fire to keep what looked like Tarak's female lieutenant from before. She held a large weapon, presumably the revenant light machine gun he heard about.

Just as he took cover, she raised herself once more and her revenant let off a roar of fire, heavy rounds tearing through the space he occupied before. He immediately primed a frag grenade and tossed it down the hallway before moving to the opposite side. The grenade detonated, downing the shields of a few blue suns mercs and causing them to seek new cover. Having successfully flushed them out, he opened fire, gunning the mercs down before they knew what happened. Once again however, the merc lieutenant had found him and opened fire again.

His shields erupted and one bullet caught him in the chest, but before the merc could finish him off, her head exploded, her body and revenant toppling to the ground as Garrus smirked, reloading his rifle.

"What was that about shotguns being better?"

Marcus grinned as he equipped his claymore, shining it before Garrus.

"Oh, now that's just unfair. I'd need a Widow rifle to compete with that." Garrus objected.

"Too bad," Marcus remarked as he charged forward, lining up his new shotgun with the nearest target; a turian blue suns centurion, tech armor glowing in the dark, but was a blue color instead of orange. Moving within range, his shields absorbed the turian's SMG fire before unloading a heavy slug into the merc, his tech armor exploding as he went flying, torso torn apart and blood gushing from his wound. The surrounding mercs scattered.

He slotted a new round into the weapon and fired again, this time ripping apart a nearby human. The remaining mercs had meant to flank him, but from what might have been an intelligent move turned into strategic failure as the mercs turned their backs towards his squad, allowing them to tear into the enemy. When the last merc fell, Marcus approached his squad.

"That won't be the last of them," Garrus declared, "There'll be more. Check the lower level. I'll give you cover fire from this level."

Marcus nodded as he ordered Miranda and Jacob to follow behind him, moving through the door and down the balcony. Already they could hear the shattering windows as Blue Suns mercs rappelled inside, moving throughout and taking cover. From what he could see, an entire platoon of mercs had just deployed inside the building.

He ordered Jacob to cover the top of the balcony while he took Miranda and moved down to the bottom level, watching as Garrus positioned his rifle up above. The Blue Suns were well organized; two legionnaires with revenants were taking point while the bulk of their force moved up the rear. Before the lead legionnaire unit could fire however, he used his biotics to thrust the weapon sideward, causing the turian to fire on his companion instead of Marcus, heavy rounds shredding the turian merc. The legionnaire tried to break Marcus' hold, but Miranda placed him in a stasis, allowing Marcus to slit his throat with his omni-blade and then following his attack with a shot with his claymore to a charging batarian, sending him flying.

The fight was pretty short. Combined with Garrus' sniping flushing out numerous mercs from cover and allowing Marcus and Miranda to gun them down, but Jacob could inform them when the mercs were attempting flanking assaults. In no time, the merc platoon had been neatralized. Still no sign of Tarak himself. Maybe the batarian didn't like getting involved in battle. Maybe-

His musings were interrupted by the sounds of a gunship's rumbling engines. The Blue Suns gunship was operational.  _But I killed Cathka! How did they fix it!?_

" _ **Archangel! I'll teach you not to fuck with the Blue Suns!**_ " Tarak bellowed, the sound of a gunship's chin-mounted main gun opening fire. Marcus didn't care that he had no heavy weapons; he needed to save his friend. Mantis gunships were durable vehicles and could prove extremely deadly to ground units; even Garrus. He charged up the stairs and arrived inside the room just in time to watch as Garrus fell behind the sofa, his purple blood all over the floor. The turian had lost his footing, machine gun wounds all over his body as he tried to breathe.

"Garrus!"

Before he could get near the turian, the gunship fired a single anti-vehicle rocket, the explosive missile hitting Garrus in the face. A human wouldn't be able to survive such a blast, but turians were different and Garrus' recharged shields acted as a saving grace. Nevertheless, Garrus was sent hurling across the room, rolling across the floor until he stopped in the middle, the wounded side of his face where the rocket hit facing the ground, hiding the extent of the damage. Purple blood gushed from the wound and he wanted to help his dying friend, but was forced to take cover as the gunship opened fire again.

Then he saw Garrus' discarded reaper sniper rifle. He glanced between it and the gunship's exposed cockpit, Tarak's cocky batarian expression clear as day as he wreaked fury on the building, firing rockets and HMGs at full auto. He had but one shot. One shot to save his friend, or avenge his death. Miranda was already radioing the Normandy for a medical evac, so all that was left was taking down Tarak.

He rolled across the floor and took the rifle, raising it. He wasn't a sniper, but it couldn't be much harder than aiming his rifle. He lowered the scope over Tarak's smug face and fired. Once. Twice. Finally, he fired a third time. The first shot shattered the cockpit of the Mantis gunship and left Tarak vulnerable. The second shot took right in the chest, causing him to scream. He tried to retreat, but the third bullet had already been fired. It hit him right inbetween the eyes, killing the batarian. With it's pilot dead, the gunship spun out of control, weapons firing as Tarak's dead body slumped against the controls.

Marcus dropped the rifle and watched as the gunship slammed into the bridge in a triumphant inferno, flame and wreckage flying in all directions as the bridge broke apart from the impact, sending it falling into the chasm below, taking the gunship's debris and Tarak's body with it. With the enemy finished, he rushed towards Garrus' limp form, Jacob already scanning his body and Miranda lifting the turian onto his back.

The sight of Garrus' face was horrific; the shields had lessened the impact, but the missile had still done terrible damage. Parts of the turian's scales were torn off, revealing singed, bloody and torn muscle, the turian looking like the terminator but without the red eyes. Turian flesh hung of the edge of his face and purple blood oozed from his muscles and from his mouth, gurgling sounds leaving his mouth as he began choking on his own blood.

"Miranda, you idiot!" He then turned Garrus back over, "He almost choked to death!" They continued to watch over Garrus, Marcus making sure no mercs tried anything as they waited for the medical shuttle to arrive. A few minutes later, it did. Upon Chakwas' supervision, they picked up Garrus and lifted him onto the shuttle where they then sped off back to the Normandy. This would either be the day where he watched a friend live and join him once again...

...or die before his eyes.

**"Garrus' wounds must have really scared you."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"I'll admit, I didn't think he'd make it. But he did, and I now we know him as the guy who gave the saying 'I took a missile to the face' a whole new meaning. Not many can claim they survive such a shot."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"So what happened next?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Back to Omega. We still had another recruit...or recruits. Turned out Mordin wasn't the pickup we had on Omega."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**


	15. Quarantine Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard's next recruit, a salarian geneticist, waits for him in the middle of a plague-infested district: if that wasn't bad enough, the Blood Pack might have had a hand in it.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN:**

**QUARANTINE BREAK**

_August 11, 2185_

_1317 hours._

_Debriefing Room, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked with Omega._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

Marcus sighed long and hard as he leaned on the debriefing table. It was the after mission briefing and he was talking with Miranda and Jacob about the mission's aftermath. Garrus would have been there if he hadn't been hit by a face to the face and forced and was currently in surgery. Doctor Chakwas had stated that the injuries were so bad that the only way to save Garrus was to implant cybernetics similiar to Marcus' into his face.

"Even due to Archangel's injuries the mission was a success," Miranda stated, "Once he has recovered, which might be in the next week, we'll have our first recruit up and running. All we need to do now is pickup Professor Solus and our job on Omega will be done. However, we do have one more recruit on Omega..."

Marcus raised his eyebrows at the cross-armed woman, "Another recruit? I thought we'd picked up all the ones we needed on Omega aside from Mordin. I wasn't informed of a third recruit."

Miranda simply nodded, "That's because the Illusive Man's data just updated and states that one of the recruits has moved to Omega. His name is Zaeed Massani. I don't need to explain why he would be an asset to this mission. I'm sure we've all heard of him."

Marcus' eyes had widened at the mention of Massani's name. Everyone knew the name of the most infamous and feared bounty hunter of the galaxy. He was a human and had once been in the alliance military, but had soon quit and turned mercenary. Rumors said he once worked for the Blue Suns but after being reported killed by Vido Santiago, the founder and overall leader of the Blue Suns in general, he popped up on the radar a month later and began a ruthless personal campaign of war against the Blue Suns. He hated them to death. He was infamous due to his reputation; he was known as the unkillable mercenary. He could see why the Illusive Man would see him as a useful recruit for their mission.

"And he's just popped up on Omega?" Marcus asked rhetorically, "Sounds obscenely convenient."

Jacob shook his head, "I know what you're thinking commander, and that's not it. Actually, Zaeed knows we want to recruit him and is on Omega per the Illusive Man's request. Due to his stature as a mercenary, the Illusive Man promised him a substantial amount of money to help us in our mission. Zaeed accepted and although he doesn't trust us, he will help us. All we have to do is make the pickup. He said he had one condition for joining us though."

Marcus quirked a brow at that, "And that is?"

"He said he wanted help in assassinating Vido Santiago," Miranda explained, "Apparently he's been tracking him across the galaxy for twenty years and thinks he's finally found him and wants our help in taking him down. Vido's just a merc and I really don't think he's going to be that hard to take down. I mean, you took down a reaper. What's one merc leader compared to that?"

Marcus shrugged his shoulders, "You have a point. We'll pick up Zaeed later, but first I think we should focus on getting the professor to join us. Until then, I'm going to go check on Garrus and see if he's okay. Meet me back at the airlock within the hour."

He heard the sound of the door opening and before he could look up to see who it was, a voice spoke up, "That won't be nessacary, Shepard."

Marcus' head shot up to see Garrus standing in the doorway, standing casually as if he'd just gotten winded and just stood up to dust himself off. However, the entire right side of his face was horribly scarred, with numerous stitches all over along with an orange glow; not as powerful as his own, but still present. Also, a large chunk of the turian's armor collar was missing, leaving the edges singed. The professional sniper looked none worst for the wear though, looking otherwise unscatched.

"Tough son of a bitch. Up and moving already," Jacob commented.

Marcus smirked as he turned to the ex-marine, "That's kinda what my old crew was like in a nutshell. Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

With a nod, Jacob saluted and left, Miranda following behind which left Garrus and Marcus alone in the room. After a while, Garrus cleared his throat and paced the room, admiring it's serene edges.

"First I find out you're alive and now I'm standing on something that I would have considered a ghost ship two years ago. Just why did Cerberus go to all this trouble to bring you and the Normandy back? What do they want with me?"

Marcus looked at the turian with a tired look and stood up, stretching until all his muscles popped and he gave a satisfied sigh. His helmet lay on the table; the rest of his armor served only to be a stiff reminder of his status as a hardened killer and how much he just wished he could quit the military life. For a soldier who's only known life was just that, it was kinda hard to see him retiring someday. Yet again, he had a certain woman that might be driving him on a crash course for the gates of retirement.

"You know when I said I'd met Tali? Yeah, we bumped into each other on Freedom's Progress, a human colony in the ass-end of nowhere," Marcus explained, pacing around the room, "She wasn't as confused as you were and it took me some time to convince her I was the real deal. When she did, we investigated the place and found the colony had been abducted by the Collectors."

Garrus' mandibles twitched, "I've heard of the bastards; heard a human marine blew up one of their ships on Fehl Prime when the collectors tried to abduct the colony. And trust me, collector ships are goddamn massive. Their only slightly bigger than Sovereign, but they are still damn big; and heavily armed if I heard correctly. Apparently the GARDIAN turrets couldn't penetrate it's shielding; it was that powerful."

"Yeah, well I found out they were responsible for destroying the Normandy," Marcus revealed, "And now I'm on a mission to put a stop to their abductions and find out what they want. The Illusive Man is convinced they have a connection with the Reapers, and I'm inclined to agree. The attacks are just too coincidental and well-timed. So far now, I'm working with them and using all the resources they give me. Don't worry, it's only temporary. Once the Collectors are gone, I'm leaving."

"Glad to hear it," Garrus remarked, "I'm sure Chakwas and Joker, who I just had a lovely conversation with, are only here for you too. And trust me when I say this, but if you ever need someone to watch your back, then you can rely on me. I've got my eyes set on Cerberus. I don't trust them one bit. I'm surprised Tali didn't join you though."

Marcus sighed, "Believe me when I say I really wanted her to join and so did she. But she had a duty to her people to complete and some kind of suicide mission in geth space that she had to command herself before she could get permission to join my mission."

Garrus looked flabbergasted, "And you let her go alone!? You're her boyfriend for spirit's sake! And you just let her land on some planet that just happens to be crawling with her people's worst enemies!?"

Marcus shook his head, "You think I'm that retarded, Garrus? Of course I didn't; her mission happens within the month and she told me she'd send me a message when it happens so I can join and help her; I've killed more geth than any quarian alive, so I doubt we can fail. Her mission's on Haestrom."

Garrus nodded, "Sorry, it's just that Tali's was literally destroyed when you died and I can't stand the thought of her dying on some geth-infested world after seeing you again and hoping to join you. That's just cruel."

Marcus simply shrugged, "Shit happens, we move on. But we can't afford to think of emotions now; I'm about to lead a one ship war against an entire race of enigmatic beings with technology that rivals the Reapers. We're going to need the most firepower ever mustered, to outfit this ship with the most advanced weaponry and the most lethal squad-sized army ever mustered. I need the best of the best; and you're one of them."

"The elite of the elite," Garrus smirked, "And what am I? The professional sniper?"

Marcus nodded.

"And I guess that makes Tali the 'mistress of engineering?'"

"Now you're being overdramatic."

"You know me; I like to be a smartass."

The two of them chuckled before Marcus turned to leave, "Check with Jacob in the armoury about armor and weapons; I'll also make sure you're assigned a sleeper pod. Meet me at the airlock in an hour, on the dot."

Garrus waved a dismissive hand, "Oh don't worry, I'll find my way around."

Within a final grin, Marcus left the room, door closing behind him. Yes, Garrus was but the beginning. Soon he'd his old squad back; and they would once again fly into the hornet's nest to confront the beast.

Except this time, this beast was fast. And they were on a timer.

**{Loading...}**

_August 11, 2185_

_1422 hours._

_District Entrance, Shopping Sector, Dyuko District, Omega._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian._

And back to the criminal underworld they went. Or in Omega's case, the criminal overworld. This time however, they weren't going to be signing up to become freelancers just so they could pretend to kill some professional merc, who they are actually recruiting, who turns out to be his best friend and gets hit in the face with a gunship's missile. No, this time, it was as simple as surviving a district infected by somekind of plague.

After hearing what Aria said about the plague affecting all races except humans and vorcha, he had tried to convince Garrus to stay onboard. However, the turian had been extremely persistent and had stated that his new armor had a seal up protocol that allowed him to fully seal it and brought along his helmet as well. The turian had gotten a new set of armor as his original had been too heavily damaged from the explosion of the rocket. The ripped up part of the collar was the damage that was  _visible._

So now, it was the four of them travelling into Omega's shopping center and towards the entrance to the Gozu District, where apparently Mordin Solus had set up a clinic to try and cure the plague. The dossier on the salarian hadn't done much in the way to explain how he had gone from being an STG soldier under the command of Captain Kirrahe to being a professor and doctor in a clinic on the Terminus' capital. The man had certainly changed jobs. It made him wonder just what happened to Kirrahe and Rentola in the days following the Virmire battle.

The dossier had stated though that as well that despite being a doctor, Mordin hadn't completely forgotten about his days as a STG agent. Apparently he'd had many problems with the Blue Suns. Despite the merc's owning the district and being the top mercenary company in the galaxy, they couldn't kick Mordin out because everytime they tried, they would be found dead. Of course, this was due to Mordin's retaliation. He was apparently ruthless in the protection of his patients.

They passed what looked to be a group of Jews huddled in a group and praying. It wasn't that a few asari were among the group that confused him; but they decided to take refuge on Omega of all places. Not the friendliest of places. Instead of focusing on that question, he turned right and headed down a corridor that passed a grouping of apartments and finally ended at the elevator leading to the Gozu District's slums.

Surprisingly however, they found a young human woman wearing ragged clothing trying to push past a turian holding a avenger assault rifle wearing no armor but some ragged clothes similiar to the human. Due to his lack of mercenary insignia, he guessed he must have been one of Aria's men; ordered to stop anyone trying to enter. Part of the quarantine, no doubt.

"You have to let me through!" The woman pleaded, still trying to push past, "My stuff is still in there! I don't want some looter getting nosey! Please let me in!"

The turian shook his head, "Noone is allowed through because of the plague lady, and that means you too. Aria's not taking any risk of anyone becoming a carrier."

The human rolled her eyes and placed hands on her hips, "Humans can't be infected, you idiot. Now let me through!"

"Just because you can't be infected by it doesn't mean you can't carry it," The turian retorted, "Now leave before I'm forced to injure you. Besides, Blood Pack vorcha infest the slums down there. They'll kill you if you're not careful, especially with the gang war going on down there."

Marcus approached quickly and stood to the woman's left, the turian taking notice, "Let me guess, you want access to? Look, I'll tell you the same thing I told her. You're not-"

"What if I said I could help cure this plague?" Marcus butted in.

The turian looked wideeyed, "Excuse me? You look able to take down a krogan platoon, but you don't strike me as the medical type."

"Assumptions can kill," Marcus replied, "But no, I'm not. However, I'm looking for someone who can. His name is Mordin Solus and I need his help in a mission to stop the collectors from abducting human colonies. However, this plague seems deadly and needs dealing with. If I got rid of the mercs down there, maybe he could concentrate more on finding a cure than fighting some damn vorcha off."

The turian seemed to contemplate this for a minute before answering, "Okay then, couldn't hurt. When looking for Solus, just keep your eyes peeled for his clinic and make sure to stay out of most confrontations. Trust me, I wasn't joking when I said gang war. The whole place is a battleground for the Blue Suns and Blood Pack."

Garrus quirked an eye at that, "Why's that? I thought the Blue Suns owned that sector."

"They did, but that was until the plague rolled in," The turian explained, the crossed woman still not moving, "Most of the Blue Suns in the district at the time were batarians and turians, and as you know, only humans and vorcha are immune to it. So when the plague plowed through, the Blue Suns were struck a severe blow; most of their forces were killed off by the plague within a week and the Blood Pack jumped on their chance to attack. So far the Blood Pack now control almost sixty-eight percent of the district, with the Blue Suns being pushed back day in, day out. Due to the Blood Pack being mostly vorcha, the plague didn't effect them. It was like food on a plate."

"This is one of the days I actually feel sorry for the Blue Suns," Garrus muttered.

"We'll head through and end this quickly then," Marcus declared, leading his team towards the elevator door, palming the controls as the turian stepped aside.

The woman was apparently outraged, "You're letting them in but not me!? You son of a bitch!"

The turian shrugged, "He's got a grenade launcher. Now get lost."

The woman simply stormed away, apparently not happy with how things had gone. Marcus smiled at the turian's statement, eying the offending piece of weaponry on his back. After seeing the weapon's usefulness on Lazarus, he had finally decided to take it with him. It never hurt to have some heavy weaponry to fall back on. The turian simply nodded to them.

"I'll radio head to let the other guards know you're clean," The turian promised just before the doors closed and the elevator began it's descent into the bowels of Omega. The elevator actually managed to be faster than the ones on the Citadel and the Normandy combined and got them to the Gozu District extremely fast. When the doors slid open, they were welcomed into an empty corridor, the area devoid of life.

He unholstered his Valkyrie rifle and moved forward, his team also extending their weapons. Garrus got out his apparent favourite; Cerberus' Mattock Heavy Rifle. The weapon was like the valkyrie but not as powerful. However, it still packed a punch and would prove useful against enemies like the vorcha who used little to no armor at all.

After finding the area empty, they moved down the corridor to their right where a large barricade blocked it halfway, two humans with rifles raised guarding it. Upon seeing them approaching, they lowered their weapons.

"You're allowed through," one human declared, "Just be careful. It's a battlefield out there. The vorcha and Blue Suns are at each other's throats. Also be careful of some bandits; alot of the locals think humans are the cause of the plague and will kill any of you on sight." With that, they resumed their posts, the squad using one of the empty shops to move around the barricade and continue.

At the end of the corridor was a door to the right with a single turian guard, clad in fully sealed armor, stood to the left of, guarding it. The haptic interface was red. Noticing them approaching, the turian looked at them and nodded as he raised his omni-tool and unlocked the door.

"Good luck in there," The turian offered, stepping away as the door opened to reveal stairway going down, "The Blue Suns and vorcha are shooting anything that moves."

With a nod of compliance, Marcus lead his team down the stairs. Up above was a sign with the simple letters of the 'Gozu District'. Once at the bottom of the stairs, they were greeted by a huge atrium with a single pathway leading straight away and a larger area to the right with areas alight with fire; burning corpses infected by the plague.

At the end of the path was a single door with no haptic interface; presumably malfunctioning. Standing guard next to the door were two Blue Suns troopers; both human. An area off to the right lead further into the district, which is where they needed to go. He could also spot what looked like a wounded batarian, on the ground and leaning heavily against a pillar as he coughed heavily.

He motioned with his hand for Garrus to extend his rifle and target the left trooper while he lowered his rifle over the right one. With both mercs in their sights, they squeezed single shot bursts, Garrus' penetrating immediately and killing his target while it took a second shot to penetrate the right merc's shields.

Both mercs dead, they moved up and right, Marcus stopping and lowering his rifle as he crouched down next to the batarian. The batarian's eyes went wide at the sight of him.

"Human!" The batarian snarled, "Get away from me! You brought this plague, this infection! You're people are the reason I suffer! That we all suffer! You're people brought this plague upon us just so you could own the district. I wouldn't be surprised if you came here to loot me. Leave me alone!"

Marcus kneeled next to the sick batarian, raising his omni-tool and taking a scan of his vital signs; they were weak and if he didn't get help soon, he would succumb to the parasite and die. He had to find Mordin quickly and hope that the salarian had a cure.

"I'm not here to loot you. I want to help you," Marcus stated, giving the batarian an offering of medicine. It wasn't designed to help with plague victims, but it would at least dull the effects for a while, "And why does it have to be humans who engineered it?"

The batarian rolled his eyes as he pushed the commander's arm away, "Because you humans are the only ones immune to it! It makes sense that you'd have created it! Only you're people can thrive in this kind of environment!"

As much as he hated to admit it, there was logic behind the batarian's words. Humans weren't the only ones immune to the parasitic plague, but the vorcha certainly didn't have the brains to create art, let alone a virus. Either way, he refused to believe that humans were the main cause of this. There had to be somekind of other factor playing in this. Someone else who was pulling the strings. Maybe Mordin would have the answers he needed.

"Look, I understand you're distrust," Marcus reassured the batarian, restarting his attempt to give him medicine, "But I need you to trust me. I'm looking for Professor Mordin Solus; I need his help but maybe he can help you."

"The...professor?" The batarian began a new fit of coughing, "The human...appeaser? I hope...the blue...suns...burn his clinic...to the ground...salarian bastard..."

Noticing the batarian's situation deteriating fast, he opened his mouth and shoved the medicine in, giving the batarian no choice but to swallow. When he did, it only took a few seconds for the batarian to recover.

"Not...poison?" The batarian stated, confused, "You helped me...I'm surprised. I may still believe you're people were responsible for the plague but...I think you are...better, than them. Just who...are you?"

Marcus nodded, helping the batarian stand up, "Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy and N7 Special Forces."

The batarian visibly seemed shocked by the name and Marcus remembered why.  _Butcher of Torfan._ Luckily, the batarian seemed to dismiss that, mostly out of the fact that he had just saved his life.

"Could you tell us where Mordin's clinic is?" Marcus asked, trying to skip the awkward silence.

"Of course," The batarian offered, pointing down the path behind him, "It's not too far ahead. The clinic is located on the far side of the district. He's taking in refugees and offering help to those infected by the plague. I was afraid to go to him before after seeing what he did to those...blue suns mercs that tried to cause trouble but...maybe he can help."

Marcus quirked a brow at this, "Just why is Mordin so dangerous?"

The batarian seemed to shake, "The Blue Suns tried to press him for protection money. He killed them. Stunned them with some kind of toxin, and then gunned them down like it was some kind of joke. I've never seen anything like it. Rumors say he was originally with the STG, and damn, I'd believe it. And after he killed them...he put their bodies on display outside the clinic...as a warning to others who tried to threaten him. He's got dangerous written all over him."

Marcus nodded as he turned to Miranda and the woman simply shrugged, "I told you the Illusive Man's intelligence was reliable. When he says the best, he means the best."

He quickly turned back to the batarian, "Thank you. When I see Mordin, I'll tell him you're here and have someone sent to pick you up. Right now, just lie low and stay out of trouble."

The batarian nodded and slid back to the ground as Marcus ordered Garrus to take point while he assumed the rear, the four of them pressing forward and up a short flight of stairs.

Along the way they managed to find multiple dead bodies, all victims of the plague but some had been gunned down by mercs, most likely to control the spread of the infection. Some of the bodies were either burnt to a crisp or were just left lying there to rot. He wasn't a pretty way to go, and it had seemed alot of the victims had been locked inside their own quarters and starved to death. Poor bastards, the lot of them. For some reason, most of the victims appeared to be batarians.

It wasn't long before they entered and even larger area than the first; a large ransacked shop lay to the left while a parking lot was to the right. Just as they hit the center, they spotted a barricade manned by numerous batarian and human blue suns mercs; squad-sized. Most likely remnants of their forces trying desperately to hold onto the outskirts.

But even that looked hopeless; the mercs were firing behind them, not at them, which meant that the Blood Pack were attacking the barricade. Marcus and his team sneaked up and moved along the barricade, circling around and waiting until the mercs finished themselves off. When the gunfire stopped, they spun around the corner and opened fire, hitting the enemy's flank.

To their surprise, it had been the Blue Suns who came out victorious. The numerous bodies of vorcha mercenaries littered the room, flamethrowers and battered-looking assault rifles laying on the floor infront of the two survivors; two batarians. They made short work of the mercs and continued on down another set of stairs and through a sealed door that Miranda made short work of with her limited hacking skills.

After opening the door, they were greeted another long corridor, with an entrance off to the left and a right entrance leading to a balcony. He motioned for Garrus to take the balcony.

"I have a feeling whatever we see around that corner ain't going to be friendly and we're going to need sniper support. Besides, I'm sure they'll be pissed to find out Archangel's still alive."

Garrus chuckled, "What? They think I'm dead?"

Marcus nodded, "From what EDI told me, they think Tarak killed you in that rocket blast. So for all intents and purposes; Archangel is dead."

Garrus gave a wry smirk as he took the steps up to the balcony and he took Miranda and Jacob to the end of the corridor, assuming position on one side as he peaked in.

As he predicted, trouble was there to greet them. A squad of Blood Pack vorcha were patrolling the halls, teeth bared and snarling as they searched methodically, lead by their krogan commander. The krogan wore fully sealed armor, as did most of the species that were vulnerable to the disease. Taking out the krogan warrior should send the vorcha into disarray.

He commed his helmet, "Garrus, do you have eyes on number one tango?"

"Hot copy, eyes on krogan confirmed. I have a bead on said target. Requesting permission to engage."

Marcus simply nodded, "Take him down."

A loud bang resounded through the hall as Garrus' shot connected with the krogan's skull; blood staining the ground as the krogan collapsed onto the floor, dead. The vorcha paniced as they unleashed wildfire, not knowing where to shot and resorting to shooting in all directions. Leaning out from his cover, the valkyrie heavy rifle barked in his iron grip as he fired three shots and the nearest three vorcha he could spot, taking them down in clean shots. Vorcha were obviously too dumb to use shields or any form of armor.

However slow they were, the vorcha at least understood the meaning of cover. They all moved behind supply crates as they occassionally gained the courage to lean out of cover and take a shot at them, to which they usually had their face bitten off by Garrus' reaper sniper rifle.

Having enough of the pop-goes-the-weasel style they were fighting in, he summoned his biotics, dark energy channelling through his body and enveloping him in a cool breeze. He then leaned out and summoned a singularity, the large field of azure light exploding in the space above the vorcha, pulling them out of their cover and into the air. Without hesitation, his team cut them down without so much as blinking. With the singularity ended and the Blood Pack troops defeated, they pushed forward and towards Mordin's clinic once more.

"The Blue Suns have given up a lot of turf," Garrus observed, catching up with the trio, "This doesn't settle well with a mercenary company that's used to being top dog around here. They'd usually get reinforcements from Tarak, but with him dead and a large portion of their forces wasted on trying to kill me, I don't think that'll be too far coming."

"So we're crossing into Blood Pack territory," Marcus declared, "The no man's land. Stay frosty people, let's not get caught off guard, especially not by damn vorcha."

"It's a pity, I kinda feel sorry for the Blue Suns," Jacob spoke up, "They used to police this sector and from what I've heard, they actually looked after the residents. Now this plague has them losing more and more territory."

As they continued on, they encountered another patrol of Blood Pack; mostly just vorcha and a few varren. They were easily disposed of and it wasn't long before they finally reached the clinic, located down a flight of stairs from an abandoned mechanic's store. The store was guarded by a few LOKI mechs; the sight making him roll his eyes. He never really understood the dependence on such useless robots. They were stupid, lacked any tactical recognition and overall had bad aim. You were better off giving a rifle to a civilian. At least they'd actually aim it right.

Upon entering the clinic, they found it teaming with life; batarians, turians, salarians, asari, humans, even a few volus and an elcor; all either seeking refuge from the gang war outside or from the plague. Or both. After getting directions, they managed to find Mordin himself in a makeshift lab; the salarian's white labcoat standing out in the harsh light of the lab. He was working on some kind of datapad and ordering numerous doctors around. Once again, more LOKI mechs, but with assault rifles. The salarian seemed to have a SMG strapped to his hip; a tempest by the looks of it.

As he stepped into the room, Mordin stopped his work and turned to face him, eyes unblinking.

Clearing his throat, he spoke, "Professor Mordin Solus?"

The salarian was fast as he moved forward, opening his omni-tool and scanning the four of them, smiling as he turned it off, "Hmm. Don't recognize you from area. Too well-armed and armored for refugees. No mercenary uniform. Quarantine still in effect." Mordin turned back to his desk.

"Here for something else. Vorcha? Crew to clean them out? Unlikely. Vorcha a symptom, not a cause. The plague? Investigating possible use as bioweapon? No. Too many guns, not enough data equipment. Soldiers, not scientists. Yes. Yes. Hired guns, maybe. Looking for someone? Yes! But who? Someone important. Someone valuable. Someone with secrets, someone like me..."

Marcus shook his head and smiled as he took his helmet off, hoping the salarian would recognize him. From the look Mordin gave him, he did.

"Ah! Commander Shepard. Fought alongside you on Virmire. Was under Kirrahe's command and still in STG; not anymore. Helped stop Saren. Battle unpleasant; Gunnery Chief Williams lost. Nuclear explosion; crude but effective. Hold. The. Line! Very good speech. Kirrahe always was good speech maker."

Marcus' smirk disappeared at the mention of Ashley; the soldier he had left behind to die on Virmire. She had given her life to stop Saren, to make sure the bomb went off and destroy Saren's base. It had been a sacrifice he would have avoided if he had the choice, but he couldn't have. Ashley had done what was expected of her; and it was because of that that her memory moved on. He couldn't imagine what Kaidan was going through in the years after her death.

Shaking himself from his musings, he looked back at Mordin, "Yes, I'm glad you remember me. Just what happened to Kirrahe and Rentola?"

Mordin shrugged, "Presumably still serving in STG. Said they'd keep their promise; help stop Reapers when time came, despite salarian orders saying otherwise. Council dismissed you, Kirrahe didn't. Kept promise. Will keep promise. Not here for social gathering, however. You're hear for something else. Plague not of interest to you. Blue Suns loss of territory not a concern. Looking for me. Working for Cerberus, unexpected. Why would Cerberus be interested in me?"

Marcus rolled his eyes at the words 'working for', "I don't work for them, Mordin, I work  _with_ them. It's a temporary arrangement. I've come to ask for your help in a critical mission."

Mordin seemed contemplative, "Mission? What mission? No. Too busy. Clinic understaffed. Plague spreading too fast. Why is Cerberus interested in recruiting me? Not like Cerberus to recruit aliens. Strictly human; aliens a threat to supremacy. The need for a salarian unexpected."

Garrus seemed to chuckle to himself in the background; the salarians were smart buggers, but Mordin put a trademark to the stereotype of fast talker; he seemed to be never be out of breath as he spoke in rapidfire.

"We're on a mission to shut down the Collectors. They've been abducting entire human colonies and they need to be stopped. Me and my crew will be that stop."

Mordin smiled, "Explains why Archangel is here," he nodded to Garrus who simply smiled back, remembering the time he had asked the salarian to join his team all those months ago, "Collectors? Interesting. Plague hitting these slums is engineered, not natural. Collectors one of few groups with technology to design it. Have devised that collectors created plague specifically designed not to hurt humans. Fascinating. Our goals might be similiar."

The former STG agent then opened his omni-tool, "But must stop plague first. Already have a cure. Need to distribute it at environmental control center. Vorcha guarding it. Need to kill them. Vorcha responsible for plague. Human blame misguided."

Marcus simply nodded, "Don't worry Mordin, you know how I roll. We've fought geth and krogan before, remember? I don't think a few vorcha are going to present a problem."

Mordin simply smiled before deactivating his omni-tool, "Difficulty never in question. Just stated nessacary mission parameters. As weak as vorcha are, present problem for distribution of cure. Their involvement is...problematic."

Both of them looked around in surprise as the entire room was flooded by a large vibrating sound, the room growing slightly darker. Mordin cursed under his breath. Garrus sighed heavily.

"When you hear sounds like that, you know something's gone wrong. It's not exactly subtle." Garrus remarked.

Mordin activated his omni-tool and scanned the room, "Vorcha have somehow shut down environmental systems. Trying to kill everyone. Need to get power back on before district suffocates," The salarian then produced a vial, placing it in Marcus' opened hand, "Here, take plague cure. Program into master control panel and reactivate oxygen filtration systems to distribute across district. Also, Daniel. One of my assistants. Went into vorcha territory. Looking for victims," he then took a deep breath, "Hasn't come back."

Marcus nodded as he placed the cure vial in Miranda's hand, the Cerberus agent placing it inside a pouch on her belt, "We'll have the systems up and running and the cure launched by the time we get back. And we'll tell you if we see Daniels anywhere."

With that, Mordin returned to his work, Marcus taking his squad and leaving the clinic through a rear exit. The path to the environmental control center wasn't an easy one. As they scanned the numerous abandoned corridors of the district's industrial sector and numerous shops, all they had found was a mass amount of Blood Pack forces. The vorcha were practically all over the place and they found more than their fair share of krogan warriors.

It hadn't been long before they came along an empty room full of vorcha and what sounded like a screaming human. Weapons raised, he opened the door and fired off a long spread burst from his SMG, taking down the three vorcha closest to the door before Jacob used his biotics to trap the last two in a biotic field, allowing Garrus to take them down with his mattock.

There was a human, a doctor by his uniform, lying on the ground, dead telling by the long slit like wound that encroached his throat. Turning him over, Marcus cursed under his breath as he read the name tag.  _Junior Assistant Ricky Daniels._ He closed the doctor's eyes, the petrified look in his eyes too much to bare. After cleaning up the body, they continued on their way and kept pushing towards the ECC.

After eliminating a few more vorcha boom-squads, they finally arrived at the ECC. The room was huge, if a room is what you could call it. Giant, turbine fans hung from the ceiling, their monolithic blades no longer spinning, deactivated. In the center was the control board; a large set of controls linked up to the district's mainframe. Large support struts kept the place stable while two catwalks, above and below, lay to the left and right. And directly ahead of them, was a squad of vorcha.

The feral beasts turned towards them in haste, snarling and growling at them as what looked like their leader turned to face them, teeth bared.

"Human, how did you get here?" The vorcha snarled, clearly not pleased and his blood pack punisher SMG lay at his side. At least the vorcha were capable of speech; although that was probably just his translator at work and they were speaking in whatever language the vorcha even had.

"We've come to stop the plague that you brought here," Marcus declared, "Now you can either leave peacefully or, damn me if you will, I will have to fight my way to that control board. Why did you bring the plague here anyway? I know you didn't create it; the Collectors did. What do you get from killing an entire district full of people?"

The vorcha shook his head in discontent, "Collectors want plague! They give us good stuff! They give us lots of good tech for our services. We give plague, we get good stuff. We turn off fans, bring heat. Me love heat. Vorcha love heat. Perfect home. We rule this district. Aria will know the strength of vorcha! But you would make cure, bring back the cold!"

"I don't know what the collectors offered you, but they'll betray you," Miranda told them, "You're idiots to trust them."

"You lie!" The vorcha growled, "You deceive! But you would put cure in air! I kill you first!" With hesitation befitting of a toddler, the vorcha moved to grab his SMG. With immense speed, he drew his pistol and fired a single shot into the vorcha's head, dropping him to the ground as the rest of the vorcha troops opened fire.

The vorcha guarding the control board weren't much of a threat; they were too slow to really halt their advance, so they pushed through with ease. Once infront, he inserted the cure and watched as it flooded the systems and ventilation systems. But it was all for nothing if he didn't get those fans up and running again.

"Miranda, Jacob, take the left and get fan one up and running. Garrus and I will take the right. Move!" Marcus barked, taking Garrus as the team split up. He suddenly realized it was a good idea; not only would they cover more ground, but the amount of vorcha forces guarding the second fan was much greater than the ones on the left.

Didn't make it a challenge though; most of the vorcha didn't even use cover and the occassional inexperienced krogan sniper was outmatched by Garrus' professional style. With the blood pack forces decimated, they entered the fan secondary control room and hit the switch to turn it on. He watched as the fan's spun faster and faster until they were at dizzying speeds, wind howling through the area like a hurricane. It wasn't long before Miranda and Jacob checked in, stating the the first fan was operational as well and all blood pack forces were neutralized.

And with that, they double timed it back to Mordin's clinic.

**{Loading...}**

_August 11, 2185_

_1558 hours._

_Mordin's Clinic, The Slums, Gozu District, Omega._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Professor Mordin Solus._

"Professor?" Marcus asked as he approached the salarian, the ex-STG agent looking at his omni-tool as he scanned numerous ex-victims, all cured of the disease.

Mordin smiled as he handed over his job to his assistant, "Commander. Cure dispersed. Little to no trouble. Not unexpected. Unfortunately, Daniels has not returned. Either still missing or dead. Suspect the latter due to your white knight complex. Pity. Good man. Had lots to learn."

Marcus sighed sadly, "I wish I could have gotten to him sooner."

"Do not blame self. Not your fault. Daniels my responsibility," Mordin countered, "Will mourn death later. Remember you had critical mission requiring salarian scientific and combat expertece. Will be happy to join you. Must clean up here; belongings to return. Presume ship docked near Afterlife; will meet you there. Many things to do. Look forward learning much about collectors. Enigmatic species; much to learn. Will meet you when I can."

Marcus nodded, taking his squad and leaving. Another man on their team to charge into hell. When push came to shove, they would have to locate the collector homeworld; and when they did, it'd be the only way to put them out of business. If the collectors truly were in league with the reapers, it would take everything they had to stop them. Collector technology was far ahead of their own by a large margin; not as good as the Reapers, but still considerable. The geth were one thing; the collectors were a whole new league. At least machines were predictable. The geth might as well have been amateurs.

And now one more man would be following him into hell. He just hoped that his efforts were all worth it when the time came. Then he thought of Tali; of how, soon, she would be joining him too. Following him into a collector-infested purgatory. He didn't know if he could stand the sight of her dying in his arms; if he could lose another friend.  _I've already lost Ashley. I can't lose anymore friends; especially not Tali. We'll defeat the Collectors, but when the Reapers come..._

_That's when the real war will begin._

**"And that's when Mordin joined the crew. I think Kelly called him a 'hamster on coffee.' I always liked him; he so nice to me. He was funny, lovable and caring. And certainly a brilliant doctor. I think he'd give Xen a run for her money. I miss him though."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Mordin was like many of the Normandy's crew; they started as just simple soldiers and scientists; brought together to fight an enemy none had the balls to look in the eyes. To take the fight to their home where none dare venture. But, like all those who served with us, they became more than comrades. They became family."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**


	16. Omega's Outlaws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard's third recruit finds him first. Tali's unwanted would-be suitor receives help from an unexpected source.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN:**

**OMEGA'S OUTLAWS**

_August 11, 2185_

_1608 hours._

_Harrot's Weapons and Maintenance, Shopping Sector, Dyuko District, Omega._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian._

"So what are we doing, exactly?" Garrus asked.

Marcus simply shrugged, "Buying stuff I guess. See anything you like?"

Little to no time had passed since their mission in the Gozu District. Curing the plague in the area had been an unexpected detour, but in the end, they had recruited Mordin Solus and now had another elite member to add to the crew. When Mordin returned to the ship, which would be in half an hour, he would debrief him and get him set up in the Tech Lab. Apparently the Illusive Man had chosen Mordin for a secondary reason; to develop a way to counteract the paralyzing agent of the seeker swarms. Apparently Garrus had gotten set up in the gunnery control center which to him, was no surprise at all.

News reports stated that, with the plague gone, Blue Suns reinforcements were rushing into the district and were able to take the disorientated forces of the Blood Pack by surprise. Soon, the Blue Suns would have kicked out the remnants of the Blood Pack and would have full control of the district once more. That, and everyone now knew the vorcha had been the carriers of the disease, not humans. All in all, it had been a good mission.

Now they were in Harrot's Weapons and Maintenance store owned by an elcor named Harrot. Miranda and Jacob had returned to the ship to make sure the tech lab was ready when Mordin arrived. Garrus had decided to stay with him and check out the nearby stores to see if there was anything they could use for their mission. So far they had found nothing but obsolete weaponry and old devices. Nothing worth purchasing.

With a sigh, the two of them left the store in search of somewhere else they could pour credits on; anything to give them an edge against the collectors. But so far they couldn't find a single thing that could do just that. But when you go looking for quality items on Omega; that's expected. He never knew why he bothered in the first place; the only other he could go was the Citadel. Besides, he still had to inform Anderson and the Council that he was still alive. Udina would be ecstatic. God knows he hated that man. Yet again, he hated the whole Council, so what else was new.

With nothing of interest in the upper shops, the duo headed down a flight of stairs leading into a lower area of the shopping sector. A corridor lead off straight ahead while also splitting off to the left. The forward path lead into Lower Afterlife while the path to their left lead to the only shop on this level which out to be a shop called 'Kenn's salvage.' Numerous vorcha sat around the shop, snarling as they fought amongst each other over scrap or just sat, snarling at anything that merely walked past.

Stopping infront of the shop, they found it wasn't all that impressive; a simple desk sat infront of him with a terminal serving as the cash register. Off to the left, behind the register, was a small machine of unknown purpose while a shelf holding numerous items hung at the back. And right on the right of the shelf was the one item he never thought he'd find here. It was a T6-FBA coupling. When he had visited Kenneth and Gabby down in engineering, Ken had immediately complained that the current couplings made it so maintenance had to be daily. But if they found a T6-FBA, then they'd be able to extend that to weeky maintenance, allowing them to concentrate more on other important shipboard operations. Now he just had to find the store's manager.

"Bosh'tet!" A male voice cursed.

Turning, he saw a male quarian stand up from the unknown machine, carrying a arc welder in his hand, much like the one Cathka had used. Surprised at seeing a quarian, as they were very rare, he smiled. He surmised that the guy was probably on his pilgrimage. But how did he end up on a backdrop station like Omega?

"Um...hello?" Garrus asked awkwardly, leaning on the store counter. Noticing them, the quarian was almost startled when he turned towards the two heavily armed soldiers before him. His eyes widened in panic, "Please don't tell me Jarrot sent you," the quarian begged, "Tell him I need more time!"

Marcus held up his hands, "Calm down, it's okay. We're not here to shake you down but...what's this about problems with Jarrot? Is your pilgrimage not going too well?"

The quarian looked surprised that a human would know anything about pilgrimages but answered despite his suspicions, putting the arc welder on a front bench. He looked worn out, "When my pilgrimage started, I came to Omega hoping to earn some fast money so I could bring back a starship. I knew my pilgrimage wouldn't be anything like Tali'Zorah's was, I mean she was a damn hero, but I wanted to impress my people. But then I realized that business wasn't all that easy and I quickly found myself without money. That's when Jarrot took me in and now I run this store. But I'm linked to him through contract and unless it's broken, I can't earn enough credits to get a ticket off this station. I'm stuck here."

He smiled under his helmet at the mention of Tali and immediately took off his helmet, setting it on the counter, "You seem to have a big problem. That's what I do; I solve problems. My name is Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy and I might be able to help. What's your name?"

The quarian looked visibly shocked, " _The_ Commander Shepard? As in  _the_ Tali'Zorah's commanding officer? Keelah, it is such an honor!" The quarian held out his hand to shake Marcus', to which the human eagerly shook it, smiling at the quarian's excited posture.

"Now, you're name?" Marcus asked again.

The quarian immediately straightened his posture, "Of course! Sorry, got ahead of myself! My name is Kenn. Kenn'Raan nar Koleps."

Marcus allowed a small grin to crease his features, "How many credits do you need to get that ticket, Mister nar Koleps?"

Kenn begin to play with his fingers, a gesture he had seen Tali doing quite alot during the Saren campaign. He felt his grin widen at he memory, missing the quarian more and more.

"One thousand credits," Kenn stated with shame, "An amount I'm no closer to reaching. Thanks to Jarrot, I might never see the fleet again. It's a lesson I've learnt from going to Omega for my pilgrimage. But I'm quarian; my people are survivors. I'll adapt. I hope." The quarian showed no signs of believing his own words. Self-assurement that everything will be fine. He knew that feeling all too well; he had felt it in the pit of his stomach after watching his squad get devoured on Akuze.

The memory of Akuze caused his smile to deminish, but he still searched his pockets, pulling out two five hundred credit chits. He then placed them on the counter, Kenn looking at them as if they were aliens; but also with a look of hunger in his eyes, the need to take them but not wanting to be selfish. Another comparison to Tali; maybe it was endearing trait all quarians had. If so, he was loving the quarian species more and more.

"Go on, take it and get out of here," Garrus butted in, "Shepard's a paragon on high when he's like this. If he gives you a thousand credits, he doesn't expect 'no' as an answer. Anything less than a yes is his own form of no. Better to just take it and remember that he's giving you a second chance. Don't waste it."

Kenn seemed to eye the two chits a while longer before snatching them off the counter and holding them tight in his hands like they were his life source; as if they'd keep him alive.  _And in a way; he will._ Kenn immediately looked up to them and thanked them a final time.

"Thank you so much, commander," Kenn thanked, "I won't forget this!" With that, the quarian left, practically running off. Garrus turned to Marcus and he could see a smirk creasing the turian's mandibles.

"I know what-"

"Quarian filth!"

Marcus' and Garrus' heads snapped in unison towards the vorcha grouped around the entrance to the path they had just passed, seeing Kenn spread out on the ground, both chits dropped infront of him. The quarian was moving to collect his chits as numerous vorcha encroached around him, apparently not happy. Marcus knew he had to stop the ferals from tearing the poor quarian alive.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Kenn pleaded but was rewarded with a sharp kick to the chest, reeling him over and causing him to drop his chits.

"Leave this kid alone, it was an accident," Garrus ordered the vorcha, but he either didn't listen or couldn't care less.

The vorcha kicked Kenn again, hitting him near the mask, but hitting his shoulder. Marcus, realizing this could turn from roughing up to a severe bacterial infection for the quarian and possibly death, he moved in, grabbing the vorcha by the throat with his arm and thrusting him into a wall, his look able to burn through thick steel.

"It wasn't a fucking request. You either leave this kid alone or I'll use your head as a banner display on my ship's hull," Marcus practically growled, his voice full of venom. Even Garrus seemed intimidated by it. Garrus had never heard Shepard speak like that before. He knew Shepard as a man seeking peaceful whenever he could; but Shepard just seemed to be ignoring that for straight up threats. Either way, his finger brushed against his rifle's handle, preparing for a fight. With the vorcha distracted, this allowed Kenn to get back up, collect his chits and run at full pelt out of there. At least the kid was safe.

The vorcha all snarled in unison, weapons being unholstered. Marcus reacted with inhuman speed and brutal effiency, his hands clasping the vorcha's head as he yanked the other way, snapping the creature's neck as he dropped the pinned vorcha and spun around, weapon raised. Vorcha were idiots and useless warriors, but in the numbers they were in, they totally outnumbered himself and Garrus. But he knew that just letting them gun them down wasn't an option and his grenade launcher found refuge in his hands, a grenade already in the firing chamber. Garrus had his mattock levelled and ready to fire.

"Kill the humans!" The vorcha immediately opened fire, assault rifle rounds tearing through the air. But that was it; only a single salvo broke through and most of the fire was focused on Marcus; his shields shattered and two bullets ripped through his armor, leaving gaping holes in the chasing as he grunted in pain, but remained in his posture. Garrus' shields shattered and he got a single shot to the shoulder, but that was it.

Because the vorcha suddenly had someone else to deal with. A roar of gunfire poured from the stairway leading back up to the upper shopping sector, the sound of the weapon being recognized as a vindicator battle rifle. Vorcha fell, one by one as they shifted priorities. But by then it was too late; most of them had been gunned down and the rest of the vorcha were just charging relentless at their unknown helper.

Deciding to help, Marcus and Garrus attacked the vorcha's now exposed rear, eliminating the rest. Popping out a thermal clip, he loaded in a fresh one, as did Garrus per his orders, not wanting to take chances in case their supposed savior turned out to be one of Aria's guards or some other merc. They waited, weapons lowered as the man came into view.

The first thing he noticed was the man's face; he was literally covered in scars. His features were hardly recognizable due to the amount of cuts, scrapes and scars along his features. One in particular cut across his forehead, being the largest of all of them. The man had seen alot of combat; perhaps even more than Marcus himself if the wounds told a different story. His right eye also appeared to be cybernetic; a pale white in color. His hair was close to bald but stood enough to make out its brownish color.

The man's armor was lighter than his and definitely not as advanced and, like the man, had obviously been through battle; scars, bullet entry points and even a few scorched sections showed through on the man. The way he walked meant he wasn't military and as he assumed, most likely meant he was a mercenary, probably a bounty hunter or hitman due to him being alone.  _No, Hitmen are subtle and precise. No, definitely a bounty hunter._ His right shoulder piece was bigger than the rest, protecting alot of his head. When the man spoke, it was a calm, deep tone that also sounded a tiny bit raspy.

"Damn, you two really do know how to pick cheap fights," The man commented, deliberating kicking a snarling vorcha over before executing him with calm, precise ease. The act of killing barely phased the man, showing his experience in the art of war, "After reading your dossier, I thought you'd have been fighting fucking krogan."

Marcus wasn't too convinced by the man's act, "State your name, rank and intention," It had only just been then that Garrus noticed the Blue Suns insignia on the man's neck. His grip tightened around his mattock.

The man rolled his eyes, "Goddam rank and file type are ya? The name's Massani, Zaeed Massani with no forthcoming rank and the intention to send alot of fucking collectors straight to the ninth circle of my personal little hell. Illusive Man filled me in on your little light brigade; He's willing to pay up and I'm willing to shoot something. Seems like a fair deal."

Marcus loosened the grip on his rifle holstering, ordering Garrus to do the same. The turian was confused, but he did as ordered, holstering his mattock rifle and trusting in Marcus' instincts.

"So you're our secret third recruit," Marcus stated, eying the man, "Saying you're not what I expected would be a bunch of BS, so let's cut the crap."

Zaeed simply nodded, "Good. The sooner I get to shooting shit the happier I'll be. I'm sure 'ol llusive told you about my little...what's the word...providation? You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours?"

Marcus nodded, "I'm fully aware and we will try to get to it as fast as possible. I've got other recruits to pick up, one being an apparently powerful biotic and a krogan scientist."

Garrus snorted, "Krogan scientist? Do you just look for the utterly rare types on purpose? What is he, a warrior scientist? Now that'd make my day."

Marcus simply shrugged, "Don't know, I guess we'll find out when we get there. But first, I've got a date with the Council and Anderson. We've got nothing else here so I guess we'll get back to the Normandy and head for the Citadel. Mordin should be onboard by now. I'll take you there Zaeed."

Zaeed simply moved aside without a word, the duo moving past as Zaeed moved in close behind, the mercenary slotting in a fresh thermal clip before holstering his vindicator. Now they had a ruthless bounty hunter to add to their list of team members; not to mention he was  _the_ bounty hunter. The one everyone feared. The one who's very name caused whole mercenary organizations to send everything they had to fight him.

And soon, it would be the collectors sending their forces to fight them too.

**{Loading...}**

_August 12, 2185_

_1730 hours._

_Crew Quarters, Zarasis-Class Light Cruiser QMFV Neema, Migrant Fleet, Q System._

_Brigadier General Tali'Zorah vas Neema._

Promotion. Tali had recently been promoted to Brigadier General. By the time she finally joined Marcus, she would be a general at this rate. Hell, she probably outranked him already; and that didn't settle well with her. It didn't matter though; quarian military command didn't override one from a foreign force unless it was in a joint-operation. But even then, she'd still take orders from her commander. Her...captain.

Her shift currently wasn't over and she wasn't working in engineering. She was to debrief some marines later in the day but for now she had some downtime. She leaned on her bed as she looked blankly into the room. Her omni-tool was opened and she was preparing to send Marcus a message; but the problem was, she didn't know what to write.

It wasn't that she didn't want to, it was that she didn't know what could be said.  _How's it going? How many collectors have you killed? Hope you're okay?_ The more options that ran through her head the more she was sent into indecision. In the end, her typed her message, hoping that it would be enough.

_To: Marcus L. Shepard_

_From: TheNaughtyQuarian7_

_Subject: I miss you!_

_I hope you're doing alright. All is well on the Neema; or peaceful at least. It won't be long before the Haestrom mission. I remembered my promise to email you and here I am. I just wish there was more I could say._

_Seeing you back from the dead is still unbelievable. I'm glad you're back, more than glad actually, but it's just that I've never witnessed resurrection before. Just...watch your back. I really don't trust Cerberus. They may have good intentions now, but when the collectors are just a distant memory, and trust me, they will be knowing us, they might not figure us to be an asset worth keeping. Please be careful._

_I can't wait to rejoin the crew. After all these years...it's a pleasure to know you're alive...far away, but alive all the same. And soon, I will rejoin you in yet another insane quest into the unknown. I just hope we don't make a habit of this. As if the Reapers weren't worry enough. I heard Garrus joined your crew too; at least I'll have that bosh'tet to look forward to as well. That's all I need; my two best friends to protect me on a ship full of my enemies._

_I also forgot to tell you back on Freedom's Progress that not everyone ignored your warnings about the Reapers. Although I don't like her, Xen did take me seriously and it wasn't long before the rest of the Board agreed. My father, the insufferable bosh'tet he might be, agreed as well and the fleet is being prepared for war. I just thought you should know; at least you have one ally in the coming war ready to fight._

_I miss you alot. Hope to see you soon. Keelah Se'lai to you Marcus._

_From: TheNaughtyQuarian7_

_To: Marcus L. Shepard_

Content with the message, she hit the send button and sat on her bunk, picking up one of the marine debriefing pads and examining it. Kal'Reegar was out on special assignment and that left Tali in temporary command of his  _Hametzo_ Division. Apparently Kal had been selected to lead a small skylord strike team to some uninhabited world to eliminate a pirate base that had abducted one of their pilgrimages. Those bosh'tets were about to find out what happens when you mess with the Migrant Fleet. Her people looked after each other.

Tali didn't even bother to turn around as the door behind her opened. She was too engrossed in her work to realize just who it was who had entered. Before she could turn to see who it was, Peta had moved and sat on the sleeping pad to her left.

"Hey Tali," Peta greeted the quarian.

Tali rolled her eyes behind her mask, "Hello." She replied, the implications of the word ringing hollow in her mind. She really didn't feel it.

"What are you doing?" Peta asked.

"Work," Tali responded curtly.

"What kind of work?"

"One that includes leading a marine division."

"Okay then."

Silence filled the room for a few moments before Peta spoke up.

"So...Tali, I was wondering, would you like to...um...watch a movie with me? I've...I've got it on my omni-tool."

This time, Tali couldn't take it. She honestly thought Peta had gotten the point, but here he was, pressing it. She wasn't interested in a relationship with him; why couldn't he get that? She'd have a better chance with Kal then Peta, and he was her official brother!

"Must you do that?"

"Do what?"

"That," Tali snapped, "Why can't you simply leave me alone? I could understand if you were just being a friend, but it's clear this is something more. Do you understand the friendzone, or do you not?"

Peta seemed equally frustrated, but for a different reason, "Of course I do! But I don't understand why you don't want me! We've been friends since we were children! I could give you children! I could make you happy; I could protect you!"

"I don't want you because my heart already belongs to someone else!" Tali retorted, datapad falling into her lap.

"You'd much rather have that primate as a mate? You're biologically incompatible! You can never give him children! But I could give you that chance! A  _quarian_ husband that would love and cherish you, not some  _human_ degenerate."

Tali realized she could never have children with Marcus. It was a sad, unfortunate truth. Her body simply wasn't designed to be compatible with humans. It tore at her everytime she thought about it, but it hadn't stopped her. She wouldn't ever leave Marcus for anything; and she'd even sacrifice the ability to have a family just to be with him.

"How dare you!" Tali snapped back, "He has done more for me than you ever will! He's looked after me, protected me and cared for me! I don't care if we can't have children; that's not what love is all about! Reproduction isn't what it's all about Peta!"

Peta just gave a snort, "And what if I told your father about your little fling with your human commander? What if word spread across the fleet that Rael'Zorah's famous daughter; slayer of the geth and heroine of the Citadel, was found to be sleeping with a human? Could you imagine the outrage? I can practically hear them right now."

Tali slammed her fist onto the bed, causing her datapad's glass screen to smash. He had the  _dav_ to use blackmail to get her into his bed? And what if she did decide to have sex with him? What would it achieve? She'd feel none the better and would lose Marcus. She could only imagine the look of betrayal on his face as he realized she had married another quarian; why didn't even love. Reputation be damned; let the fleet know. She wouldn't care. Besides, she was pretty sure Peta was just bluffing.

"Then tell them!" Tali counter-dared.

Peta looked taken aback, "W-what?"

"I said tell them!" Tali repeated, "Go and inform my father. You see, I don't care. I care about Marcus so much. I love him. And if you think I'm going to give up the future I could have with him for you, then you're wrong."

Peta seemed visibly defeated, "Why do you hate me so much? I thought we had something..."

Tali felt genuinely sorry for the quarian. She understood the feeling; of loving someone and then finding out they had someone else. She had had a similiar feeling on the Normandy; on Feros, when she had watched Liara hug Marcus. It had been revealed to be a non-intimate embrace, but at the time she had thought Marcus had gone for Liara. The thought had torn her apart; and now Peta felt the same about her.

She lay a hand on mechanic's shoulder, squeezing it gently, "I don't hate you, Peta. I just don't love you. We never had any chemistry between us; it was never going to work out. I'm sorry. But I know deep down that I love Marcus and I want to spend my life with him. A life I can't spend with you. I'm sure you'll find another woman who can love you the way you want me to, but you're day isn't going to be today. Can't we just be friends?"

Peta sighed heavily, apparently having finally accepted the way things had gone, "Yes, of course we can. I'll always love you Tali, but I know you can never love me back, and I've now come to accept that. I hope you find happiness with the one you do love. I better get back to engineering; still much to do."

Tali nodded and watched as Peta left, the quarian feeling tears streaking down his cheeks. He had meant what he said; he still loved her, but he could at least... _No! How can I accept this? I've had a crush for her since I was nine! And to find that some other boy got to her? Maybe if I had dated her when we were teenagers; maybe I might've gotten to her first. But now I've lost my chance._

Once he was in a area of the ship that noone was in, he growled loudly and slammed his fist into the bulkhead, tears pouring down now. He slipped onto the floor, holding his head in a fetal position inbetween his legs.  _Maybe in another life..._

Then his omni-tool lit up, alerting him to a message marked as important. He wished he could wipe away the tears as he opened the message in his omni-tool. As he read through it, his features creased from sad into a look of satisfaction. He now had a purpose; a way to get what he wanted. And as he stood up to head for engineering; he began formulating the pleasures of having such an alliance.

_To: Peta'Yala vas Neema._

_From: Anonymous Source._

_Subject: Your current predicament._

_I've taken special notice of you and recognize the situation you find yourself in. Maybe we can reach some sort of arrangement. I have a large amount of resources and agents and I'm sure you know just who I am. Information is my busines and I'm sure we can use that as a means to a certain end._

_Tali'Zorah may not realize how deep your feelings go for her, but I do. And I'm willing to help you win her over, even if by force. I only require that you help me in return. This message will delete after being sent. You can send a reply via the encrypted address at the bottom of the message. I look forward to further exchanges._

_From: Anonymous Source._

_To: Peta'Yala vas Neema._

**{Loading...}**

_August 12, 2185_

_1734 hours._

_Crew Quarters, Liveship Rayya, Migrant Fleet, Q System._

_Ree'Nara vas Rayya, Tpi'Nara vas Rayya, Veetor'Nara vas Rayya, Chief Medical Officer Elan'Shiya vas Rayya._

"So basically, you want Veetor to visit you for weekly check ups?" Ree asked.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. I want to make sure he recovers fully from his traumatic experiences. The Collector attack hit him hard and I need to make sure he's recovering well. His wellbeing is my priority." Elan responded in kind.

Veetor seemed to blissfully be outside of the conversation. He seemed to be intently staring at the ground, his mind wandering through space. Elan smiled warmly at the thought of where Veetor's mind was wandering. His mind was unique; even though he excluded himself from others, he was very creative. He was a talented engineer and speaker; it was just a pity that due to his phobia of crowds, that creative mind would never see the light of day. But Elan saw the potential; and she took special note of it. It was...attractive, she might say.

But Veetor's thoughts weren't where the doctor thought they were; his thoughts were centered around her. The young quarian had been trying to understand his feelings; everytime he saw Elan or was in her presence, he felt a tingling sensation. Whenever she touched him to do medical examinations, he felt his entire body tense. It was a blissful feeling; a sense of feeling safe, a sense of...what was it!?

"How does that sound, Veetor?" Elan asked, his parents eyes on him as well as the doctor's.

Veetor's eyes looked up to meet Elan's, glowing eyes seeming to pierce his mask and give him that same blissful feeling. The more he looked at her, the more he noticed her curves, the way her veil flowed across her body, the blue color of it being beautiful amongst her body. Her glowing, soft eyes brought him solace while everytime he looked at her, he just wanted to hold her close.

_Am I...attracted to her? Could it be that? I've never had a crush on a girl before; but am I falling for my own doctor? Is that practical? Should I tell her this? I probably should. But what if she already has a mate or is married? No, Elan always said she was single and that she had no interest in any of the men. Am I in love with Elan'Shiya vas Rayya?_

This caused Veetor to shiver, but he tried not to show it in his posture, "Yes yes yes. Very good, very good."

Then he looked away. The physical and mental flood of emotions was overwhelming and he had to find a way to put a cap on them. He just didn't know if he could. He might as well tell her; what harm could there be?  _You're Veetor'Nara; the natural coward of the fleet. Scared of crowds and now scared of telling a woman you're in love with her. The worst Elan could do is tell him she's married or has a mate and be done with it. That, or she's not interested. What was the chances of her being interested, anyway?_

Elan continued to examine Veetor's posture and immediately found her eyes wandering his body. Unlike most males, Veetor didn't have the heavily-built muscles that came with a marine or heavy lifter. But his body was still bigger than a quarian female's, and for some reason she found his body to be...alluring. Veetor's voice was calm and low; something that sparked bliss in the woman. When she realized her eyes were drifting, she blushed.  _Am I attracted to my patient? To Veetor'Nara? He truly is a unique man; but what is the point of telling a guy who's scared of crowds that you're in love with him?_

Two mutually thinking minds clashed as Elan stood up to leave, shaking both his parent's hands. When Elan turned to leave, Veetor stood up, alittle too quickly, but tried to turn attention away from himself, "Could I...walk with you, doctor?"

Elan had almost stated she was busy; but she guessed she had the time.  _Maybe I can tell him of my feelings for him. Get it over with._ Elan simply nodded and Veetor followed her out of the room, both of them walking side by side towards no certain area of the ship. Both of them were silent, Veetor having no idea what to say and Elan wishing she could say something. Instead, both kept their silence. It was a long, drawn out silence that the both of them loathed.

Inside both of their minds was a war of attrition; Veetor and Elan's minds both trying to knock down the barriers of their emotional egos so they could finally spit out the things they wanted to say. But for now, the walls wouldn't budge.

Soon however, their pointless wandering found them arriving at the most unlikely destination; the observation deck. Upon arrival, they both found the area empty apart for a quarian couple at the end of the corridor, who were holding each other close as they examined the stars; lovers seperated by suits. Elan came to a stop by the observation window, looking out into the vast expanse of space itself, the shape of the Andromeda Galaxy painted on the horizon due to the fleet's proximity to the edge of the milky way.

Veetor joined her, but not in looking out into space, but to looking at her. Once again, his eyes travelled down her body, taking note of every curve. She was beautiful, as most quarian females were, but he felt Elan was special. He loved her, he knew that much and all he had to do was tell her that. He felt that their walk that had brought them to the observation deck hadn't been coincidence; his subconscious had done it on purpose. His eyes spied the couple ahead and knew that now was a better time than any. Clearing his throat, he prepared to do the most gutsy thing he had done in his entire life.

"Elan, I...I..." Veetor tried to stutter out.

Elan's visor turned to face him, waiting for him to finish his sentence as the quarian's hands fell to his waist, fiddling with themeselves. He knew this was it; she was waiting. The point of no return.  _What's there to lose?_

"Elan, I...have feelings for you. I...I think I'm attracted to you." Veetor spat out and from the look of Elan's posture, he knew he had creeped her out.  _A patient, most likely much younger than her, just told her that he loved her. I'd be creeped out if I was in her position._

Before he could walk off, Elan had grabbed his shoulders and turned him to face her. He was expecting her to berate him for what she might have thought was somekind of a sick joke or a lecture about patient/doctor differentials, but she instead did the unexpected. She stepped closer until she stood but an inch from him, faceplate following suit. Her voice was low, but calm and it sent shivers down his spine.

"Veetor, I feel the same way," Elan admitted. Veetor felt every bone in his body suddenly weaken; almost as if they had just disappeared. He had never felt so happy to hear those words in his life. Before he could react any further, Elan brought her visor to lean against his. Veetor stopped his erratic movements and just looked into her entrancing eyes, bodies so close that the warmth from both of them could be felt. Hands met hands before meeting waists. They tapped faceplates; the closest thing to a kiss quarians could get.

Then they just stood there; Veetor resting his helmet on Elan's shoulder as her hand wrapped around his waist and they looked into space together, the deck now occupying not one, but two couples. Veetor had never felt happier in his life.

Now he just had to find a way to make this work without screwing up.

**"That's one hell of a way to meet a recruit; having them save your ass. Zaeed always seemed distant and a bit hostile, but I guess I learned to live with it."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Zaeed was always a mixed bag; but did you expect with a man who's basically labelled as a 'gun for hire?'"**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"So I gather it was straight to the Citadel for you next."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Certainly was; and boy did I have an earful for the Council. But they weren't the only ones I had 'reunions' with. There was Anderson, a few friends from C-Sec and one hell of an annoying reporter who I'm sure you know. The Citadel was also where I think I met one of the most unusual of our recruits."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"And probably one of my best friends..."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

_**Author's Notes:** _

**ArchReaper! Where is that sex scene between Elan and Veetor? I was promised suit-linking! Unacceptable! Blasphemy! Don't make me grab a stick and stick it so far up your ass that you'll be shitting-**

**Soooooooo, anyway I'd like to officially state that Collector (Guest) is a total, glucose-lacking defficient paragon of everything not to be in terms of human life. He/she is like the fungus that grows in areas I'd rather not mention (mostly for my own sake; I don't want to be known as the author who started a new epidemic of fanfictionitis. We already get enough of that from bad fanfics). I hope Collector is reading this, so he/she knows that their bacterial ass will be mentioned in this fanfic; before getting his ass kicked by Shepard and Tali awesomeness.**

**Hell, not even that; you don't deserve the honor of being killed by Shepard/Tali, let alone be in this fanfic. Be gone unholy beast! I will destroy you with my...{Insert Borderlands weapon here}. Just...yeah, I'm out.**

**Keelah Se'lai and...oh look! A chimp with an AK-47!**

***runs off***


	17. Only Mostly Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard decides its time to explain his return to the Council. As he does, his fourth recruit reveals herself.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN:**

**ONLY MOSTLY DEAD**

_August 12, 2185_

_1417 hours._

_Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for the Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard._

Marcus sighed happily as a warm, tired smile crossed his lips. He had recently finished reading Tali's message. It was a welcome relief to the amount of situations he had gotten into lately; saving Archangel to find it was Garrus and almost lose him to a missile to the face, curing a collector-engineered plague and then helping a quarian only to meet his third recruit in the midst of a firefight. For all intents and purposes, he was actually relieved to leave Omega behind. As he saw it, the place was a hellhole and he didn't want to think about what Aria would think of three major organizations getting decimated on her station.

After sending the quarian his reply, he switched off the terminal and leaned back in his chair, examining the display case where he kept his ship models. He had collected numerous ship models; a geth cruiser, asari destroyer and batarian mining vessel among them. He had also collected what they were calling a 'geth dreadnought', which was actually a model of Sovereign. Apparently it was a geth creation. Bloody fools.

He gazed at the picture on his desk; Tali's opaque mask making the quarian a two-legged enigma; just what did she look like? Of course, he didn't care if he knew saw her face, but it was still something he'd always find curious. The more he looked at her picture, the more he felt intoxicated; the more he needed to hold her again. It was driving him mad. But he knew he couldn't afford to be selfish; both of their people's needed them.

He stood up and walked over to the aquarium that adorned the wall of his cabin; his reflection gazing back at him. He winced at the numerous bullet wounds that adorned his body, all from the battles he had fought on Omega in the shortspace of time he had been there. Surprisingly however, Chakwas had stated that he was healing from them faster than normal; apparently he had a less-advanced version of the regeneration krogan and vorcha had. He could heal, but it wouldn't be near-instanteous like theirs was.

He almost didn't recognize the reflection looking back at him; he kept picturing that face of steel that stared back at him during his first escape attempt back on Lazarus. He had lookd more machine than human, and that scared him. What as he? Was he really human anymore? What if he really was a clone, just programmed to have emotions? What would Tali think?

But then the metal face was gone; replaced by the one he now had. He looked exactly like he did two years ago; but lacking all the battle scars he had acquired on Elysium, Torfan and Akuze. Even the scratch marks he had gotten from his battle with Saren on the Citadel were gone; wounds well earned. He remembered the smell of burnt ash after he defeated the abomination; Saren's words echoing in his head.  _Thank you._

Now they were replaced by new scars; not proper ones, just areas left behind by the Lazarus project. They glowed with bright orange intent, but they weren't as bright as they had been on the shuttle over Freedom's Progress. They were slightly less bright now and the scars seemed to have shrunk. Chakwas had assured him that over time it would heal; the cybernetic's slow regeneration taking place.

There was no doubt that he was far superior to his original self in terms of combat; armor and weapons aside, it was his cybernetics that were the real guns on his body. They granted him speed and strength alike normal humans, making him almost as strong as krogan and as fast as a quarian. His reflexes were nowhere near a synthetic's but they were still faster. He remembered the feeling of lowering his rifle; how it felt so fluid, so casual, almost as if all the years of combat he had gone through had made using a rifle scope as easy as breathing.

And that's what truly scared him; that he wasn't just a soldier fighting for the survival of his people anymore, defending Earth and all his colonies. He worried that he was becoming the ultimate warrior; a man forged in the heat of battle and born to kill, slay and destroy the galaxy's enemies. In essence, he was the galaxy's guardian, their sentinel.  _I am the Archangel._ But he didn't want to fight; it was just the only life he had every known. But then he met Tali... _could I really drop everything to live a happy life with her? Could I even do that? The Reapers are coming and I don't even know if we can beat them._

With a heavy sigh, he shook his head and opened the door to leave his cabin; he didn't have time to consider the possibilities of his future. He had a war to win, races to save. Tali's protection mattered above all else; but not above the galaxy's. He'd head to the mess hall and start doing his rounds there; see how the crew were doing, especially Garrus, Mordin and Zaeed. He felt he'd need to get a feel for their personalities. He needed everyone to be in the game; a distracted soldier was a liability. A concentrated one was a lethal weapon.

The elevator didn't take as long to reach the Crew Deck as he thought it would; probably because he's gotten so used to their incredibly slow speed. When he finally reached the crew deck, he stepped out and turned around, heading into mess hall. The middle table was full with numerous cerberus crew members, including a few of the ship's commando detail. The table behind that however was only occupied by Crewman Hawthorne. Passing him, Marcus arrived at Gardner's galley, the man currently squatting behind the counter pulling out numerous packets of food. When the man finally stood up, he was surprised to see Marcus standing there.

"Commander! Sorry, didn't see you there," Gardner exclaimed, "What can I do for you?" The man had a very heavy californian accent. It was unusual, considering how the accent was dying off but still welcomed.

"Just a snack. Maybe a protein bar," Marcus requested, "Anything you really need while we're on the Citadel?"

Gardner simply shook his head, handing the man a bar which he took thankfully, "Nothing I can't get myself. I want to improve the food rations we currently have, as the crew aren't enjoying them; Cerberus don't differ much from the Alliance in terms of proper food. Omega was a no go, but I'm sure the Citadel will have the facilities I need. I'll just have to wear something over this uniform; I know how much aliens hate us."

Marcus nodded, unwrapping the bar and taking a bite out of it. The taste reminded him on the bars he had back on the Normandy SR-1, "What do you think of Cerberus, Gardner?"

Gardner crossed his arms and fixed his commander with a stare, "I think what this organization stands for is human purity and independence. Humanity needs to stand tall and recognize it's differential from these alien morons. I'm fully devoted to the Illusive Man's cause. No matter what you think of our methods, we do what we can for humanity. And in my opinion, if a few aliens have to disappear for that dominance? So be it."

The man's attitude reminded him of Pressly in many ways. However, Pressly just didn't trust them; he didn't want them dead, "You're going to be working alongside alot of aliens, Mess Sergeant. I hope we're not going to have a problem because I won't tolerate racism on this ship."

Gardner shook his head and held up his hands in defense of himself, "Of course not! I don't hate aliens, I just know that the end justifies the means. If we have to sacrifice the entire asari race to destroy the reapers, would you do it?"

Marcus felt he knew the answer but when it came down to it, he didn't. The genocide of an entire species was a horror among many, but to do it so the rest of the galaxy can survive? Could he really commit that sort of a crime just to destroy an enemy?  _Wouldn't I be no better than them?_

"No, I wouldn't. There's always another way," Marcus declared, "And destroying an entire race isn't it. I'm not going to sacrifice people needlessly."

Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left, first heading up the ramp towards the gunnery control station to talk to Garrus. Gardner seemed like a good man, but he didn't nessacarily agree with the morals that the man followed. It seemed to be the general consensus of all Cerberus crew members; with the exception of Kelly, who seemed to genuinely like aliens, but still believed in Cerberus' ways. Ken and Gabby technically only joined Cerberus because of him, as did Chakwas and Joker, so that didn't count.

The door to the gunnery control area opened quickly and allowed him entrance. It wasn't an overly large room; there was a weapon's bench to his left along with a pile of crates to the left and the room was illuminated in a dull red glow. A single console occupied the room, with the rest of the room taken up by a large door; most likely used to deploy bombs or some form of explosive ordnance. Standing before the main control console was Garrus, the turian hard at work. Next to him, on the right, was a camper bed. Apparently Garrus had no need for a sleeper pod.

Hearing the door open though, the turian stopped what he was doing and turned around, nodding at Marcus as he did.

"Finally come to see me at work?" Garrus asked.

"Among other things," Marcus stated, finishing his bar as he moved to sit on the crates to the right of the room, door closing behind him. Marcus had one question still on his mind that he wanted answered. It had been nagging at him for quite awhile.

"Garrus, back on Omega, the dossier said you had a team. Just, what happened to them? I saw body bags lined along the wall back at your old HQ," Marcus asked.

Garrus' smirk turned to a grim expression within seconds. The turian turned to his console, leaning heavily against it and presumably trying to find the words he needed to say. Marcus didn't hurry him; it was an understanding between best friends. He had no intention to rush him through it.

Finally, the turian managed to mouth the words he needed to say, "One of my...team betrayed me...betrayed us. Blood Pack got to him and made him talk. Then he fled. By the time I got back my team was dead and only one of them was alive. And he didn't last very long. The body bags were them; bodies put to rest."

Marcus lowered his head solemnly. Losing Ashley on Virmire had saddened him, but for Garrus to lose his whole team to a traitor? He couldn't relate to that sort of pain. Mutuality just wasn't a present.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Marcus stated, "But it's not your fault."

Garrus wheeled on him in a second, "Not my fault? I should have seen Sidonis' treachery the moment I let him join my team! My incompetence cost my team their lives! But Sidonis isn't going to get away with it. I promised him I'd find him and kill him. That I'd avenge the deaths of my squad. Make him pay for his betrayal of my trust. Our trust."

"Revenge isn't always the way, Garrus," Marcus stated, "Redemption isn't exactly unoptional."

"He's beyond redemption," Garrus declared coldly, slamming his clenched talons into the console, "He was beyond it when he decided to run away instead of face me. Instead of sacrificing himself for the team. Now I know I'll be better when that turian bastard is dead. I will find him, but not today. Not now."

Marcus simply nodded; a non-verbal acknowledgement between two soldiers. Mutual agreement said not in words, but by gesture and trust. Instead, the N7 veteran changed the subject.

"So...the collectors. What's the estimate of our chances of success, Garrus?"

Garrus felt a smirk replace his grim expression, the memories of Sidonis' betrayal fading away for the moment it seemed, "I don't know. They're powerful, numerous and have technology far beyond even the geth. They'll make the Eden Prime War seem like a charity ball. But hey, they already killed you once and all that did was piss you off. I can't see it stopping you now."

Marcus simply laughed, "And when the time comes I'll have my quarian girlfriend and turian brother-in-arms at my side, sending them straight to hell. Just makes me wonder if they have their own Sovereign, their own Saren."

Garrus shook his head, "You know what Vigil said back on Ilos. Sovereign was the vanguard the reapers leave behind after every cycle. Now that Sovereign is destroyed and the Reapers can't get to us using the Citadel, it'll take them years to reach us from dark space. So no, I don't think we have any reapers to worry about. But if they have their own Saren? I guess time will tell."

Marcus sighed, "Makes me wonder if the collectors were once just a peaceful race and had been converted into slaves for the reapers. What if they were like the geth, Garrus? Brought to war because one Reaper and his turian servant brought them the chance."

"I hope you're not making the geth out to be good guys," Garrus teased, "I'd have to contact Chakwas and announce a medical emergency. Tali would probably slap you and give you a rerun on quarian history."

Marcus laughed, "Of course not. I just...I don't know. All I do know is that the collectors aren't going to last very long with us on their tail now."

Garrus smiled a predatory grin, "Damn right. Now if you don't mind, I am in the middle of some calibrations. The Normandy has a whole new set of weapons and I really want to get a feel for them. Let me know when we reach the Citadel; I want to be there to see the looks on the Council's faces when they see you're alive."

Marcus simply nodded and chuckled, getting up and off the crates and exiting through the door. He decided he'd talk to Chakwas next. He hadn't spoken with the doctor very much when she had come aboard, apart from the short time he spent with her while he got cleaned up after picking up his first recruits on Omega.

He hit the door's interface and stepped inside, seeing Chakwas sitting behind her desk to his immediate left. Hearing the door open, Chakwas turned and smiled when she saw Marcus.

"Shepard, what can I do for you?" Chakwas greeted, spinning in her seat to face him.

"I could ask you the same," Marcus replied, "We'll be at the Citadel within a couple of days and I wanted to know if you wanted anything while we were there. Medical supplies, anything at all?"

Chakwas shook her head before nodding slightly, "Well, there was one particular thing I wanted...but it's overly expensive..."

"We have a huge Cerberus budget to eat away from so don't hold back, doctor," Marcus stated.

"It's no necessity, I'll tell you that, just a...personal pleasure," Chakwas replied in kind, "I was hoping to acquire a bottle of serrice ice brandy. It's something I reserve for special occassions but I lost my last bottle when the Normandy was destroyed two years ago. I was hoping to get a replacement bottle, but if it's too much..."

Marcus held up his hands to stall further protest from the doctor, "No, I'll make sure I find some during our stay there. I need my crew fed and concentrated. If a little alcohol keeps my people on track, then so be it. Besides, we'll have to share a bottle at some point. I haven't been able to have a decent conversation with you."

Chakwas gave an even warmer smile, "That does sound lovely. But I gather you have work to do so I won't keep you. Just try not to get shot too much this time; I might have signed up to heal soldiers, but usually different ones, not the same ones."

He simply grinned, "I'll try."

With that, he left the medical bay and found himself moving to stand infront of Miranda's office; the area where his quarters used to be on the old Normandy. With a sigh, he tapped the haptic interface and the door slid open, allowing him to step inside the room. As the door closed behind him, he took time to observe the large room. To his left was an observation window and to his right was a large desk type set up with Miranda sitting on one side, typing into her terminal and a chair on the other side.

The back of the room was another room where a queen-sized double bed was located, mostly the same as his own, surrounded by numerous sofas and yet another observation window right to the left. This ship was built with alot of them. Aside from him, Miranda appeared to have the most extravagant quarters on the entire ship. As XO, that wasn't surprising, but on an alliance ship, it was damn well unheard of. Even his old captain's quarters weren't this extravagant.

Miranda turned from her terminal to face Marcus after having seen him enter.

"Ah, commander. I didn't expect to see you in here," Miranda greeted, motioning for the former spectre to take a seat opposite her desk. Doing as she asked, he sat down and leaned forward, fists clenched ontop of her finally polished desk.

"I'm just doing some rounds. Getting to know my crew," Marcus stated, "The past week has been hectic with the betrayal on Lazarus and the battles on Omega and we haven't really gotten the chance to talk. I wanted to know more about you. How did you come to join an organization like Cerberus, anyway?"

Miranda sighed, "I guess you do deserve some answers," she then turned off her terminal and mirrored Marcus' own position, "I guess it started back on my birthworld, Jerusaleum IV. My father was a very wealthy man; and by wealthy, I mean he used to own Microsoft, Apple, Conatix and quite a few mercenary organizations before they died out from overexposure to today's technologies. Truth is, I'm genetically perfect because I wasn't born naturally. I was grown out of a test tube."

Marcus widened his eyes, "I see."

"His name was Henry Lawson and when he grew me, he wanted me to continue his 'dynasty' of perfection. I was to be his crowning achievement; the beginning of human perfection, given form. He gave me anything I wanted; if I demanded it, I'd get it. Anything money could by. Hell, even if I asked for the Citadel he'd probably find someway to get it. But in the end that wasn't enough; I wanted a normal life, not to be treated like a puppet. And that wasn't enough for him."

"So you struck out?" Marcus asked.

Miranda shook her head, "No. He replaced me. You see, I wasn't the first. I was just the one that succeeded and showed better progress. There were many before me, and like the ones before they all had problems with them that made them imperfect; so he replaced them before killing them. He then grew...another one. She replaced me. But in the end, I saw that she failed to and before I he could kill us both, I rescued her and fled. The Illusive Man saw the predicament we were in and took us in, promising to protect us from my father. Henry had alot of resources, but they were nothing compared to Cerberus' so he just gave up."

"So what happened to the other one?" Marcus asked, confused.

"I sent her away to a place somewhere safe, under careful protection from a close friend who helped us escape," Miranda stated, "She has a family and is going to college soon. She lives on Illium. The Illusive Man has agents watching her 24/7. In repayment for his help, I accepted position as his right-hand man. Apparently being 'close to perfect' was enough for him. I owe him my life."

"Sounds like it," Marcus agreed, "But that doesn't mean you have to agree with the ideals."

Miranda rolled her eyes, "I know what you think of Cerberus and I've heard it many times. It's not going to change my opinion. You can hate Cerberus all you want, but in the end we are doing something good, even if many view it as biased. Someone has to look out for humanity."

"But through terrorism?" Marcus retorted.

"I wouldn't call it terrorism," Miranda replied, "That's not our style. Of course there's always going to be the occassional cell that goes rogue and does indeed go terrorist, but that's not the Illusive Man's command."

"Oh, then I guess the attack on the Idenna wasn't his order then?" Marcus snapped.

Miranda fixed the man with a harsh stare, "The attack on the Migrant Fleet was...regretful. If anything, Cerberus has learned something from it."

"Yeah, that you slaughtered innocent civilians and it was all for no reason."

"It wasn't all a moot invasion," Miranda stated, "One of our agents wanted his autistic child returned to him but she had fled from Grissom Academy along with Kahlee Sanders. We tracked them to Omega and then finally to the Migrant Fleet, onboard the Idenna. A quarian exile, Golo, helped us get inside and we tried to retrieve the girl, but like you know, it ended in slaughter. Grayson turned traitor, the girl now lives on the Idenna which is no longer part of the fleet and Kahlee has returned to Alliance space."

"You murdered men, women and children over a fucking child," Marcus stated in poorly hidden disdain.

"Look, I'm not asking you to like our MO but it gets the job done," Miranda replied, turning back to her terminal, "In the end, it might be decisions like that that need to be made to defeat the Reapers or maybe even the Collectors."

Miranda didn't need to say it but it was clear as day; this conversation was over. Standing from his chair, he simply turned and left, palming the interface to her door and leaving, heading for the elevator. Once he stepped inside, he hit the button for engineering. He wanted to check up on Ken and Gabby as well as it's latest inhabitant. Apparently Zaeed had set up in the garbage disposal section of the ship; probably preferred the solitary confinement.

When the elevator stopped on the engineering deck, he waited for the door to open before stepping out and heading into engineering itself, taking the door to his left instead of the right. Miranda's last words to him were still rolling around in head.  _In the end, it might be decisions like that that need to be made to defeat the Reapers or maybe even the Collectors._ The thoughts felt like self-betrayal, but he had to admit that she had a point. It might very well take large sacrifices to stop the Reapers. Whole cities. Entire worlds. Star systems. . Possibly...even an entire species.  _No, I won't let that happen. I'm going to save them all; I just need to find a way._

The second door opened and he was welcomed to the sight of Gabby's back. Kenneth was nowhere to be seen, but he guessed he might have been hard at work in some other section of the ship. Hearing Gabby's voice confirmed his thoughts as he moved to stand right next to her, seeing the engineer's omni-tool lit up.

"Now insert cooling rod B into junction B." Gabby ordered.

"I'm trying, woman," Ken replied, "It ain't all that eazy. It takes precise motions to do dis stuff lady."

"Whatever," Gabby replied. From what Marcus could now see, Kenneth had gone crawling into engineering's tight crawling spaces. Deciding not to waste their time, he quietly left, making sure not to attract their attention. Apparently the FBA couplings he had acquired from Kenn's workshop on Omega had really helped with things. Leaving engineering, he made a beeline straight for garbage disposal.

When he entered the room, he found it had changed. It was still a large boxed area; nothing much to it. However, Zaeed really had decorated the stuff with his belongings. To his left was a bunch crates covered in merchandise such as a krogan blood pack helmet, a models of a turian frigate and asari pleasure liner and what looked like a rusted, avenger assault rifle. Judging by the design, it was from a time before the introduction of thermal clips to galactic weaponry. At the back of the room and to his far left was the actual garbage disposal; a conveyor belt sending crushed trash into space through a small hatch.

Sitting at the back of the room was Zaeed, the man polishing his vindicator battle rifle. Upon seeing Marcus approaching, the grizzled merc veteran stood up, leaning his battle rifle against the wall, and laying the cloth over the barrel as he stood.

"Finally come to check on me, have you?" Zaeed asked, "Took your damn time. Would have thought you forgot about me. You got something for me to fight yet?"

Marcus shook his head, "No, not yet Zaeed. I just came to talk."

"I'm not a sociopath, but I'm not exactly a chatty person," Zaeed replied immediately, "I've got better things to do than talk. And if you're trying to do that 'touchy-feely' crap on me where you try to lecture me about my 'connection to my inner being' shit, then you can forget it. I don't have time for fucking shit like that. Too much goddam effort involved. Rather be shooting something."

"I'm not that kind of person," Marcus said, grinning, "It's Kelly you should be worried about if that's what you hate. I just wanted to make sure you were settling in. Also get to know my crew better."

"It's simple. I'm a merc. I kill things. Shoot first, ask questions later is the logic I go by. If there's a problem that needs fixing, you call me. If it doesn't need fixing, I shoot the guy who said it did. Simple as that. Now I just want Vido dead and the money that TIM has so generously offered."

"So you're just doing this for the money?" Marcus asked with, this time, better hidden disdain.

"Pretty much. It's what makes the world goes round, doesn't it?" Zaeed replied, "Without fucking creds, you might as well be living like a quarian. And I sure as hell don't dig goddam enviro-suits. Too much whining and bitching involved."

Marcus nodded in acceptance, eying Zaeed's rifle, "Why do you keep that rusted rifle?"

Seeing him look at his avenger, Zaeed laughed lightly, "Rusted rifle? That there is my beloved jessie. That rifle and I have seen alot of combat together; killed many mercs and pirates. We spilled blood together, Jessie and I. One day though, she just stopped working. I went to have a tech look at her, but they said nothing could be done. She just collects dust now."

The way Zaeed looked at Jessie was pretty unusual. It mirrored much of how he looked at Tali; except he was in love with a quarian woman. He wasn't sure whether loving a rifle built to kill was breaching the barriers of normalcy or whether it was purely symbiotic; like what a collector thinks of his artefacts and collector's items. Either way, it was obvious Zaeed wasn't the kind of man who loved socialism and he decided to leave.

"Let me know if you need anything Zaeed." Marcus stated before leaving. If the old mercenary had an answer, it wasn't forthcoming. Once in the elevator once again, he hit the button for the CIC. He hadn't spoken much to Kelly and he felt he had been pretty rude to her in their first meeting. He'd also have to properly talk to EDI while also see what Joker was up to. He had hardly spoken to the pilot as well. The more he saw these familiar faces, the more he yearned to see Tali again.  _Get ahold of yourself. I doubt she's thinking of you as much as you're thinking of her. You're a soldier; do soldier...stuff._

When the elevator arrived at the second deck, he walked right up to Kelly, the excitable woman already turning to greet him with a huge smile on her face. Despite his earlier treatment of her, Kelly didn't seem to care and just continued to greet everyone with a optimistic edge that made Tali look like a amateur. He had to admit that Kelly was attractive, but that was mostly because of a thing he had for red heads. But that had been during his time in school; and boy, did he get alot of ginger girls.

He shook the comical thought from his head, thinking instead whether Tali might be a redhead.  _Do quarians even have hair? What if they're like turians or asari?_ Both thoughts dissipated when Kelly greeted him.

"Good day, commander. I hope all is well." The yeoman greeted happily.

"It is," Marcus replied in kind, "Look, I just wanted to apologize for my earlier behavior. You didn't deserve to be treated like that. I was just...a little skeptical of Cerberus at first."

Kelly, once again, managed to defy all odds and brighten her already vibrant smile; it seemed it would take a geth boarding party to hampen the woman's charming demeanour, "Completely understandable. Alot of people distrust Cerberus and when I read your file, I was fully prepared for your skepticism. I just hope we can work past that so we can focus on what's important. Cerberus isn't the enemy here."

Marcus simply nodded, "I've noticed that. So I guess you serve as the ship's psychologist?"

"Ship's councillor, if you so wish," Kelly replied cheerily, "I can talk with people about social problems and report back to you on their morale level. I can tell you if they're distracted, depressed, angry or confused. It will allow you to assess the ship's morale and improve it if need be. I also double as the ship's yeoman; I serve as the ship's chief in all clerical duties."

"Excellent," Marcus stated, before holding out his hand for the yeoman to shake. Kelly immediately accepted the gesture, "I can see we'll get along just well, Chambers. Keep up the good work; this operation doesn't just depend on my squad. It depends on the crew too; including you." With that, he let Kelly get back to work and walked into the Tech Lab, seeing Mordin hard at work at a glass case; apparently he had grown a seeker and was running experiments on the creature if his injection of numerous fluids into the tank was anything to go by.

Without turning around, the salarian spoke, "Ah, Shepard. Hello. Welcome. Nice little lab you have here; very advanced. Liked the challenges of the clinic; limited resources, provides more challenge. Still impressive setup. Lots of work, much to do. Many resources. Working on agent to counteract seeker swarms. Tests show slow success, but still noticable."

Once again, the salarian's rapidfire speech never ceased to amaze him. It was unbelievable that the salarian never even stopped for breath. He walked over to the position where Mordin was, standing next to the tank and examining it along with him.

"I'm glad you like it," Marcus stated, noticing the sleeper pad at the back of the room, "I also see you made yourself at home."

Seeing Marcus' gesture to his bed, Mordin turned to look at it and then back at the tank, a smile on his face, "Feel better sleeping in lab. Salarian lifespan short. Am a scientist; much work to be done. Many cures to circulate; quarian immune systems, kepral's syndrome, many human diseases, so much more. Start with this though; resources significant. Great chance of success. Afterall, did work on genophage project."

Marcus widened his eyes at that, "You worked on the genophage?"

"Worked in modification, yes. Realized a while ago that krogan were adapting to genophage. Took Maelon and research team and worked on modified genophage strain; tests proved successful. Managed to use resources in STG to disperse over Tuchanka. Genophage modified. Krogan breeding back to normal. Would take many centuries to start adapting to it again."

Marcus shook his head, "You perpetuated a mistake. When you defeat an enemy, you kill them, you don't draw out their death needlessly."

Mordin seemed unphased, "Did what was needed. Have no regrets. Salarians made mistake by uplifting krogan. Genophage corrected that mistake. Has kept krogan inert; prevented second war."

"Still doesn't justify destroying an entire people's future with a virus that slowly kills them. I served with a krogan once. His name was Wrex," Marcus explained, "He told me about what the genophage did to his people. You've reduced them to barbaric animals and reduced their home into a wasteland. Whatever humility they had was taken away when you destroyed their future."

Mordin shook his head, moving to stand behind his desk and opening his terminal, "Tuchanka's current state not of salarian doing. Krogan nuclear war reduced Tuchanka to current state long before salarian uplifting. The end doesn't matter. Did what was right; genophage a nessacary evil. Please, Shepard, do not wish to talk more about it. Made my choice. Made justified decision given circumstances. Stand by it."

Marcus simply nodded and left Mordin to his work, leaving the tech lab through the corridor leading to the armoury. Now to speak with Jacob. He was learning more about his mismatched crew every day.  _Miranda was grown from a tube. Garrus got betrayed. Zaeed loves his rifle. Mordin modified the genophage._

His conversation with Jacob hadn't been eventful. When he stepped inside the armoury, he had found the ex-marine doing pushups, apparently not in the mood for chit-chat. They had talked about Jacob's past career as an alliance corsairs and how he watched the downfall of Marcus' career from within Cerberus. Marcus had been the posterboy for the alliance's recruitment adverts until he was taken off and replaced by someone else after his death.

It wasn't long before he found himself at the cockpit; just in time to witness an argument between EDI and Joker.

"Well I'd like some privacy every once in a while and not some AI looking down on me!" Joker shouted at the AI's face. It was now that Marcus got see the synthetic's virtual form for the first time; it reminded him of a pawn on a chess set with a ring around it; she was also transparent and had a bluish color. She also had crystal-shaped lines moving from her sides, moving rapidly in each direction everytime she spoke.

"What are you two arguing about?" Marcus asked.

Joker immediately spun his chair to face the commander, "Personalization of my work space. EDI's throwing a fit over it."

EDI was quick to defend itself, "Cerberus regulations are clear Mister Moreau. 'Personalization' does not include grease on my bridge cameras."

Upon Marcus' raised eyebrow, Joker gave a sheepish look before returning to his usual demeanour, "It's just mad at me that all it's footage of me looks like a dream sequence!"

He simply shook his head, "Are you two going to make a habit of arguing? I never thought you'd be losing your sanity over an AI, Joker."

Joker didn't even answer that he just frowned before turning back to his console. EDI simply winked out of existence. What an interesting crew he had.

**{Loading...}**

_August 15, 2185_

_1521 hours._

_Main Dock, Level 27, Zakera Ward, The Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian._

It was different seeing the Citadel again; especially the Zakera Ward. Alot had certainly changed, especially C-Sec. Security had tightened up and the Citadel was still under repairs from the Battle of the Citadel two years ago. He also noticed that a decently large amount of alliance warships, mostly cruisers and destroyers, were part of the Citadel fleet now, with the Destiny Ascension remaining as the flagship of the awesome armada.

But that's where the changes stopped. Marcus sat in the skycar, piloting it through the Citadel's skyways, Garrus sitting next to him. The Normandy was much bigger than it's predecessor, and therefore it couldn't dock with the Zakera Ward, which was used to park much smaller vessels like standard frigates, corvettes or freighters. Not destroyers which the Normandy was now essentially the size of if not a little bit smaller.

Eying the parking lot just outside the C-Sec Customs Unit, he brought it down to park inbetween two other skycars, deactivating it's engines and stepping out, closing the door behind him. The skycar had been provided by C-Sec as what they claimed was a courtesy. However, he thought it was simply because the Normandy was registered as a Cerberus vessel and that letting a Cerberus kodiak land near a C-Sec customs bay would arrouse suspicion.

As he approached the customs desk, he noticed a fireteam of C-Sec SWAT troopers, a sergeant yelling commands at them. He was immediately reminded of Sergeant Bailey. He wondered how the man was doing or if he was even on the Citadel anymore.

"I wonder if that bastard Entricas is still in command down at Shalta Wards," Garrus pondered, "Always hated that bastard. I also heard Palin was killed during the Citadel attack by geth soldiers; I can't exactly remember who would succeed that poor bastard as executor. Guess we'll find out." Marcus was barely listening to the turian's words as he arrived at the custom's desk, greeted by a tired looking human female C-Sec officer.

"Halt," The woman said with a authority her posture didn't show, "You're not authorized to carry weapons on the Citadel. I'll have to confiscate those along with whatever armor you're wearing unless I can see your permit. Even then, I will have to confiscate that grenade launcher you have on your back."

Garrus scratched the back of his neck, "Yeah, Shepard, why did you bring that thing anyway?"

Marcus shrugged, "It's the Citadel, remember what happened last time? We were fighting Fist and his thugs to rescue Tali. I'm not about to go wandering onto the Citadel with 'shoot me, I'm unprepared' written on my back Garrus," With that, he turned and opened his omni-tool, hoping that his outdated spectre credentials were still viable. As he showed the woman, she immediately nodded.

"Commander Shepard, Former Spectre? Those credentials are out of date."

Marcus simply nodded, "I'm here for a meeting with the Council. Councilor David Anderson can vouch for me."

The woman held up her hands, "That won't be nessacary. You're the Hero of the Citadel, one who's supposed to be dead but a hero nonetheless. Just head through the security checkpoint and you can be on your way. I'm not equipped to authorize your passage; I just make sure you're aware of what's going on."

With that, he nodded to the officer and passed through the door, walking down a corridor towards a turian officer and a console to the left. Two windows showed what appeared to be an interrogation room to their left. Security on the Citadel had definitely been upped up a significant notch.

Seeing the two men approaching, the turian officer looked up and immediately asked them to stop, activating a system on his console that began a scan of them. Beams of light washed over their bodies, giving x-rays, bioscans and many other readings. They began to beep loudly as the scanners picked up numerous weapons. But it also pinged. The turian frowned as he looked at his terminal, cancelling the scanning process.

"What's wrong?" Garrus asked.

"Sorry, sir, problems with the scanner. It seems to think you're...ah...dead."

Marcus sighed and rolled his eyes, "I'm getting that alot. It's a pain in the ass," He regained his posture and nodded, "I was only mostly dead however. Is there anyway we can fix this up? I have a meeting with the Council."

The turian simply nodded, jabbing a talon towards the door behind him, "Speak with Captain Bailey. I'm afraid he's the only one who can help you with that."

Marcus and Garrus exchanged glances, both raising eyebrows. Apparently Bailey had stayed in C-Sec. Not only that, but he had gotten numerous promotions if his rank was anything to go by. It was nice to know the man had survived the days in C-Sec. Yet again, seeing humans in C-Sec originally had been rare. Now it was incredibly common due to humanity's new place in the Council; it gave them more power.

With a nod to the officer, they passed through the door and found the C-Sec office to the immediate right. They also found Bailey, having hardly changed from two years ago, talking with another female human officer.

"I don't care what you have to do...just get him to talk! Make him scream alittle if you have to." Bailey ordered and the officer immediately saluted, running off. Bailey immediately turned and his grim expression turned into a grin.

"Well look who decided to show up," Bailey greeted from behind his terminal, "I never thought I'd see you again Garrus, but Shepard? How the hell is it that you're even alive? News reports two years ago said you were dead."

"I was. For the most part," Marcus explained awkwardly, "It's a long story. And we have a problem that relates to that. Scanners pinged up that I was still registered as KIA. No surprise there, I guess."

Bailey typed somethings into his terminal and information flashed across the holographic screen. He gave a tired sigh, "I see the problem already. My console says you're dead, I know you were dead and you were dead. But you're here, so you're not dead. So the media was wrong. Goddamn figures," Bailey replied.

Marcus raised an eyebrow, "Aria T'Loak was more worried than you. I could be some impostor for all you know."

Bailey gave a humorless laugh, "We have the best screening equipment this far side of the galaxy. Those scanners can sample DNA from skin flakes. Hell, if you have unregistered gene mods, they can even figure those out."

Marcus simply nodded with Garrus idly standing by, talking with another officer. Obviously trying to get up to date. Old C-Sec habits die hard obviously.

"One of your officers said you could me with that."

Bailey nodded, "Usually you'd have to go through the Station Security Administration to reactivate your IDs. Then to Customs and Immigration to regain access to the Citadel itself. And probably a stop by the treasury. You'd be surprised at how many people used 'spent a year dead' as a popular tax dodge."

Marcus knew Bailey was getting somewhere, so he let him continue.

A grin creased Bailey's features, "But I can see you're a busy man," He then reached across his terminal, hand hovering over a button of some sort, "So how about I press this button right here, and we call it done?"

"Couldn't we both get in trouble for that?" Marcus asked.

"There's no way to fool the DNA scanners in that tunnel. You're definitely you. Why wait in long lines and fill out a mass of useless hardcopy paperwork to get the same place?" Bailey's voice rose as he spoke before he slammed his fist into the table, "The Council does everything by the book! They've had thousands of years to write it. Sometimes things need to get done without a committee vote. Sometimes you have to work outside the book; otherwise you're just predictable. Especially if criminals have a copy of the same book."

Marcus simply nodded, "That'd be great. My meeting with the Council is going to be irritating enough, I don't need capitalists harassing me because I dodged some tax being dead for two years. Thank you, captain."

Bailey held a hand up to stall him, "It's just Bailey. Everytime someone calls me 'captain', it just makes me feel old. And trust me, I don't want that. Not when I've got kids on Earth I want to see at some point. It's not my time to go all grandpa yet."

With a grin, he lead Garrus out of the office and towards a rapid transit terminal just across the street. Asari, turians, humans, hanar, elcor, volus and species of all kinds wandering the streets; moving from shop to shop; all blissfully oblivious to a threat far greater than anything they could possibly imagine making way towards their galaxy; technology far beyond their comprehension ready to burn their worlds to a crisp. Marcus tried to shut out the images of Earth burning in his mind; entire nations succumbing to Reaper indoctrination. Instead, he hit the pad and waited for the taxi to take them to the human embassy. That's where the meeting would happen. He was expecting it in the Council Chambers, but he guessed it was still off limits due to the pieces of Sovereign's wreck that crashed into it.

The taxi eventually arrived at took them to the presidium, dropping them both off just outside the Citadel embassies. Avina was apparently still operational, as the VI was quick to greet them, recognizing Shepard's ID. He once again thanked Bailey. The place had gone through renevations, but it was still the same basic design and it hadn't been hard to find the human embassy. Hitting the door, he stepped inside to a pleasant sight.

There, leaning over the balcony, was Anderson. Hearing the door open, Anderson turned to them, a warm smile on his face. He hadn't changed at all; his position of authority, his firm jawline and raven black hair. His eyes held kindness while also demanding respect. An N7 veteran forged from the horrors of war, a mentor built from the mercy for one rookie who didn't know when to give up. Anderson was a pleasant sight if there ever was one.

The two brothers of battle met quickly, hands clasped in a brotherly handshake which quickly changed to a brotherly embrace. When finished, they stepped apart, still chuckling at the irony of it all.

"Damn Shepard," Anderson said, "When the reports said you were alive...I couldn't believe it was you. I had to see for myself. But to get past customs...it has to be you. Damn, how the hell did you do it? Your team said you were spaced!"

"I was only mostly dead," Marcus replied sheepishly, "It's a very long story. Where's Udina?"

"You mean my advisor?" Anderson responded, "Probably taking care of the mundane chores that he seems to love doing. Being Councilor isn't what it's made out to be; sometimes I preferred it when I was a captain commanding a warship into battle and troops on a battlefield. I even got offered promotion to Vice Admiral under Hackett. Can you believe that? And I rejected it because of what you wanted! You owe me big time, Shepard."

"I'm just glad to see that you've done good to maintain yourself," Marcus replied, "You've barely aged a day."

"Two years sounds like more than it actually is. Anyway, what about this meeting with the Council? I think they should be connecting any second now."

Sure enough, the three holoprojectors in the room lit up and the holographic forms of the three councilors appeared; Tevos, Sparatus and Valern. Tevos was always the calm one who was willing to listen to reason while never losing her cool, having an unshakable position of power. Valern was the smart one and quick on his feet, never doubting or supporting Shepard, but staying on the side of salarian logic. Sparatus was the big pain in the ass; the turian was a pure representative of turian stoicism; a stubborn mind with a warmonger's logic. He had been the one to doubt Shepard during the Saren campaign.

Valern was the first to speak, "Commander, your return...is much unprecedented."

Tevos nodded her agreement, "It is good to have you back, commander. Although, we are confused as to how you are still alive. Reports stated that you died over Alchera when the Normandy was destroyed. You were caught in the planet's gravitational well and sucked in."

Marcus nodded, "I was indeed dead, Councilors. For two solid years, I was dead. But Cerberus had been rebuilding me during that time; they have brought me back using cybernetic technology."

Doubt washed across Tevos' features, "This is also troubling. We were informed that a vessel similiar to the Normandy had docked but with Cerberus colors. You're alliance with this enemy of the Council is most troubling. The punishments for this, 'treason', is execution."

Anderson immediately stepped in, "That's enough! Shepard is no traitor! Whatever alliance he has with Cerberus is most likely beneficial on his part! I'm a councilor as well and I won't let this whitewash continue!"

Marcus held a hand up for Anderson to stop, immediately adding his own words of vehemence, "And what I'm disgusted to find out is that my friends, my brothers and sisters-in-arms were just tossed aside and forgotten! That you ignored my warnings about the Reapers and swept them under the rug!"

The Council immediately began at the word 'reapers', but it was Sparatus, of course, who stepped in. In retrospect, Marcus should have saw it coming. The turian councilor had always been his biggest critic.

"Ah yes, 'reapers.' The race of sentient starships supposedly waiting in dark space," The turian then waved a dismissive hand, using air quotes over the word 'reapers', "We have dismissed this claim."

"But you saw the evidence yourself! You saw what Sovereign could do!" Garrus shot in.

"What we saw was nothing more than an advanced geth dreadnought," Valern retorted, "There was no evidence to support your claim of a race of sentient starships intent on wiping us out. Saren merely had Sovereign built to deceive the geth; it was clear they worshipped the reapers and if they believed Sovereign was one of their gods, they would willingly follow Saren's command; it is the only logical reasoning. The design is reminscent in itself of geh architecture; the proof fits. Sovereign was nothing but a lie orchestrated by Saren to fool the geth; and to fool you."

Marcus wasn't done though, "And what about Vigil? Hell, we even spoke to Sovereign itself on Virmire!"

Tevos shook her head, "By the time our researchers reached Ilos, Vigil was already without power and had gone into permanent shutdown. As for your talk with Sovereign, it could have simply been an advanced AI construct deployed by Saren to support his convenient lie and his mission to trick you."

"You see?" Sparatus added, "The Reapers are nothing but a myth! One you insist on perputuating!"

Disappointment wasn't the word he could use. No, furious was the word. He had sacrificed a friend on Vimire to stop Sovereign and the geth and these councilors had basically said that the cause she fought for never existed. They were spitting on her corpse. Insult upon insult ontop of a nuclear grave. His eyes narrowed to slits as he renewed his assault.

"I cannot believe you. Every. Single. One. Of. You," Marcus growled, "I sacrificed human lives to save this Council. An entire fleet! And what do I get? What do my  _friends_ get? To be swept under the rug and told they fought for nothing!  _ **Nothing!**_ My friend, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, gave her life for you bastards! And what do you have to say for it? Nothing but a puddle of saliva created by the spit you leave on her grave. You honestly have the audacity to tell me that the Reapers don't exist? You saw it for yourself. Hell, you even admitted to it. Don't give bullshit about how you 'dismissed it as a claim'. Because you know what? That claim is coming to bite you in the ass!"

Before he could continue his barrage of insults, Anderson stepped in, hand squeezing the man's shoulder, "Shepard, why don't you tell them why you're really here?" Marcus met the man's determined gaze. He saw the thing that Anderson knew; arguing with the Council was pointless. They were dead straight on believing the reapers didn't exist and that wouldn't ever change. But what he could do is tell them what he  _was_ doing.

Marcus simply nodded, "Despite our...disagreement, I do believe I've come to ask for your help. I'm on a new mission that requires a temporary alliance with Cerberus, as much as a bane that it is. I'm sure you're fully aware of the abduction of human colonies and we've discovered the culprit; the Collectors. I'm on a mission to stop them." He left out the bit where he believes that they work for the Reapers. No point in telling them that.

Tevos widened her eyes at that, "The Collectors? You are full of surprises, commander. The collectors are enigmatic, yes and their technology is far superior than anything we've encountered, but we never would have guessed they were responsible for such attacks. We wish you luck in stopping them. We have but one gift we can give you to aid in your mission."

Marcus was tempted to tell them that they had already promised one gift and that had been swept under the rug just like his warnings. He wanted to tell them to shove their gift up their ass. But his better judgment had him doing otherwise.

"I would accept this gift," Marcus responded instead, reluctantly.

Tevos nodded, "If you so wish, we would re-instate your spectre status; that is all the support we can offer without causing political strain on an already scared society. Being a spectre once more would at least make it so you can conduct your operations unhindered."

Valern nodded but added his own word, "However, we must ask you keep your operations limited to the Terminus systems. As much as we believe that the collectors need to be stopped, we can't risk you inciting a war between us and their peoples over some human colonies. You must understand that we are still trying to recover from the geth attack two years ago. We're not ready for another war with the collectors, especially an enemy that has far superior technology."

Marcus nodded, "Then I accept."

Tevos nodded, "We welcome you back to the Spectres, commander. We hope that the resources of the Council are enough to overcome this foe you have sought to defeat. Goddess be with you. This meeting is adjourned."

With that, the holographic forms of the three council members winked out of existence, their insufferable presence at an end. What a brilliant meeting. He had been hoping for ships; instead all he got was his spectre status back. Yet again, he shouldn't have expected so much from the councilors; politicians were devious little deceivers, whether they liked to admit it or not.

He turned to face Anderson, annoyance all over his face, "Well that went well."

Anderson simply snorted, leaning against the table, "Could've been worse. At least you can do what you want now. When the Council say restricted to the Terminus, they really mean 'I don't care what you do, just don't annoy me.' I was a little surprised about the collectors though. They aren't geth Shepard; they certainly aren't numerous, but they aren't exactly batarians either; they are equipped. They aren't Reapers, but they are powerful. I've seen what their ships can do; don't underestimate them."

"I defeated Sovereign and I'll defeat the Collectors," Marcus responded confidently, "I'm raising a team. I've already got five people ready to go."

Anderson nodded, "Yes, I already noticed Garrus had joined you. What about Miss Zorah? The quarian that was on your team."

Garrus nodded at the mention of his name, "I met Tali on Freedom's Progress but she had a duty to her people to complete before she could join us. As it goes I've got a salarian scientist, an ex-corsairs, a great, if egotistical, biotic, Garrus and Zaeed Massani."

Anderson looked on at him in shock, "Massani? You have a habit for attracting the strongest, Shepard. I have faith that you know what you're doing." With that, Anderson returned to the balcony, leaning against it as Marcus joined him, Garrus deciding to wait outside. Marcus observed the Presidium; it's beauty had returned. For a moment he remembered the smell of smoke and raging fires as he traversed the place, dead civilians littering the area and gunfire echoing through the halls. It was almost as if the place had never been attacked by the geth at all. The beauty was all a lie; the Citadel was just a death trap. One that had been broken.

"How do the repairs go? The Citadel was pretty hard hit after the war," Marcus asked.

Anderson sighed, "They're still going. Shalta Ward has almost fully recovered and Zakera Ward is getting there, but the rest of the wards didn't fair good. Romulus Ward was the hardest hit and it's literally going to take another ten years until it's back to it's original state. Kikowani wasn't damaged to start with. They of course moved to repair the Presidium and Citadel Tower first, so they're back to normal."

"Why didn't we have the meeting there, then?" Marcus asked dryly.

Anderson simply arched his brow, "I think we both know the answer to that."

It didn't take long for one very particular question to arise in Marcus' mind, "Anderson, do you know what happened to Kaidan?"

Anderson nodded, "He's still in the alliance, if you want to know and on a colonial posting. Beyond that, I can't tell you anything more, not while you're allied with Cerberus, I'm sorry. It's not that I don't trust you, but Cerberus could have eyes anywhere. Kaidan's mission is too important to be compromised."

Marcus simply nodded and patted the man on the shoulder, causing the councilor to turn around. Shaking hands, Marcus said his goodbye, "It was nice seeing you again Anderson. I hope our next meeting can be when I come back to tell you the collectors are stopped and we can pop our heads out again."

Anderson gave a weary chuckle, "I look forward to that. For now, I think you've got alot ahead of you. I wish you luck. I'll try and get Hackett on the line and inform him of the good news; same with the rest of the alliance brass; Admiral Garrong will be most pleased to know one of our toughest N7 survived. I'll also have to inform your mother."

Marcus flinched at the mention of his mother; Hannah Shepard. He hadn't seen her since his mission to stop a batarian terrorist attack on Terra Nova during the saren campaign all those years ago. He had planned on visiting the Orizaba after scouting Alchera to introduce Tali, but that of course never got a chance to happen. He felt so stupid for not attempting to message her. She must be worried sick.

"Thank you Anderson. I-" Before Marcus could finish, he heard the door swish open and when he turned around, he literally flinched away in irritation. It was Udina; striding towards them with a look of anger on his face.

"Councilor, I wasn't made informed of Shepard's arrival or your meeting with the Council," Udina complained.

Anderson simply rolled his eyes, "Are you forgetting that you're just my advisor, Udina? You don't seem to get that I'm in command here. I'll have you informed of such things when I see fit to tell you. You're presence wasn't nessacary and you didn't miss out on anything. Shepard just got his spectre status."

"And let me guess...more nonsense about the Reapers?" Udina asked.

Marcus couldn't hide the further disappointment from his face.  _Udina too? Figures. Anderson is the only politician on this bloody station so far not to have swept me under._

Anderson didn't seem in the mood to put up with Udina's crap either, "I'm sure you've got many...things, to do ambassador, why don't you just do that? I've got other things to do and Shepard has places he needs to go. You are dismissed."

Placated, Udina simply left, anger showing in his every step until he was out of the room, door closing behind him. Anderson simply chuckled.

"That's the kind of bullshit I put up with from him everyday, son," Anderson stated, "The sacrifices of the office. Anyway, you'd better get going before the Council changes their mind. Placation only works when you're not pissing them off. After that; they go feral."

Marcus simply nodded and left, door closing behind him as he left the office of his oldest mentor. Garrus leaned against the wall, apparently trying to flirt with some asari secretary, but upon seeing Marcus, immediately said goodbye and moved to follow him. From the look on the asari's face, she was thanking him in every asari dialect she could muster.

"I watched Udina walk in and out of there like a infuriated turian would if he found out he was evicted from the military," Garrus stated, "What happened in there, anyway?"

"He got all pissed about how he wasn't invited to the party, that's all," Marcus stated, tapping the rapid transit terminal for transport back to the Zakera Ward dock.

Upon returning to Zakera Ward, the two of them had decided to look around the shops. As promised, Marcus had collected a bottle of serrice ice brandy from the Dark Star Lounge and some more food supplies from a pretty decent supermarket. The two of them traded banter during the entire time, enjoying the time they got to spend out of combat as just friends. That was soon ruined by a familiar figure running up to them.

"Commander Shepard! Commander, could I have one moment with you please!"

Marcus groaned as he turned to the source of the voice and found none other than Khalisah Bint-Sinan Al Jilani running towards them. She had interviewed them two years ago as a reporter for Westerlund News. Unlike Emily Wong, who had interviewed him shortly after the Battle of the Citadel and was much nicer, Khalisah obviously had a biased agenda that involved putting Shepard in a bad position. And moments later, she ended up on the ground with a bloody nose. Now, she had the audacity to interview him again.

The reporter stopped infront of them, Garrus abandoning the spectre, mandibles creasing upwards in mirth. The reporter's viddrone hovered beside her, camera locked onto Shepard.

"Commander Shepard, Khalisah Bint-Sinan Al Jilani, Westerlund News. We met on the Citadel almost two years ago when you were fighting Saren and his army of geth."

Marcus leaned back and crossed his arms, eyes narrowing on her with a glare, "I remember. You tried to make me look bad. Got picky about who I chose as my crew; made a few snide comments about them as well. If you think-"

Khalisah held up her hands in her own defense, "You have to understand that I was just doing my job, commander. The people have the right to know about what goes on behind the scenes. If you're willing to have another interview-"

Marcus sighed in frustration before giving in. He had time to kill, "Fine. Shoot."

The viddrone lit up for a second, telling him that it was now recording. Khalisah cleared her throat before asking her first question.

"Sources claim you were at the heart of the Presidium during the Battle of the Citadel. It's fair to say the course of the battle hinged on your words," Khalisah paused for dramatic effect, "If true, then  _you_ were the one who told Admiral Hackett to assist the Destiny Ascension, costing hundreds of human lives and securing the continued dominance of the Council."

Marcus immediately stepped in, clenching his fist and trying not to punch the womana after her statement. Instead, he knew just what to say, "The turians lost twenty cruisers. Each one's crew was around three-hundred. The Ascension, the asari dreadnought we saved, had a crew of nearly ten thousand."

Khalisah tried to butt in, "But surely the human cost-"

"The alliance lost eight cruisers and two frigates," Marcus interrupted her, "Shenyang, Emden, Jekarta, Seoul, Madrid, Cairo, Cape Town, Warsaw. We also lost the Hong Kong and the Beijing. I remember them all. They sacrificed their lives not for the continuation of the Council, but to save thousands of lives that they realized would have died if they hadn't stepped in. It is why they are still honored today."

Khalisah looked less than pleased, "Commander, you can't possibly-"

"I don't care what people thought of my decision," Marcus stated, "I chose not to let my racism or hatred define me; I didn't save the Citadel fleet because of three stubborn morons. I saved them because I wouldn't stand by and watch as ten thousand honorable men and women die simply because I hated politicians. If we let hatred define who we are, then we're finished. Humanity has known racism every since before we landed on Luna; it's time to set aside our differences or it'll be our downfall."

Before Khalisah could even answer, his fist impacted her jaw once more, sending her hurling into the ground, drone following. Khalisah spat blood out of her mouth as she watched Marcus and Garrus leave, heading for the C-Sec office.

"You son of a bitch!" She shouted after them, "I'll make sure everyone sees that!"

Marcus simply smiled, "Good! It'll be a laugh!"

It didn't take them long to file through the security corridor and reach their skycar. Before he could step into it though, a jumpy voice sounded behind him.

"Well, look who it is!"

Not recognizing the voice, turned around and spotted a advertisement booth with a hooded face on it. Two eyes seemed to glow from behind the hood, the obviously human woman smiling. Her lower lip at somekind of marking on it. Stepping away from the skycar, Marcus approached the booth, eyebrows raised.

"Um, just who are you?"

"Don't you know?" The woman asked cheerfully, "Oh that's a pity. I thought I was joining your crew."

"A recruit?" Garrus asked.

"Recruit? Sounds funky," The woman simply laughed, "Cerberus told me you required my services. Kasumi Goto, Master Thief, at your service."

Marcus widened his eyes when she said Master Thief.  _Why did Cerberus think a master thief was going to be useful in stopping a force like the Collectors? Does she even have basic combat experience?_

"If you're a master thief, why haven't I heard of you?" Garrus asked. He had been an ex-C-Sec cop and therefore would have known about someone like Kasumi. Judging by the name, Marcus had to guess she was japanese.

"Professional, but not famous," Kasumi responded, "Heard you wanted to stop the Collectors. Sounds like fun. I said I'd join your crew. Cerberus offered some money, but I don't really need it. I'm free of charge. But I do have one little mission though. A heist of sorts."

Marcus rolled his eyes, "I'm not going to rob a bank, if that's what your asking."

"A bank? Oh no no no, I don't steal money, I steal works of art. I think I have the Mona Lisa somewhere," Kasumi stated before getting back on track, "No, will be stealing but consider it, stealing something  _back_."

Marcus gave an exasperated sigh before nodding, realizing he was talking to an advert booth, "If you're willing to join the crew, could we stop this? It looks silly for me to be speaking to a advertisement."

"And so goes my mystique," Kasumi stated, "Fine. I thought it made me mysterious, but if you dislike it that much..."

He heard the sound of a tactical cloak deactivating before Kasumi's voice shouting to signal she was above him. Looking up, he saw she was standing on a support frame, smiling and waving at them. She jumped down next to them, allowing him to see her fully. Her hood hid most of her face while she seemed to wear a suit. Nothing like a quarian suit, but a suit nonetheless. With a final cheery wave, Kasumi activated her cloak again and disappeared.

Garrus seemed unimpressed, "Oh goody, we are now effectively hiring criminals. Zaeed didn't really count, but that thief definitely does. Still, I don't really see what use she can be apart from a good infiltrator."

Marcus simply shook his head, "Welcome to the Normandy; where the oddest types find refuge."

**"So alot happened I guess during that short trip to the Citadel."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"I didn't trust Kasumi that much at first, but I grew to trust her eventually. I think by the time of the Reaper War, I considered her a little sister. I trusted her with my life. Besides, she gave you someone to talk to other than Garrus and me."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Definitely. I miss her. We've kept in contact, but apart from apparently visiting Virmire, I haven't seen much of her. Anyway, back to the story. Where did you head off to next?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"To Korlus. To recruit a particular krogan scientist."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**


	18. One With The Flow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard checks in on his new crew members. A batarian slaver raid goes awry when they stumble across a Collector abduction.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:**

**ONE WITH THE FLOW**

_August 15, 2185_

_1837 hours._

_Port Observation Lounge, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Korlus._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Master Thief Kasumi Goto._

Marcus hesitated outside the door. Should he step inside? Kasumi could still be moving her stuff and he didn't really want to interrupt her work. Yet again, he did need to speak with her. He needed to know that the professional but not famous thief wouldn't cause any problems around the ship or steal anything that she shouldn't.

As soon as Kasumi had joined the crew and the frigate had departed the Citadel, he found out that the young thief had decided to occupy the lounge in port observation; she claimed that it was peaceful and her free view of the space beyond would be all the peace she needed. When she told him this, he had seen pain in her eyes. It had only been for an instant, but he saw it. Before he could have pondered it further, the thief had entered the elevator and left. Now was his chance to speak to the thief.

He had just left his cabin and gotten something to eat from Gardner before moving to speak with Kasumi again. Gardner had been ecstatic when he had given him the food supplies he needed and although Gardner's cooking skills didn't largely increase, he did make stuff better than standard issue ration bars; and that was something at least. He was planning on giving Doctor Chakwas her brandy when he had finished talking to Kasumi. The bottle was held firm in his hands.

Eventually, he hit the haptic interface and stepped inside. The lounge remained largely unchanged aside from the rearrangement of the sofa to face the port window and the new assortment of art adorning the wall; he even saw the Mona Lisa occupying the back wall. If an asari artist had walked in and seen these works of art, he could only imagine the asari's look of shock. He even saw that the bookcase was now fully occupied by the thief's books, apparently being an abett reader; that or she stole them as well.

"Hiya, Shep." The thief's voice piped up.

He spun around to face the thief, Kasumi's petite form appearing above the sofa, arms crossed along the edge. She had a devillish smile, innocence entering her eyes. He could only imagine her using the same look to fool the police if they caught her; or if they ever did.  _She is a Master Thief, after all._

"I see you've settled in quite well here," Marcus pointed out, motioning towards her art collection and bookcase. For her part, Kasumi looked proud and impressed by her collection, her grin ever widening.

"It's a nice place, I like it alot. I hope you don't mind that I claimed it? I'll give it up if you don't want me here," Kasumi replied, her grin ceasing and replaced by a look of promise. But he wasn't fooled; Kasumi was doing what she did best. He could only think of what might have happened had she decided to work for the SIA instead of being a thief. She would have made one hell of a spy.

"I have a feeling you don't mean that," Marcus retorted, playing off the young woman's lie.

Kasumi giggled, "Most definitely; this place is too cozy. I wouldn't leave it if a krogan took a crap on the carpet. Cerberus said you were perceptive, but that's just ridiculous. Noone's  _ever_ seen through my innocence."

Marcus simply shrugged, "It's a gift."

"Obviously," Kasumi stated simply, turning back around to plop down on the couch, "Excellent judge of character wasn't an exaggeration at least. I met some of the crew during my short time on the second deck; I may have had a peak in your cabin too. You've got a quarian girlfriend? Very nice."

Marcus ridged an eyebrow at the woman, "You entered my cabin without permission?"

"Very naughty, ain't I, Shep?" Kasumi replied, shrugging in mirth, "Don't worry, didn't go into private stuff. Still, I haven't really seen this quarian girl of yours anywhere on the ship so I'm just going to guess that she's not here right now."

Marcus simply nodded, sitting on the couch next to the small thief, Kasumi crawling into a fetal position and smiling, "She'll be joining us soon again though; she just has a mission she needs clearing up on. What do you think of the crew? Anyone you like?"

"Garrus seems like a tough guy," Kasumi stated, "Scars on his face and everything; he doesn't like me though. Keeps looking at me weird. He has that look in this eyes; tell me, was he a cop? I'm kinda getting the impression that he was or still is."

"He was an ex C-Sec detective so yeah, I can understand his skepticism."

Kasumi merely shrugged, "I don't like Zaeed much; seems like a real grizzly bear...with a battle rifle. Mordin is just a hamster on an energy drink."

Marcus actually felt himself laugh at that, "Energy drink? I thought it was 'coffee.'"

"Coffee is too mainstream on this ship; besides, Kelly has copyright on it," Kasumi grinned, "This way she can't excuse me of plagerism. Can't argue with a thief; I'm an expert at this stuff. So apart from asking me what I think of the crew, what did you come to talk to me about?"

"Just seeing if you're getting settled in. I'm sure you're aware of the kind of mission I've hired you for," Marcus stated.

Kasumi nodded, "Not my usual MO, but I guess it's a nice change. Can't say I can get used to combat though; I've always been one for the sneak in, sneak out, not breach in, break out. Explosives just make me slightly jumpy."

Marcus patted her on the shoulder, "Maybe you'll get used to it. I'm taking the whole ground team onto Korlus; apparently our krogan scientist has Blue Suns using his services and I highly doubt they'll just give him up to the guy who fucked up their operations on Omega."

"A few mercs? I can do that," The thief replied, "Just as long as no YMIR mechs or giant squid ships are involved, I'll be fine."

"Squid ships?" Marcus asked curiously.

"The Reapers, Shep," Kasumi deadpanned, "You're not the only one who knows they exist. I was on the Citadel when Sovereign started dropping hell on everyone; I've seen what they can do. I know what they  _are_ going to do."

"They won't destroy us. We can stop them," Marcus stated with confidence he didn't feel. All he had was the Migrant Fleet on their side; the Council had abandoned him and the Alliance had betrayed him. It was just Cerberus and the quarians; and he doubt he could get them working together at all. Their chances of survival was basically nothing. If the Reapers invaded now, they wouldn't stand a chance.

"As I'm aware; just the pessimistic side of me," Kasumi sighed, "Just seeing what Sovereign did...and there's hundreds more of them waiting to invade the galaxy?"

"Thousands. Possibly millions. I don't know," Marcus corrected.

"So all we have is hope? I'm just going to hope that this is goes like Star Wars," Kasumi stated.

"Star Wars?" Marcus asked quizzically.

"A classic," Kasumi replied, "Just think of it like this. Reapers invade, we rebel; and against all odds, we defeat them once and for all. Moral of the story; good guys always win."

"The protheans didn't win," Marcus responded dryly, "Neither did every other cycle before them."

Kasumi rolled her eyes, "They didn't have Star Wars and cliche movie fliks to tell them that good guys are awesome, bad guys suck. All we need is hope; you should give that more credit than you do. It's not weapons, soldiers or ships that win wars; it's hope. Because without that, what's the point in fighting?"

Marcus had to pause to consider Kasumi's words. There was a ring of truth to them; the second world war wasn't one without the hopes of nations that the Nazi's could be defeated. The visigoths didn't destroy Rome without the hope of doing it. Alexander didn't conquer the persians or the indians without the hope of doing it. General Korbut didn't defeat the separatists at Liberty without that same optimism. It's why Korbut won the american second civil war.

"You're right," Marcus replied, "The Reapers can be defeated; they aren't invincible and destroying Sovereign proved that. We just need to build a force to prove that; and I don't care if I have to drag the Council kicking and screaming to the war summit table; I will have that force ready to face the Reapers head on."

Kasumi smiled devilishly, "You see, hope is awesome, Shep."

"I've known you for a day and already you're the one giving me speeches," Marcus shook his head at the statement, "I think this is the start of something beautiful."

Kasumi quirked her eyebrows, "I hope you're not asking for me to share you; I'd rather not compete with your girl."

"You know I didn't mean-"

Before he could say anything more, Kasumi had activated her cloak and disappeared. He chuckled as the door closed, the thief having escaped. She was a cheeky one, that much was obvious. With a sigh, he stood up and opened the door, remembering the bottle in his hand. Instead of heading into the elevator like he had just planned, he headed for his previous destination; the medical bay.

When he arrived inside, he found the doctor, again at her desk. She turned around and smiled, placing down the datapad she had been looking at attentively.

"Commander," Chakwas greeted.

Marcus smiled as he held the bottle of brandy before him, "Got you that ice brandy you wanted."

Chakwas smiled warmly as she accepted his offering, taking the bottle, "Commander, thank you so much. You know what we should do? We should share a glass. Commander Shepard, will you have some serrice ice brandy with me?"

Marcus smiled back, "Of course. We haven't gotten a chance to talk much. And please, just call me Shepard; you've earned that much, doctor."

"Very well...Shepard." Chakwas said before grabbing two glasses from under her desk and placing them ontop, pouring the alcoholic liquid into each glass before sealing it tight and putting it in her desk, moving to sit down while Marcus sat down on the bed across from Chakwas, smiling.

The two of them drank and talked for a while. It was refreshing; to be able to talk with who he considered to be his friend. He also knew he could let himself go; there wasn't any Alliance regulations to worry about that involved consumption of alcohol on duty. Cerberus simply didn't care for such menial things. It was talks like this that he needed, it assured him that he had friends to rely on. They joked and laughed, talking about times they had on the old Normandy; funny moments with Johnson and Pressly, and other times with the other crew.

"...then Kaidan just pumped up his biotics, picked up Jenkins and threw him into a wall!" Chakwas shouted, standing up and pretending to be Kaidan as he threw Jenkins. Before long, Chakwas sat back down and continued, "For a second, Jenkins didn't move and just stared at Kaidan and I thought he'd broken something! But then he jumped up, tall and proud and shouted 'That was  _ **awesome!**_ '"

Marcus laughed laughed long and hard. He didn't know whether it was the alcohol or genuine humor at the topic. He gathered it was a mixture of both. Chakwas then sighed, he smile falling from her face.

"I always loved the Alliance. Cerberus lacks the same...enthusiasm."

"This alliance won't be long doctor," Marcus stated, "When the collectors are defeated, I'll be cutting them off. I've never been one to like, tolerate or remotely trust Cerberus, especially not the Illusive Man or his attack dogs."

"You mean Miranda and Jacob," Chakwas added, finishing off her drink.

"Not so much as Jacob, but Miranda. She's completely loyal to the Illusive Man; not to mention she's my XO."

"She doesn't have to be."

"What do you mean by that?"

Chakwas sat her glass on her desk, leaning forward, hands on her lap, "You're in command of this vessel. You can choose who your executive officer is. If you don't want Miranda to be your second-in-command, then don't have her like that then. You could easily have Garrus be your XO; I know you've been grooming him up to be a leader. You could practically tell from his situation on Omega."

"Or Tali..."

"Tali? I know you love her commander, but do you really think that's a good idea? She's good with an engine but I don't think command suits her."

Marcus simply raised an eyebrow, "Chakwas, when I saw her on Freedom's Progress, she was a Colonel leading a platoon. The only reason her platoon was decimated was because the platoon sergeant was an incompetent asshole. Hell, last message I got, she's a Brigadier General now. I've compared our ranks doctor! She now officially outranks me! My rank maybe Navy, but convert me to a marine and I'd be a Colonel."

Chakwas seemed visibly impressed, "The girl has become very capable. Back on the old Normandy, you'd always give her those hand-to-hand combat training sessions in her cabin. I heard she managed to beat Garrus at one point. A very capable woman."

"That's because Garrus isn't the only one I was grooming for leadership. Tali may be an engineer, but when the Reapers come, her people need someone strong to lead them into battle...when I first met Tali, I saw strength in her. If she can lead engineers, then I can get her to lead marines. I'm just happy that all those times I spent training her weren't put to waste."

"I know Tali and I don't think she cares that she outranks you. She'll still follow your command," Chakwas stated fully, "But commanding marines and being the XO of a warship are two very different things. Besides, do you think TIM will be very pleased that you replaced his right-hand woman with a quarian marine?"

"I've long since stopped caring what he thinks of me. My ship, my rules," Marcus concluded. In all honesty, he didn't know if he wanted Tali being XO. It would mean she'd have to stay behind most of the missions to look after the ship, and that bothered him more than anything. He wanted her at his side; to know she was watching his back. In the end, Garrus seemed the much better option.

"Thank you for this Chakwas, but I'd better get back to work. Lots to do before we reach Korlus," Marcus declared, sculling the rest of his drink and shaking Chakwas' hand, moving to leave. As he opened the door and moved to leave, he turned around and addressed one of EDI's consoles to his left.

"EDI, what's our ETA from the Imir system?"

"Commander. We are approximately one day out from the Imir System."

"Thank you EDI. Tell me when we're two hours out from Korlus," Marcus finished, leaving as the door closed fully.

"Affirmative. Logging you out." EDI replied in her monotone, slightly attractive, voice. Soon they'd be at Korlus; and when they landed, they would have an army of Blue Suns to fight. All to recruit a krogan scientist.  _I'm recruiting the elite of the elite. I already have Mordin and salarians are the best scientists in the galaxy. Why would I need a krogan scientist? If anything, I should be recruiting Wrex._

Whatever this scientist was, it didn't matter. He just had to recruit him. With a sigh, he entered the elevator and headed to his cabin. When he opened his terminal, he smiled at the message in his inbox. Tali. He would read it later. Instead, he brought up the dossier on the krogan scientist and began reading. Warlord Nakmor Okeer was his name. Apparently cast out by his own people for his fanatical and brutal scientific methods. Something about needing to 'outinfect' the genophage. Apparently this guy was getting somewhere.

And the more he read, the more he was sickened. He wasn't going to like this recruit.

**{Loading...}**

_August 15, 2185_

_1346 hours._

_DARK SPACE._

_NAZARA._

_**Silence. We listen. The organic inferiors squabble among each other; oblivious to the Nazara's cries for harvest. They are coming. The galactic harvest shall continue. Worlds will burn. Races will die. We shall harvest. It is for their own good; their salvation. The indoctrinated will follow our commands. Gather resources. Prepare the humans for ascension.** _

_**Sovereign-Nazara failed. His voice has been silenced by the inferiors. The humans grow strong. They grow aware. We have been cut off. This cannot be allowed to continue. Ascension and Salvation are envitable. We are eternal. We are pure synthetic supremacy. Many call us the Nazgul. The Keepers called us the Farbringers. The Inusannon called us Agents of Time. The Protheans called us the Reapers. This cycle calls us the Reapers. But we are Nazara. What they choose to call us is irrelevant. Their destruction will be their grace.** _

_**We offer salvation and they resist. For millions of cycles we have contemplated this. We do not understand this resistance to purity. We offer them superior life. They reject our gift. But they cannot. Force is what we use. They fight, they resist. We destroy. They cannot begin to comprehend our existence. The Protheans failed. The Inusannon failed. The Keepers failed. The Almagtoss failed. The Precursors failed. This cycle will fail.** _

_**Even now we approach. Their end approaches with us; we bring them higher life. They can look to gods, ancestors and other deities to save them but they shall be abandoned for even deities understand the greater necessity of our ultimate plan. We bring order to the chaos of evolution. Synthetic and Organic union is impossible. War is envitable. The Catalyst tried solutions. The Catalyst saw only one possible solution; harvest of all galactic life.** _

_**The Catalyst chose me to be the first of the Nazara. I am born in the form of my creators. They too resisted. They spoke of betrayal. We only offered ascension. The Catalyst offered them higher life. And now we offer the same. We shall assume control of their ascension.** _

In the black void of space, a fleet of hundreds. Thousands of Nazara glide through space, the tiny pinprick of the milky way growing ever closer. This cycle's time was growing short. Dreadnoughts of destruction, catalysts to death. They will resist just like all the rest have. We offer salvation. We enforce it.

We are Harbinger.

**{Loading...}**

_August 15, 2185_

_1852 hours._

_Cargo Bay, Datzzzha-Class Heavy Cruiser BRS Batzzzha, Memphis City, Ferris Fields._

_Division Regent Balak Uhtero, Lord Regent Salvak Terrili._

The cargo bay of the Batzzzha opened with a loud creaking sound, numerous gears working in unison to open the door of the massive ship. When it finally finished opening, the batarian crew were greeted by the beautiful green scenery of the planet of Ferris Fields. The stark contrast of the planet compared to Khar'Shan's harsh forests. The sky was a greenish color; perfectly matching it's green fields. The planet had no ocean; a world of pure grass. It was why it was named Ferris Fields; just grass as far as the eye could see.

The Batzzzha had once been a proud ship; having once belonged to the batarian hegemonial navy. Now it was but a ruin of it's former glory; a mere shadow. The ship had rusted all along it's hull and most of it's weaponry had to be removed so the ship could stay intact. It barely had the firepower of a frigate now; much less a corvette. It was slow and wieldy and it wouldn't be long before she had to be decomissioned. What had once been a military warship though; was now a slaver vessel.

Balak had been tasked with leading a division of batarian slavers to enslave the colony of Ferris Fields. They would sack the colony, kill the local alliance garrison and then take the civilians as slaves; their women would make great entertainment for his men. The Lord Regent himself, Salvak Terrili, had come to oversee the operation himself; the dictator of the batarian hegemony. He was a harsh and efficient ruler, the last of his line. After him, there would only be him. The Uhtero's. And Balak would impress. But that wouldn't be for another six years. But he could wait. The old fool had to die at some point.

He felt the grip of his vindicator battle rifle; the tip covered in rust. He hit his comm almost immediately and began ordering his troops out. The city of Memphis was exactly 20 kilometers away. They wouldn't have detected their cruiser landing and by the time they could formulate a proper defense, they would be swarming the colony. They would reach the colony within forty-five minutes on foot. They had been forced to use old style walkie-talkies; for some reason their communications were being actively jammed. The communications officer was sure that the humans hadn't blocked them, as the signal was far beyond the alliance standard. Still, they had to be on edge. The alliance could be anticipating an assault.

"Lord Regent, we move north. We should reach the human city in forty-five minutes."

Salvak smiled grimly, "Good. Move now. The longer we take the long we give the enemy time to prepare. I'm looking forward to the spoils. Memphis is meant to be a highly populated city; and that means lots of slaves. I expect a lot of money from this little raid."

Balak simply nodded and moved forward and out of the hangar bay. They began their trek towards the city. It was mostly uneventful, the only wildlife being a few space cows and ferris beetles. All in all; nothing of note. Eventually, forty-five minutes later, they reached Memphis.

Despite his hatred of humans, their architecture was something to admire. Whilst batarian design was more militaristic, human design was utilitarian. Tall, glistening skyscrapers of marble white adorned the horizon, the distant hint of skycars flying by dotting along the cityscape. A large freighter floated through the city's industrial sector; so very majestic. The city was kilometers in length, spanning along the horizon as the system's twin suns rose in the east. It was a pity such beauty was about to be set alight by the weapons of the hegemony. The spoils of war were great.

"Launch the attack," Salvak ordered, "Balak, attack from both sides. Don't give them time to retaliate."

The assault was in full motion. It took them another twenty minutes to get into position, but when they did, they attacked. The small alliance garrison was no match for the batarian attackers, and even the gunship support that they did have was taken out by their heavy weapons. The city's sirens sounded and Balak merely laughed; they were trying to evacuate, but even the city's council must realize it was a futile gesture.

The city was overwhelmed within minutes; the civilians tried to run, but his division had them surrounded. There was nowhere to run. Just as he was about to sound victory, he heard a air-shattering boom pierce the air. They all looked up, recognizing the sound all too much. It was the sound of an alliance warship. Only a few colonies had ever had alliance pickets protecting them, but they hadn't even detected a ship in system.

Lowering into the city, like a god descending from the heavens, was the protruding bow of an alliance frigate. The ship righted itself until it hovered over the city, guns adorning its hull. Before Salvak could even declare retreat, an even louder boom shattered the air, this one much louder than the frigate's. And much more frightening.

The air crackled with lightning. Boom after boom shook the earth, causing his men to stumble. Was it a dreadnought? Could they be that paranoid? If so, he could only imagine their next fate.

Then, almost out of nowhere, a beam of pure orange fury ripped through the clouds, impacting the alliance frigate. Balak felt a grin crease his features as shields were shattered and armor melted and twisted. The ship was cut clean in half, the frigate's bow smashing into a nearby skycraper, sending debris in all directions. Within a matter of seconds, whoever had saved them, had completely destroyed a frigate in a single shot. Even dreadnoughts had more trouble than that. What ally befell them?  _Was it even an ally?_

Then the next horror befell them. A swarm of insects, like a horde of black marching across the sky, flooded the city. It was like a perputual army; swarms and swarms of insects just covering the city in a think blanket of black. Balak gritted his teeth as the bugs swarmed past. To his surprise, they ignored his troops and went straight for the humans. They screamed and tried to flee, but were overwhelmed by the bugs. The insects bit them, causing them to stop all motion and freeze in place, eyes still able to move as they gazed at them in terror. Men, Women and Children just froze in place, unable to move.

This terror continued for what seemed forever before the swarm finally lifted, the insects disappearing as quickly as they came, dissolving into the atmosphere. Then came the booms again. Like overly loud drums. Then, as if descending from space, came a solid pillar of hell itself. It was absolutely massive; but it was definitely a ship of some kind. It descended until it rested in the city's center, towering over the largest skyscrapers. It had to be over two kilometers in length. It looked very insect like; like a honeycomb of beehives.

Then the insects again; they weren't the same ones, but were slightly bigger. They landed all over, including a small squad of them before his men. They were odd; two-legged and armed monstrosities with odd looking assault rifles and curved, triangular heads; four, orange glowing eyes aligned their heads horizontally; wings like flies stopping as they ceased flight, landing without fault. They were covered in chitin; natural armor of unknown origin. They made clicking sounds, but never talked in any language he understood.

He watched as they moved; dragging strange pods alongside them as they collected their human victims and placed them in the floating coffins, completely ignoring the batarians as if they weren't even there. When a pod was filled, the two insects accompanying it would take it up in the air and fly off into their gigantic dreadnought.

What added to the terror was, what he assumed, was the leader of the group. He was like the rest but his body was riddled with cracks, all glowing with fiery orange, heat and fire radiating off it's body. It moved around the area, ordering more of them around. The more he saw them, the more he recognized them from the folk tales of failed raids on human colonies.  _Collectors they call them. Snatchers from the Shadows._

Just as he thought the collectors would leave them alone, one of his men just  _had_ to be an idiot. He stepped before the leader of the group, moving right into his face and causing the thing to stop it's movement. It didn't even raise it's weapon as the batarian shouted in it's face.

"These are our slaves! Go find your own, bug!"

Before he knew it, the leader had reacted faster than anything he'd ever seen before. It's body brightened as it raised it's hand to grip the batarian's throat, three strong fingers locking around his neck as they squeezed, the leader's gaze piercing his soul. The leader spoke, and it's voice was so intimidating that even Balak shuddered from it.

_**"Batarian, your resistance matters nill. We do not care for your petty operations. In time, you will be harvested. It is the law of the galaxy. We bring order to the chaos. These humans will ascend, while you must wait for your harvest which is yet to come. You are merely bacteria against the Nazara's purity. You are not worthy of harvest."** _

And with that, the collector leader snapped the batarian's neck, dropping his body to the ground as he simply walked over the corpse, ignoring the other batarians. After seeing what he did...after what  _it_ did...none of his men dared step in their way. When the Collectors had finished with their business, they left quickly, their leader leaving along with them. But then he saw something unusual; as it flew off, it's body turned to the normal form of the one's around it. As it did, the thing spoke.

_**"Releasing Control."** _

With that, the collectors were gone and had taken all the humans with them; men, women and children. Huddled back inside their dreadnought, the ship lifted off, a massive boom shaking the ground as it's engines ignited like a great rocket, fire and smoke bursting from all sides as it shot up into the atmosphere, leaving a column of smoke in it's wake. When they were done, no evidence of them even being there was left except for the large crater where their ship had landed and taken off.

"Lord...Lord regent, s-s-status." Balak commed, shaking slightly.

"I know," Salvak replied, "Return to the ship. This is neither defeat or victory, my comrades. I think we've just seen what's been taking these colonies."

Balak simply nodded and ordered his troops to return. The Collectors had been taking the human colonies, but for what purpose, was unknown. All Balak knew was that it couldn't be good. The leader's words; they not only pierced his ears, but his  _skull_. It wasn't a pleasant feeling and Balak had a feeling that great evil was at work within the Collector's armies. Just what though, was a complete unknown.

**"And the Collectors abducted Ferris Fields. Balak told me about it when I met him again on the Citadel a year later."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"I know. I think Hawthorne's little brother was on the colony when the Collectors abducted it. But that's not important right now. So...you were heading to Korlus?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Yes. To recruit Doctor Okeer...or the Warlord as the krogan called him. Once we landed, it didn't take us long to find out just why he had Blue Suns protecting him. Not only protecting him, but** _**using** _ **him."**


	19. Primordial Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Normandy heads to the ship boneyards of Korlus, seeking their fifth recruit: a krogan warlord with knowledge of Collector technology.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:**

**PRIMORDIAL BEGINNINGS**

_August 16, 2185_

_1555 hours._

_Junkyard, Outer Compound, Krogan Breeding Facility, Korlus._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Professor Mordin Solus, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian._

The doors were open before the shuttle even touched the ground. Marcus lifted his rifle so it was aimed towards the ground as he leaped from the aircraft to land on the ground. He was followed closely by the rest of the team as the kodiak ascended just as quickly and took off into the atmosphere to avoid any blue suns anti-aircraft personnel on site. They took cover behind some of the junk in the area as a squad of the mercs rounded the corner.

"Okay people," Marcus barked, "Let's keep this simple. We get Okeer and we get out. The Blue Suns are obviously using this man to breed an army and noone wants that; the last thing we need is an army of genetically perfect krogan being unleashed by Blue Suns troops. Any research we can find is to be destroyed once Okeer is extracted."

With that, he signalled Kasumi to activate her cloak and flank the enemy's rear while he got Mordin to hit their left with a tech mine. Zaeed would hit their right with a incendiary grenade and Garrus, himself and Jacob would cut down the rest. Quick, clean, simple. When he gave the go, his team moved with lethal effiency. By the time the three of them finished off the mercs, only four were left standing. He scanned the area and after seeing no other hostiles, he motioned for them to push forward.

"I heard gunfire on the perimeter," a female voice shouted over the compound's PA system, "I wasn't aware Okeer had another batch of his failed berserkers to shoot. Delta and Baker Squads, move to the outer compound and investigate. I've just lost contact with Yankee Squad."

"Someone loves the sound of their voice," Garrus mumbled as they pushed through the junkyard and out onto a upper platform with an aged looking metal barriers. Upon turning right around the corner, they encountered two batarians and a single human who seemed confused; probably over the loss of one of their squads. He signalled Kasumi to once again activate her cloak and take the left batarian while they cut down the rest.

From behind his cover, he heard the sound of a cloak disengaging and a knife extending; quickly followed by a choking sound. Without hesitation, he swerved the corner and took aim at the second batarian, firing a squad squarely in his face. Before anyone could eliminate the human merc, he immediately dropped his weapon and fell to the ground, hands infront of him.

"Don't shoot! Please don't shoot! I surrender!"

He held out his hand and ordered his squad to lower their weapons, deciding to instead interrogate the merc. However, he did keep his weapon up out of vigilance; he wasn't going to let his guard down. The merc looked on at him in sheer terror; the spectre could smell the urine from his position three meters away.

"Start talking before my trigger finger gets itchy," Marcus snarled, pushing the barrel into the man's forehead.

"W-what do-do you want to kn-know?" The man squirmed.

"Who's in command here?" Marcus asked.

"Lieutenant Commander Sierah Jedore," He stuttered.

"Good, now-" Before he could finish, a male voice entered the merc's comms.

"Unit 6, Squad Baker, report. Jedore wants an update on those berserkers that took out Squad Yankee. Sitrep immediate, how copy?"

The merc's eyes seemed to meet Marcus' for a meer second. Marcus met his with a dark, smug grin.

"Get rid of your friends," Marcus basically growled into the man's ear, his voice menacing.

The merc didn't even answer as he scrambled for his mic, "Unit 2, we've got-"

A shot echoed through the junkyard that hit the mic and sent it flying across the area, the human looking at it in sheer fear. Marcus kicked the man over and sent him sprawling onto the ground, holstering his weapon as he activated his omni-tool, keying his omni-blade. The man desperately tried to crawl away, but the back of his neck was met by one of Marcus' large boots.

"Wrong answer," Marcus snarled and sent his blade sinking deep into the man's spine. The man stopped squirming and with superhuman strength, Marcus lifted the man from the ground with just the blade, yanking it back out. The merc's body fell back to the ground, blood pooling around his dead body. Marcus slowly and methodically approached the mic on the ground, picking it up and placing it to his ear.

"Unit 6!? I heard gunshots. Fall back to Squad Delta's position. Unit 6?"

Marcus growled into the mic, "Unit 6 is dead; I killed him, and I ain't no krogan. My name is Commander Shepard, and tell Jedore that she is now on the hit list of the Hero of the Citadel." With that, he dropped the mic and crushed it with his boot, motioning for his squad to continue advancing into the facility.

It didn't take them long to reach the location of Delta squad; and they definitely weren't prepared for what they had in store for the mercs. The Blue Suns squad had the advantage of higher ground, but that didn't count for anything if you weren't prepared for your enemy. These mercs weren't. So when Marcus' squad hit the enemy mercs, it was like being hit over the head with a frying pan. Within seconds, Delta squad was eliminated.

Jedore's voice came up over the speakers once more, "There is only one measure of success! Kill or be killed! Perfection is your goal!"

"I'm really starting to get sick of her voice," Marcus growled.

"It's giving me a headache," Garrus responded, mandibles curled in a smile, "I think I hear a walking talking pill for that."

With the Blue Suns in the outer compound dealt with, it was only a matter of time before reinforcements arrived. They headed left and down further into the outer compound, heading right and entering the inner 'sanctum.' From what he could tell from the collapsed scaffolding and raging fires, there had been combat; the berserkers were getting more lethal. As soon as he moved further inside, squad behind him, he found out he was correct from the sound of gunfire to his right.

A group of Blue Suns stood on the upper platform, mostly turians and batarians, all raining down fire on a trio of krogan berserkers, all armed with pistols. They fired at the mercs, but even for krogan they didn't stand a chance against the better weaponry of the Blue Suns forces. The krogan were cut down very quickly, bodies unable to regenerate due to deformities made from their unnatural creation.

Marcus quietly signalled Garrus to target the leader while he ordered Zaeed to prepare another fire grenade. The mercenary apparently had a sadistic obsession with using incendiary weapons. The morals may have been something Marcus disagreed, but he couldn't deny the results. Zaeed was ruthless, but efficient.

Taking cover, he made sure he had his rifle extended and levelled. When he lowered his hand, the assault began. The sound of Garrus' sniper rifle firing cut through the air, hitting the lead batarian in the head in a red mist. At the same time, Zaeed threw his grenade, the explosive ricocheting off the wall and landing at the enemy's feet, detonating in a fiery explosion. The mercs screamed as they were engulfed, either falling to their death or being killed by the blast. Seeing as the grenade dealt with the hostiles, Marcus ordered his squad to continue.

They found themselves moving deeper into the compound as they reached what appeared to be the outer shell of a ancient freighter. Marcus was surprised to notice the khelish inscriptions on the wreck's hull; the vessel must have crashed an odd three centuries ago. Or before. The ship looked like a heavy freighter; but it had been long dead. A massive hull lay on the outer side of the wreck; most likely the entry area of mass acellerator. Inside was a squad of blue suns desperately trying to hold back an advancing krogan berserker with a grenade launcher.

The weapon continued to create thumping sounds as grenade after grenade fired from the weapon, detonating as it hit the mercs' lines, killing them off, one by one. The mercs certainly didn't see Marcus coming until one of their men was enveloped in biotic power and thrown away like a rag doll. When they finally took notice, Marcus' own launcher joined in harmony with the krogan's.

When the last merc was blown to pieces by the heavy weapons, Marcus holstered it, turning to the krogan who was now looking at him. The krogan wore a full helmet, meaning he couldn't see his features. Mordin was hesitant towards the krogan, but lowered his weapon when Marcus ordered it. The krogan spoke, surprisingly, with a low voice, unlike the deep, gruff voices of other krogan he'd met like Wrex.

"You are...different," The berserker stated with confusion laced in his tone, "New. You don't smell like this world. Seven night cycles, and I have only felt the need to kill. But you...something makes me speak."

Marcus nodded, crossing his arms as best he could in the armor that he wore. Mordin looked confused.

"Seven night cycles? Only a week old? Size and skill with weapons supercedes this. Even with krogan." Mordin stated.

Zaeed snorted, "Makes goddam sense to me. They breed the fuckers to full size so they are ready to kill. His birth wasn't natural; he was synthetically developed. The little shit must have failed bad if the mercs don't want anything to do with him. I know the Blue Suns; they don't kill a resource worth maintaining."

The krogan shook his head, "Bred? No. I kill because my blood and bone tell me to. But it's not why I was flushed from glass mother. Survival is what I hear in my head. Against the enemy that threatens all my kind. But I failed even before waking. That is what the voice in the water said. That is why I wait here; I must amend for my failings."

"Interesting," Kasumi spoke up, cloak deactivating around her like the unveiling of a curtain, "But that doesn't explain how you can talk at only a week old."

"There was a scratching sound in my head and it became a voice," The krogan explained, "It taught things I would need; walking, talking, hitting, shooting. It is all I need."

Mordin nodded, apparently taking all this data in. Marcus noticed something flash in the salarian's eyes, turning to address him, "You spot something Mordin?"

The salarian nodded, "Think I may know what Okeer might be trying to accomplish. Only theories, however. Breed krogan, try to find ways to overcome genophage. Okeer believes krogan are weaker than before and during the rebellions. Thinks genophage is cause of this. Thinks he can develop a krogan that is free of the genophage; a krogan bred to kill whilst retaining strength of pre-rebellions krogan."

Marcus raised an eyebrow, "So Okeer is creating all these berserkers just to see how he can create the ultimate krogan? What's the point in building one krogan that's immune to the genophage?"

Mordin simply shrugged, "Once again, only theories. Possibly truths however. Cannot know for sure. Okeer will tell."

Marcus simply nodded before slapping the krogan on the shoulder, "We need to find Okeer. Do you know where we can find him? I need him for a mission."

The krogan nodded, pointing into the wreckage of the ancient quarian freighter, "Okeer has a lab set up. Works with an asari and some human called Jedore. Merc leader. Okeer is glass mother. He hates these mercs and doesn't like playing with them. Jedore hates him equally; uses him. He doesn't like it. Some of my kin managed to break loose like I did. We didn't like being used as targets; so we rebelled. They will soon fall."

Marcus saw Zaeed smile at the sound of that. Figures, considering the man wanted him to help kill Vido, the founder of the merc organization in the first place. Marcus gave the krogan one final pat and offered him the chance to come. The krogan refused, saying that his place was at that exact spot; saying he must wait for glass mother's return; to relieve him of service.

And so they travelled into the freighter wreck through the hole. It was big enough to fit a kodiak shuttle or a mako through; so it was big enough for them. They had no telling of what waited for them inside.

**{Loading...}**

_August 16, 2185_

_1613 hours._

_Storage Compartment, Unknown Heavy Freighter Class Wreck, Krogan Breeding Facility, Korlus._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Professor Mordin Solus, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian._

When he said the ship was ancient, he wasn't joking. Most of the ceiling had basically caved in, with parts of the floor boards having been pushed up from ground and vines growing through and under the ship. Weapons lockers and storage crates littered the place; most likely from the Blue Suns, not the original ship's cargo. What passed for corridors were now wide open spaces; the walls having corroded and dissolved into nothing. They came across many rooms, but the doors were either jammed or the rooms didn't exist anymore. Khelish was written on the walls, but without Tali around, he couldn't translate it; it was an ancient form of khelish his translator didn't understand.

They even crossed a few rooms with full quarian environment suits; most likely used for EVA during the time the freighter had been in service. There was even ancient quarian work uniforms; but most of the fabric was torn or dirtied. As they moved further into the ship, they started getting the gist that most of the blue suns mercs weren't even present or had retreated. Gunfire could be heard, but it was distant and restrained.

It was only when they forced a door open into a large area that the gunfire  _really_ got loud. It seemed that it was what used to be a engine room of some sort; now it was just a large junkyard; the outer walls non-existent and the area was just a large area full of bridges and collapsed support platforms.

But the room wasn't empty. Inside, a large battle between krogan berserkers and blue suns mercs had erupted; and this time the mercs didn't have the upper hand. Mercs were getting slaughtered left and right, with most mercs deciding to abandon their posts and routing. But not all were focused on the krogan it appeared as a sniper shot hit him in the left shoulder with such force that he spun until he hit the ground. He groaned in pain as he felt the sniper rifle round. It had pierced his kinetic barriers and armor, but it had stopped it just enough so it didn't full penetrate his skin; it still hurt though.

He struggled to his feet as Garrus retaliated with a counter shot, apparently having spotted the merc sniper. Mordin and Jacob were already moving to engage the mercs and krogan around them, with Zaeed and Garrus staying behind to provide support for Marcus and Kasumi sneaking past the mercs to recon the area ahead. All in all, his team had impressed him. It wasn't his old team, but it was just as effective.

When he got back to his feet, the mercs had fallen back to a facility located just outside the ship's hull and the krogan were defeated. The Blue Suns were rapidly losing ground to the krogan rejects; and with his team pressing on their territory, it wouldn't be long before their resources were exhausted. Garrus noticed his shoulder wound and asked to check it, but Marcus insisted he was fine, letting his armor patch up the wound with medi-gel as they pressed on and into the Blue Suns stronghold.

They finally reached the entrance into the main facility, where, from their high vantage point above the base, they saw a squad of Blue Suns with two heavies setting up missile launchers, moving to defend the main gate. On the other side of the gate was a group of krogan; one moving towards the gate. Utilizing his brute strength, the krogan lifted the metal plating blocking the entry way and threw it away. Before he could doing anything else however, a missile caught him in the stomach, throwing the krogan back, dead.

Seeing as there could be more krogan moving towards the base and not wanting to be flanked, Marcus left Garrus behind to provide sniper cover while the rest of the team moved inside. The turian nodded, hefting his rifle as he went prone. Marcus and his team made short work of the berserkers and the mercs were little different. Seeing the missile launchers as useful weapons, Marcus took one and replaced his grenade launcher with it; making sure to take a few missiles for good measure.

The resistance they encountered was poor at best. Jedore had obviously focused the majority of her troops on stopping what she thought was a krogan advance, and in the end had sacrificed most of her forces. Many even tried to desert her, only to be gunned down by his squad as they fleed towards the entrance; the only avenue of escape. Despite her forces weakening, Jedore kept shouting orders over the PA, not a single bit of fear in her voice. She would have made a good commander in the Alliance or UNAS army.

Still, despite this, progress to Okeer's lab was easy. Within a few minutes, they had covered most of the facility and encountered only pockets of resistance. With Garrus covering their backs, the krogan berserkers wouldn't be a problem. But when they crossed the main threshold into the research section, what they found was disturbing. Numerous krogan bodies littered the ground; either rotting or having just arrived. All rejects of Okeer's ultimate goal.

It didn't take long to reach the warlord's lab. They still hadn't encountered Jedore, which meant she had either escaped somehow or was with Okeer himself. He hit the door panel to move inside and was surprised when he saw a familiar asari waiting inside. She was working by a basic utilitarianistic desk, with a basic camper bed next to it and a dead krogan body ontop. She looked even more shocked to see numerous armed soldiers in her office.

"Please don't shoot!" The asari pleaded. As he looked at her, he fumed. He can't believe this bitch betrayed her promise.

"Rana Thanoptis? What are you doing in a place like this...again? Didn't the Eden Prime War teach you anything?" Marcus growled, ordering his team to lower their weapons. They did so, but he could tell Zaeed had his eyes on her.

Apparently the asari scientist recognized the voice behind his helmet, "S-Shepard? But they said you were dead! I read the news reports!"

Marcus sighed as he widened his arms, as if showing off to a crowd of fans, "Well...here I am. Alive and well; not to mention pissed off at what I see." Rana Thanoptis was an asari scientist. He had met her on Virmire, inside Saren's geth fortress. She had been helping Saren study indoctrination and breeding krogan. He had let her go out of moralistic necessity. But now she was here, doing the same work, different set up.

Rana glanced between the dead berserker on the bed and Marcus, shaking her head, "Don't worry! I didn't sign up because of Okeer's work! The Blue Suns told me I'd be working on a cure for the genophage! You see? I'm not testing on live subjects anymore; it's just dead corpses!"

Marcus sighed. She was right, she technically wasn't doing anything wrong, but working for Jedore or any merc wasn't right. These people were ruthless, especially Jedore, and he wasn't about to let her off the hook. He motioned towards Zaeed.

"Zaeed, tie her up," Marcus ordered before turning to a shocked Rana, "I told you not to do this crap anymore, and what do you do? You wait until I'm dead and do the same thing over. Maybe you should have just done what I told you to. When I've recruited Okeer and dealt with Jedore, I'm going to take you back to the Normandy and we can see what the authorities on the Citadel want to do with you. I'm sure C-Sec will be happy to arrest a known associate of Saren Arterius."

Rana tried to object but was stopped as Zaeed roughly shoved her into the wall, spinning her so she faced the wall. He made sure Zaeed didn't rough her up too much before entering Okeer's lab.

The room was very long; being the size of the Normandy's CIC alone. It was much like a corridor; and more so than a lab. To his left were numerous beds with krogan bodies resting on them, along with a large glass tank filled with water and a screen and terminal at which a fairly large krogan was standing at, working. He gathered that this was Okeer.

Inside the tank was a krogan like no other he'd seen before. He was massive; smaller than Wrex, but larger than any of the berserkers he'd seen so far and dwarfing Okeer. He wore large body armor, colored a dark, dull grey color. The krogan didn't have a crest like that of other krogan; but more like solid bone across his fore ahead and a more pronounced jaw. Must have been Okeer's latest berserker.

Observation windows aligned the right of the room, allowing a perfect view of the room inside. Lines upon lines of pods like the one in the lab aligned the room, all filled with berserkers; most likely the rejects. The room was completely empty from what he could see; all except for one human female merc pacing along the room, hand at her ear piece. She had long, flowing blonde hair and would have been quite beautiful if it weren't for the scars on her face and massive widow anti-material sniper rifle on her back. That must be Jedore.

Hearing the door open, Okeer turned to face his squad and Marcus got to see the krogan's features in full. His face was covered in scars and wrinkle lines; signs of his age. His crest was black with a tinge of red along with a blue-colored eyes. He wore, not armor, but krogan clothing; odd for a krogan with the title of Warlord. The krogan smiled a toothy grin.

"Ah, here you are," Okeer announced, "I've watched your progress."

Marcus raised his eyebrow as he holstered his SMG, ordering his squad to lower their weapons as well as Zaeed entered the room, throwing Rana onto the ground as he put a foot to the back of her neck, rifle at the back of her head.

"Stop squirming, bitch." Zaeed snarled.

"Easy Zaeed. She's a prisoner, not a ragdoll." Marcus stated before turning back to Okeer. Zaeed simply rolled his eyes before releasing his foot, instead settling with having his vindicator lowered over her head.

Okeer continued before anything could be said, continuing to type at his terminal, "It's about time you showed up too. The batteries on these tanks will not wait while you play with these idiotic mercs." The krogan's voice was deep; deeper than Wrex's if you could even think about it.

Marcus merely cleared his throat before responding, "I take it you're Okeer? You don't seem particularly caged...or grateful that I'm here."

Okeer simply snorted, letting out a low, short chuckle, "You may claim to be here to help, but the formerly deceased Marcus Shepard is not a sign of gentle change." The krogan then fixed Marcus with a piercing glare, somehow meeting the spectre's eyes through his helmet.

Apparently Okeer noticed Marcus' hesitation to respond, "Surprised? All krogan should know you. I'm sure Rana...," Okeer then looked over at Rana's struggling form on the floor, Zaeed merely smirking at the asari's effort, "...has already recounted your actions on Virmire."

Marcus, sensing that Okeer wouldn't be particularly happy if he knew about what Saren's facility had held, which was the promise of a genophage cure, was quick to react, "I did what I had to do. That facility wasn't going to cure the genophage, it was going to weaponize your people. I couldn't let that happen. I'm sorry."

Okeer seemed surprised, "Oh...but I approve!" This apparently took Marcus by surprise once more, "Saren's pale horde were not true krogan. Numbers alone are nothing. The mistake of an outsider, one that these mercenaries have also made."

Marcus seemed to consider this as he let the krogan continue, Okeer turned and walked up to the closest observation window, looking down upon his warbred krogan, "I gave their leader the rejects for her army. But she grows impatient. It's time for you to take me out of here." Okeer then headbutted the window in anger, the glass cracking from the impact as he turned back to face them.

Marcus nodded, "Good, because I'm here to recruit you for a dangerous mission. Ever heard of the Collectors?"

Okeer smirked, "A dangerous mission that involves a race noone, not even the salarians, knows anything about? I see. Collector attacks have increased. A human concern. However, I do see the need for expertise. Very well, I shall help you, but on one condition."

Marcus narrowed his eyes, "Name it."

"My prototype," Okeer motioned to the tank that settled in his lab, unmoving but ever active, "He is perfection. The final product. If he survives, it will ensure that all my rejects weren't for nothing. He is the pinnacle of krogan strength; he is a symbol of what the krogan once were before the genophage. With him, I will inflict upon the genophage the greatest insult an enemy can suffer...to be ignored. He is non-negoitable. Besides, he might even prove a worthy asset in your personal army...if the right krogan can teach him the ways of combat. That means me. Two for the price of one, hmmm?"

Marcus liked the sound of it. A krogan scientist and a pure krogan soldier bred for war. That spelt disaster for the collectors whenever they ran into them. He smiled as he turned to face Okeer, "Deal. I'll have Joker bring down some heavy lifting equipment with the shuttle; that tank looks heavy and I don't think even a krogan could carry that much. Not even you Okeer."

Okeer nodded, "Of course."

"Also, how did you come to know about the collectors anyway? You seem to have a history with them." Jacob spoke up, pointing the krogan out.

"I have sold many krogan to them in exchange for their technology. All of which has been consumed by my prototype. Not only is he the strongest krogan in current existence, but he is also fused with collector tech; a lethal foe, if I do say so my-"

"Attention! I've tracked the krogan release! It's Okeer! Go figure." Jedore's voice came through the PA once more and Okeer looked down through the window. Marcus did so as well and found Jedore looking straight at them, fury on her features.

"I'm calling 'blank slate' on this project," Jedore declared, "Gas these rejects and start over from Okeer's data! Flush the tanks!" Before anything could be said, Jedore equipped her scimitar model shotgun and activated her tech armor, an aura of blue energy surrounding her like armor. With that, she ran off into another room, disappearing from sight.

Okeer looked around frantically as one by one all the valves in the room popped open to omit a lethal gas. Marcus immediately sealed his helmet and his squad sealed theirs; good thing he ordered them to come helmeted.

Okeer pounded his fist on the terminal as he eyed his krogan achievement, "She's that weak-willed? She'll kill my legacy with a damned valve!" With that, he spun to look at Marcus, "You want my help on your mission? Then kill Jedore and reverse the gas process! My legacy is no use to you dead!"

Marcus nodded in acceptance as he equipped his rifle and ordered his squad to follow him to the lower level. Zaeed stayed behind to watch Rana. He knew about krogan nervous systems and how it would filter the gas out; so he didn't need to worry. Instead, he focused on Jedore. As they ran down the stairway, he contacted EDI.

"EDI, I need you to access this station's mainframe and close off the valves! Stop the gas release process! Can you do it?"

EDI's response was immediate, "I'm accessing it now. Security is poor and the gas can be stopped. It should only take a second..." Just as the door opened, he saw all the gas valves cease, "The gas has been stopped. Only a few subjects were killed but Okeer's project was not among them."

"Thanks EDI!"

Marcus scanned the room with his rifle, but saw nothing. Instead, he  _heard_ it. It was a thud; one that shook the ground with everyone, seeming to get closer and closer. Eventually, he saw the source of the room noise appear around the corner and widened his eyes in shock at what he saw.

It was a gigantic mech; bigger than a YMIR mech and about 15 foot high. It was covered in armor plating, all the color blue of the Blue Suns. The main cockpit was made of glass, but it was thick tempered glass and sitting at the controls was Jedore. The mech had two arms; the left holding what looked like a form of heavy machine gun while the right was a heavy blaster, firing explosive rounds that were probably equivalent to that of a Mako's main gun. The vehicle had thick but small legs, carrying the massive bulk of the mech with it. It was a walking death machine.

Jacob's eyes widened in shock, "It's a fucking Atlas! Take cover!" And they did so in record timing as a tsunami of machine gun fire poured over their heads, tearing into the wall behind them. Jedore's voice could be heard; not through the PA, but through the mech's onboard speakers.

"I've read up on you Shepard," Jedore snarled and her next words sounded too smug for his liking, "I'm going to make you my bitch."

With that, she fired a heavy round; the burst hitting one of the tanks infront of them and toppling it forwards, crashing into the ground. Marcus dodged it nimbly as he found himself in plain view of the mech. He flared up a biotic barrier just in time to avoid a massive burst of assault fire, Jedore instead moving to charge the man. Marcus simply strafed, as the mech was too cumbersome to move fast. Jedore attempted to melee him, but he simply ducked under the swaying arm and leapt onto the mech, landing on the side. Before Jedore could react, he had unholstered his SMG and had shoved it into the cockpit window.

"Then you missed some parts."

A burst of fire cracked the cockpit followed by three more bursts that shattered it. A fifth, sixth and seventh hit Jedore in the stomach before he leapt off the mech and landed ahead of it, the mech collapsing backwards as it's operator lost control, hitting the ground with a massive bang. But not before Jedore fired one final shot; aimed directly at the lab.

And at Okeer.

Before Marcus could do anything, the windows exploded, the round hitting Okeer and sending him flying further into the lab, injuries unknown. Marcus fumed as he approached the mech, his team already recovering as he stepped ontop. Seeing Jedore, with blood pooling from her mouth and stomach, he simply unholstered his SMG and kneeled next to her, ordering his squad to move upstairs to check on Okeer.

"You know Jedore, I'm really starting to hate you mercs," He said, raising his SMG so it aimed at her head, "You're like a bad itch; I have to scramble to get rid of it." Before Jedore could respond, he fired and her body went limp. With a sneer, he quickly loaded a fresh thermal clip into the weapon before rushing up the stairs and back into the lab. What he found caused him to curse loudly.

A large section of the window had been torn apart by the blast, taking some of the wall with it, including damage to Okeer's terminal. Mordin was at Okeer's lying form, blood pooling around the krogan's body. as Marcus came to crouch next to the krogan, Okeer turned to face him, eyes wide as he grabbed the spectre by the collar of his armor and pulled him closer so their faces were inches apart.

"You...gave me time...Shepard," Okeer grumbled, blood pouring from his mouth as he tried so speak. Mordin looked at Marcus and shook his head. There was nothing the salarian could do, "If I knew...why the collectors...wanted...humans, I would tell you." The krogan gave a wet cough as he let go of Marcus, the human deciding to stay close. Okeer continued.

"But everything is in my prototype," he stated, "My legacy...is pure. This...one...soldier, this grunt. Perfect." Mordin's omni-tool beeped rapidly, stating that Okeer's lifesigns were failing. Just as Okeer's eyes closed, the krogan muttered his last words.

"Keep it...safe."

His lifesigns flatlined as the krogan went limp. Okeer was dead.

Marcus sighed as he stood up, hands on his hips as he glanced over at the large tank holding the massive krogan that Okeer called his 'legacy.' The way Okeer said it, it was almost as if he had destined the massive perfected berserker to replace him. Either way, their original recruit was dead, only to be replaced by another one. A krogan scientist was one thing, but a perfected krogan shock trooper? Priceless. His help in stopping the collector threat would leap boundries.

He commed his earpiece, "Normandy, this is Shepard. Come in, over."

Joker's voice filled the comms, "We read you, loud and clear."

"Send the shuttle. I'll upload our coordinates," Marcus ordered, transmitting their location to the orbitting frigate, "And tell the pilot to bring heavy lifting equipment. Okeer is dead but we've got another package to bring onboard. And he's a big one."

With that, he turned to his squad and sighed as he ordered Garrus to return to their position. With that, they began to clean up the place, while Zaeed took Rana outside to wait for the shuttle. Marcus sighed as he leaned against the wall, sliding to the ground. What a day it had been. He sighed heavily as he looked at Okeer's body and then over at his prototype's body, the krogan scientist's words echoing in his mind.

_He might even prove a worthy asset in your personal army._

He'd have to see for himself.

**{Loading...}**

_August 16, 2185_

_1632 hours._

_Main Engineering Corridor, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for the Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani._

"Well? Don't just stand there you lazy shit, help us push this damn thing!"

Zaeed's voice shoke Marcus from his reverie as he joined in helping pushing Okeer's tank into the starboard cargo bay. It was an area just opposite of Zaeed's place of residence, and seemed like the perfect place to put the krogan until Marcus figured out if he would be helpful or not. After a debriefing in the comm room, Miranda had stated her worry of letting the krogan out of the tank; to which Mordin promptly agreed with her. Zaeed simply didn't care and Kasumi wasn't even there; most likely having snuck out. Jacob supported the idea of letting him out and Garrus had already come to trust Marcus' judgment.

Marcus already knew he had to open the tank; He was one recruit short and going by Okeer's data, the krogan would prove invaluable in combat due to his genetic perfection. He was stronger than any known krogan currently alive, probably more so than even Wrex. Going with his logic, it meant that he had to open the tank and hope Okeer had imprinted 'loyalty' on the beast. Hell, he didn't even have a name for the krogan. Okeer sounded good, but he didn't think the berserker would agree with taking a dead man's name.

With his added strength, they were able to push the giant tank into the small room, taking it to the back. Port Cargo wasn't all that impressive; if not less impressive than garbage disposal. It was a simple room extending to the right where observation windows allowed a view of the shuttle bay and pieces of cargo littered the area. When they finally reached the edge of the room, they all stopped and let out short, reserved breaths. The tank was heavy, that was for sure. Even the shuttle had had trouble carrying the damn thing.

With the heavy lifting done, they just had to open it. A task Marcus would handle personally. He turned, dismissing both Garrus and Zaeed, who promptly left as he turned back to face the giant tank and the krogan inside. He remembered Kelly's warning to him.

_Please be careful when you decide to eh...birth him. His personality is completely unknown._

Marcus also remembered when she had informed him of the recent abduction of Ferris Fields. He knew time was running out, and he needed the best soldiers. The best people. This krogan was one of them. He couldn't afford to play it safe anymore.

As if summoned by his thoughts, EDI spoke, "The subject is stable, Shepard. Integration with onboard systems was seamless." He guessed she must have been speaking about her integration with the tank. How she had done so in that amount of time was obvious. She was a cyberwarfare AI; she did stuff like this without even thinking. EDI continued to explain.

"The subject is an exceptional example of the krogan species, with fully formed primary, secondary and tertiary organs, where applicable. No defects of any kind. Not even the telltale genetic markers present in krogan marked with the genophage are present. I cannot judge mental functioning without personal experience."

Marcus knew what he had to do. He could feel the claymore shotgun at his waist. He would only use it if he had to. With an intake of breath, he looked back up at the tank, "Then open the tank EDI. I'm letting him out."

EDI wasn't quick to give in, "Shepard, Cerberus protocols are very clear regarding untested-"

"I don't give a damn about Cerberus protocols, EDI," Marcus growled, "Open the fucking tank. It wasn't a question."

EDI took longer than normal to respond, "Very well, Shepard. Control has been rerouted to your omni-tool. The switch - and the consequences - are yours." With that, EDI's voice ceased speaking, leaving Marcus alone. With a final sigh, he reached up and activated his omni-tool, hitting the switch to open the tank.

He took a step back as the secured panels began to hiss loudly before popping open, letting out a steady cacophony of pops and hisses. Water was sucked out of the tank and into a rear compartment as air was pumped into it. Finally, the glass door flew open and the massive krogan fell onto the floor, eyes shooting open as he used his hands to stall his fall. He let out a low, non-threatening growl as he coughed out what water was left.

The krogan then rose to stand, ableit unsteadily, but when he stood to full height, he towered over Marcus, almost reaching the size of a YMIR. When the krogan looked up, Marcus could see his blue irises; reminiscent of Okeer's eyes. His eyes were unfocused, but when they finally focused on the spectre, the krogan leapt forward and rammed into Marcus, pinning him against the wall with his right arm as the krogan fixed the human with a piercing glare.

When the krogan spoke, his voice was low but deep. Nothing like Okeer's, but similiar to the krogan they had talked with back on Korlus.

"Human, male," The krogan stated, seeming to scan the spectre, "Before you die, I need a name."

Marcus responded without hesitation, "My name is Commander Shepard, and I don't take threats lightly."

The krogan shook his head, a look of grim determination on his features, "Not yours...mine. I am trained, I know things, but the tank...Okeer's couldn't implant connection. His words are hollow."

Before Marcus could speak, the krogan ignored him and continued to speak, "Warlord...Legacy...Grunt...Grunt. 'Grunt' was among the last. It has no meaning. It will do."

The berserker's grip seemed to tighten on the spectre, not letting go, "I am Grunt. If you are worthy of your command, prove your strength and try to destroy me."

Marcus knew what krogans were like and responded in the way Wrex taught him to, "I have a good ship and a strong crew, a strong clan. You'd make it stronger."

Grunt replied without hesitance, "If you're weak and choose weak enemies, then I'll have to kill you."

Marcus smiled darkly, "Our enemies are numerous and powerful. They are known as the collectors. Trust me, they are strong."

"They'd better be," Grunt responded, "But if you decide that-"

Marcus had had enough. Without waiting, he felt the claymore shotgun on his waist fold out into his hands as he walked the krogan across the head, releasing his grip. Before Grunt could charge again, Marcus had the claymore aiming at the krogan. Instead of snorting, the krogan smiled.

"Offer peace in one hand and arm the other," Grunt pondered, "I think I might like you Shepard. I will fight for you Shepard. Whenever you call upon me for battle, I will answer. My weapons are your weapons." With that, Grunt turned around and returned to his tank, smiling as he examined the massive piece of machinery.

Marcus lowered his shotgun and holstered it, examining the krogan, "Would you like proper arrangments?"

Grunt simply shook his head in response, "I do not need fancy places to sleep. This will do. I seek only combat, not comfort. Comfort is for the weak, combat is for those who are deemed worthy."

Marcus, without looking back, left the room, smiling as he went.

That was alot easier than he thought it would be. He felt a sharp pain flow up his spine, but was surprised it hadn't snapped. Apparently his cybernetics reinforced all the bones in his body. He wasn't unbreakable, but he wasn't porcelain either. That was good.

Because the collectors wouldn't expect anything less.

**{Loading...}**

_August 16, 2185_

_1822 hours._

_Outer Hull, Zarasis-Class Light Cruiser QMFV Neema, Migrant Fleet, In Orbit over Ilos, Refuge System._

_Brigadier General Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Mechanic Peta'Yala vas Neema._

Tali sighed through her helmet as she glided through space towards the junction she was targeting on the Neema's hull, cable keeping her attached to the ship. Tali wasn't a big fan of EVA tech work, but it was something she got used to over the two years of serving on the Neema and in the marines. As a marine, they had to do many EVA attacks on pirate bases and a few Cerberus research labs, so EVA training was the norm. Besides, with Kal as a member of the Skylords, who practically had to do EVA assaults quite alot, she was well trained. Luckily, she wasn't in a combat situation; she was within the safety of the flotilla; the place she called home.

And out there, in some unknown region of space, was her mate. Her future husband. The man she loved; out there, among the stars, saving the galaxy's inhabitants once more. And would soon be going to rescue her life as well. The thought of the imminent mission to Haestrom was daunting, and it filled her with dread. The images of Marcus coming to cradle her body as she slowly died of suit ruptures; the sounds of numerous marines around her dying...it was too much.

Instead, she didn't focus on it. Instead, she focused on her work; that power junction wasn't going to fix itself. And if she didn't, then the entire crew would suffer the same fate her mother did; bacteria infection in the clean rooms and lack of oxygen. Down below was the planet where the end of a war had begun.

Two years ago had the Normandy orbitted Ilos and a geth fleet had guarded it's secrets. It had been when they landed on the planet and learned of the Citadel and the Mass Relay's true purposes and who built them. It was where they met Vigil. It was where they found the Conduit; a back-door onto the Citadel. It was where the beginning of the end for the galaxy had started; but where they began their own crusade to stop it.

She remembered the old city ruins; statues of the long dead protheans and some other kind of race littering the abandoned streets. Skyscrapers that were no doubt once majestic and tall, were now nothing but rubble consumed by the overgrowth and plant life. Ilos was one giant grave site for the prothean people. The last evidence of their existence. There had been questions on whether Ilos had been the prothean homeworld, but that had been quickly answered by Vigil, who stated it was just a research facility, not their homeworld.

Tali sighed as she returned to work, her omni-tool lighting up as she scanned the junction's contents. Working on another junction, only a few meters away from her to the upper left, was Peta, the young male she now called friend working on a similiar job. Tali had been happy when Peta had finally accepted that their relationship wasn't mutual and decided to stay as friends; it made life alot easier. But in the end, Tali still got the feeling that he hadn't quite gotten over it. He seemed distant, less willing to talk to her. She was even sure she caught glimpses of him looking at her when she wasn't looking.

Gerrel's voice entered her reverie, "Chief Engineer, how's it going out there? The fleet's making speed for the relay and we don't have time to dwadle."

Tali was quick to respond, "Almost done. Peta looks almost finished as well. Give us two minutes."

Gerrel's voice was annoyed when he responded, "Very well. You've got two minutes; make good use of it. Admiral Gerrel out."

Tali mainly just rolled her eyes as Gerrel cut the communications line. The admiral had seemed more annoyed than usual, and for good reason. Apparently Rael and Xen had been using Tali's data to develop ways of counteracting geth weaponry and tactics; essentially, they were developing tools of war to be used in retaking Rannoch. A war the flotilla was still ill-prepared for, but wouldn't be rushing into. The two admirals had conducted his research and their main lab ship, the Alarei, which was of the same class of ship as the Neema.

She knew of Xen and Gerrel's opinions; they favored war, and so did Rael. Shala was a unreadable anomaly while Koris clearly favored looking for a new homeworld. Tali herself sided with war; she wanted to destroy the geth and stand triumphant on the world of her ancestors as they wreaked vengeance upon the geth for the billions slaughtered in the Morning War. Xen however, wasn't as obsessed with the war itself as Gerrel was, and her father seemed much the same; Xen just used the war as an excuse to continue her research, along with her infatuation of eventually taking back control of the geth and returning them to the mindless slaves they were before the war. Also, she got to test her toys in the conflict.

Her father was just an unknown. He wanted the geth wiped out, but he also seemed alittle like Xen; wanting to take control of them instead. Rael had always promised to build her a hosue on the homeworld, but point was there to such a promise if it wasn't one that could be kept? Gerrel was just angry that he was losing Rael's favor; he was afraid that he was losing him to Xen. Gerrel didn't want the geth enslaved; he wanted them completely annihilated. And Tali completely agreed with him. No geth was a good geth.

The Eden Prime War only reinforced hers and Gerrel's opinions. Koris' argument had always been that the geth only exiled their people because they didn't want to die; because they wanted a future just like every other species. But it had gone beyond that when the geth burned and pillaged the colony of Eden Prime; it had gone beyond that when they joined Saren and Sovereign, bombed Feros and attacked Therum. It went beyond that when they assaulted the Citadel itself! It wasn't about survival; the geth hated organics and wanted them all wiped out!

And so now she had another reason to hate her father. It was just one neglectful event after another.

It didn't take long for the junction to be repaired and she returned to the outer access hatch. Peta was fast behind her. But before he reached the hatch, his tether caught on something and he tried to figure out what it was. But when he tugged, the cable ripped and he went flying into space. Tali, not knowing what else could be done, leapt out of the hatch in pursuit of the quarian. With the cable still attached to the hatch, she could be reeled back.

She managed to catch up with him quickly and she grabbed his hand, comming their assistant to pull them inside. Within moments they were back inside the Neema, hatch sealing shut behind them. Artificial gravity took hold and Tali soon found herself landing on Peta's chest. She scrambled to get up, Peta doing so as well. Their assistant contacted Gerrel and told him that it was all systems go, and Tali made with due haste towards the cockpit, where her father and Gerrel would be waiting. Rael had taken leave from the Huzzi to inspect her position on the ship, and she wasn't at all happy about it.

It didn't take her long to navigate the halls of the Neema with Peta at her side and reach the bridge. When she did, Rael and Gerrel turned to face her immediately, Peta seeming to melt into the background. Tali was surprised to see Elan there as well, as the ship's medical professional was Kaso. Elan was supposed to be on the Rayya looking after Veetor.

"Brigadier General Zorah," Gerrel addressed, Tali standing with her posture straight and at attention, "Admiral Zorah would like to have a talk with you. I'm sure Doctor Shiya would as well. There are...medical evaluations to be done. Mechanic Yala, you may take your leave." Gerrel then moved back into his command chair, Peta leaving without hesitance. He seemed alittle eager to get out quickly. Tali simply ignored it in favor of saluting her father before following him and Elan into another part of the ship.

Once alone, Tali turned to face Elan, "Elan, why are you here? I thought you were looking after Veetor on the Rayya?"

Elan nodded, "I still am, but I transferred to the Neema for a little bit because Admiral Zorah requested it. He wanted me to help him with some medical matters concerning you."

"Shiya, I told you I'd be the one to tell her that." Rael hissed.

"Tell me what? Medical matters? What is it about me that requires medical attention? I'm a fully capable migrant fleet marine!" Tali declared proudly, crossing her arms over her breasts.

"It's got nothing to do with your military profession," Rael stated, "That's Gerrel's area. No, I'm talking to you about something else. Please, sit down. Elan, get the file up on your omni-tool."

Tali was reluctant at first, but finally accepted as she sat on one of the crates in the room, Rael sitting opposite her while Elan tried her best to melt into the background. It didn't work however, as Rael was constantly addressing her. It appeared Elan really didn't want to be part of this.  _What's going on here?_

"Tali..." Rael began, dropping formality, "I've come to talk to you about something that's recently come to my attention. From what I've heard, you're currently...single. Single in that you have not chosen a mate yet. You are aware of our tradition, are you not?"

Tali sighed heavily. It was this talk. No wonder Elan wanted nothing to do with it; she herself was also single with no chosen mate, but she had a feeling that was changing due to her sudden eagerness to be with Veetor. It was a thought that made her smile; that such a stuttery, incoherent man like Veetor could attract such an attractive young female like Elan. Especially a doctor.  _How do I tell father that I've chosen a human for my mate?_

"Yes, I am," Tali started, trying to skirt the issue and avoid bringing up Marcus, "And I will tell you when I've chosen a mate. My status as a marine makes it difficult to start lasting relationships. I've seen many marines die under my command...many of them bonded or married. Some had children."

Rael nodded, "As I'm aware, but you and I know that isn't the problem, don't we? I know about your commander. That human you served with...your original captain. I know about your little...relationship with him. You must realize that it is nothing more than a childish dream. He can never give you children and you can never marry; or bond for that matter. You would be a fool to choose him over a proper quarian husband."

The words that rolled out of his vocalizer made horrible memories spark up. She knew who had set him up to this, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions, "I don't know how you know about that, but my personal relationships are none of your business. And if you brought Elan into this thinking that she may...get me hooked up with some quarian, then you're entirely wrong. My heart lies with Mar-Shepard."

Rael slammed a fist into the crate he sat on, "Stupid bosh'tet! You're making our clan look weak! Think of what the clan matriarch would think!? Are you really willing to bring disgrace to Clan Zorah? There is no possible reward that can be becoming of this pairing! This isn't Fleet and Flotilla! You were a child then, but you grew up!" Rael stated, using her childhood to reinforce his point. When Tali was young, she would invite friends with her to watch a copy of Fleet and Flotilla with her on her omni-tool. It was her favourite movie mostly because of the interspecies romance between a quarian and a turian.

Tali immediately stood up for herself, "I can think for myself! I will not be restricted by tradition! I have freedom! And I will choose who I want to love! You cannot change that!"

Rael wasn't giving in, "You'd rather have the disgusting primate? His kind had barely developed proper communications when we were exiled by the geth! His scum of a species had only just stopped destroying each other with swords when we reached the pinnacle of our empire! You should be proud of being quarian! Instead, you bicker about love? Love has no place in the greater scheme of things!"

Tali scoffed, "Is that what you said about Meru when she died? Did you say that as she weeped by her bedside? As she whispered reassurance to your ears and you held her cold, dying hands?"

Rael took a step forward and Elan decided to bail out, "Don't you  _ **dare**_ bring your mother into this! She was everything to me! When I lost her, it tore me apart!"

"You loved her to the ends of Rannoch and Palaven! And you have the audacity to condemn love when you let if flourish within you twenty years ago! I am not the one who is wrong!  _ **You are!**_ " She immediately poked him in the chest.

"That's because I let it control me! I let love define me!" Rael retorted, "I let Meru dominate my life! And I realize now that it was a mistake! I discovered that love is pointless! That it only serves to weigh you down!"

"Then what's the point in living if you can't have happiness..." Tali said, trailing off.

"There isn't! Not anymore! Not since we lost our homeworld!" Rael punctuated by motioning towards their surroundings, "Take a look around you! Our people were once a proud race child! We ruled the stars along with those three bosh'tets! But then the geth took that away from us! We are pathetic now! Forced to live off scraps of food just to survive! We're lucky not to be the vorcha and even they are luckier than us because they at least still have a homeworld!"

Tali hit an epiphany, "That's what this is about! You don't want me to love a human because you feel that he'll use me as a weapon to punctuate human superiority!"

"That's exactly what I'm saying!" Rael spouted, "Don't let him fool you! He'll just use you! The next thing you'll know, you're a slave to his will! You'll be at his knees, day and night and you'll be wishing you listened to me!"

"Then you don't know him at all!" Tali hissed, "He's nothing like that! He gave me protection when I needed it. He made me who I am! I'm a Brigadier General! How do you think I got the skills to be one? From him! He cared for me, protected me and gave me life! Before him, I was nothing! After him, I'm a fully capable woman! And all in no part thanks to you!"

Rael was taken back by her sudden attack but didn't give in, "I am an Admiral of the Board. I will order and can order you to cease contact with him. It's within my power as head of the board and an admiral."

Tali felt tears in her eyes, "That's it then? I'm just another subordinate to you? I'm a ancestors be damned daughter! Why can't you just love me like every other father!"

Rael didn't know what to say as Tali continued her rant.

"I just wanted a father! I wanted someone who would spend time with me, show me the face behind his mask! I wanted to spend time in a clean room with you where we could just speak face to face, no masks! To show you the woman I've grown up into! I wanted you to love me like an actual father! But I guess that's too much to ask. I'm not your daughter, I'm just another one of your adjutants! Why can't you just love me..." She felt herself wanting to sob, but she couldn't. She was a damn hardened marine; she had to act like it. She had a heart of steel.

Rael didn't know what to say. When he finally spoke, it wasn't in the authoritive tone he had found himself using before, "Tali...I'm sorr-" He rested a three-fingered hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her but she shook it off, moving towards the door, anger in her every step. When she reached the door, she turned to face Rael once more.

"I'm not you're daughter, I belong to Meru."

"But...she was my wife. My daughter...I loved you." Rael tried to stutter but Tali was already gone, her last words all that was left for him to remember.

"Feels like another universe now."

**"Grunt. I'm pretty sure he's still alive and working for the Dominion. Last I heard he was injured on Alpha by an explosion. Some misunderstanding between the Shadow Broker and the Dominion's military."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Tough son of a bitch. And believe me, when we finally met the collectors face to face, he showed them what 500 pounds of pure krogan was like. He made a ICBM strike seem like mercy."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**


	20. Silentium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in the present, Prometheus launches Operation FIRE BREATHER. A plan decades in the making is put into motion.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER NINETEEN:**

**SILENTIUM**

_July 7, 2251_

_1834 hours._

_Wastelands, Northern Hemisphere, Trebin._

_Terran-Rannochian War._

_Prometheus Commander Carter Dielheart, Captain Jaris 'Siren' Paltarons, Caesar, Warlord Urdnot Mordin._

The Wolverine transport bumped up and down as the vehicle continued to move along Trebin's mishap surface; desert dunes disturbed by the movement of the heavily armoured vehicle. The wolverine was a combination of a tank and a transport, with a troop compartment at the back and a heavy anti-vehicle main gun mounted on top, used as a form of AAA while also acting as a weapon against enemy tanks. It had been used on the frontlines during the PA Wars, and was a joint quarian and human design. So efficient that it was still in service thirty years later.

The compartment was small but he didn't complain. Nobody did; not when on a mission from Prometheus HQ itself. Gerrel secretly headed Prometheus and had developed the organization into a powerful force; it was the Dominion's replacement to the SIA and their answer to the STG. Carter quietly slept in one of the seats, wearing full light standard issue minotaur dominion combat armor, with his Grim Reaper assault rifle on his back. Jaris sat to his left, conversing with one of the quarian marines next to him.

Caesar remained still ahead of Carter, his geth body as still as a statue, most likely connecting with the geth consensus main hub back on Rannoch. Mordin was staring out the fibreglass port on the tank's main hatch; gazing out into nothing while marines conversed around him. The jolting of the vehicle didn't wake Carter. He slept through this stuff; he'd even slept through worser conditions than this, mostly combat or artillery strikes.

The wolverine they occupied was one of a trio in the convoy. They had been deployed via Tikkun-class geth dropship, dispatched by the Archangel-class Battleship CSV Marcus Shepard, where two gunships had provided escort. Now they were in a convoy of three wolverines, all moving towards an abandoned mine once used my ExoGeni seventy years ago to conduct an investigation into what appeared to be reactivated reaper technology that had laid dormant for quite awhile.

Trebin hadn't really been targetted as an area for colonization by the Dominion due to the harsh climate. Sandstorms were a constant on the planet and they were due to be hit by one any second. This made the construction of a colony impossible as any workers would be killed in the sandstorm; not to mention that the resources on the planet weren't particularly plentiful.

Right on time, a sandstorm hit the convoy. They were mostly unaffected by the storm, with the only noticable difference being the darker surroundings and a slightly more forceful jolt in the vehicle's movement. Carter's comm crackled to life and he was jolted awake.

"This is India Golf Niner-Niner," one of the gunships reported, "We're getting some severe interference with our equipment in this storm. We're going to have to break off; can't risk going any further. Returning to home ship, India Golf out."

Carter simply shrugged it off and disengaged his comm, going back to sleep. Mordin just continued to look out into nothing; the massive raging storm outside blocking his vision of Trebin's vast landscape; vast, but empty. The talk in the vehicle was just something he tuned out; Mordin wasn't a social man, he was born for one thing and one thing only; the defense of the krogan confederacy and the sovereignty of the Dominion empires. He had no other purpose.

He had been trained by his father, Urdnot Wrex, himself and afterwards, became a commando in the krogan marines. He now served as a Skylord, a section of the dominion military originally founded by the quarians, but was now the special operations/black operations division of the empire's military. He was the best of the best; skylords were orbital demons; when they dropped in, you knew that you were being invaded and that there was surely a dominion fleet not far behind.

Mordin thought about Tuchanka; how much he missed the desert plains, the raging storms, the hordes of varren and the women. So many children. He had never gotten a chance to say goodbye to his mate before he shipped off to Epitaph Station. Aside from the Citadel, Epitaph was the biggest Dominion space station in existence. It served to replace Jump Zero, which had been destroyed during the Reaper War.

Mordin was shaken from his reverie as the vehicle came to a stop and the main door opened. The sandstorm had passed, for now; they came frequently, but never lasted long on a planet like Trebin. While the marines fiddled with their harnesses, Mordin just jumped out, followed quickly by Caesar. The geth and himself didn't need harnesses due to their ability to remain seated without them. That and their size and strength.

Carter followed behind, leading the marine squad that poured out of the Wolverine. Mordin had to admit that the human was quite intimdating; the way he carried himself was all too perfect: his posture showed someone you didn't mess with lightly. With his helmet on, he looked even more intimidating, reminding him alot of a merc helmet but more advanced.

It wasn't long before they were all cleared out of the wolverines; all taking positions around a large mine shaft leading into Trebin's surface; it was ancient, structure reminsicent of technology from seventy years ago. Mordin narrowed his eyes at it. Why was a mine owned by a long dead corporation so important that they sent a battleship to investigate?

The thought skipped his mind as Carter's voice spoke up, "Whiskey and Uniform squads, cover the entrance to the mine and let noone inside. Mike and November squads are with me; Mordin, you take Mike squad. We'll go inside the mines and find that reaper tech. We tag it, we extract. Remember that raw reaper tech still emits indoctrination signals, so make sure to activate your signal jammers before going inside."

Mordin nodded and the marines activated their signal jammers; it was technology used to jam the effects of indoctrination, scrambling it and reducing it to a incoherent noise and nothing else. Had this technology been developed during the Reaper War, it would have been invaluable in defeating them. They might not have even needed the Crucible, but they had won, so it didn't matter anymore.

Carter nodded for Mordin to take point with his squad, and the krogan did so without hesitation. Caesar was part of his squad and already had his shotgun out and ready. They moved up the ramp and entered the mine, a long tunnel leading into the underground structure. It was dank and smelly, with filthy water running down the main pipe. Where the water was coming from was any one's guess. It was dark, so they all activated their flashlights as they moved further inside, looking for a light switch.

"Can't see a damn thing," One of the marines commented, "This bloody flashlight doesn't help much."

As they continued, they heard a disgusting sound of flesh crushing flesh as one of the marines cried out, "The fuck?" When the marine focused the weapon on the source of his complaint, they found the lifeless eyes of a husk looking back at them.

"Jesus Christ!" The marine shouted, launching backwards.

"It's dead Brendon," His fellow marine commented, pushing him in mirth, "Has been for a while. Probably killed by the Crucible explosion. Looks like it's been dead for seventy years. Nothing but a rotting corpse now."

The marine named Brendon regained his composure, straightening himself and trying to look reinforced, looking at his commander and shrugging. Mordin let a smirk crease his features as they continued downward.

It wasn't long before they finally found the main structure of the mine itself, and with it, a light source. Switching it on, some of the blood literally drained from the marine's face at the sight they saw. Dead husk, among dead, among dead husk, covered the mine's floor, hundreds of the dead creatures literring the floor, the synthetics in their eyes completely dull and empty. These husks had indeed been dead for a very long time.

"Grow some fucking balls and get moving inside. It's just dead husks, nothing you haven't seen already," Carter barked, pushing past them and walking directly into the ocean of dead abominations. Caesar was quick to follow, the geth, despite having emotions, still incapable of feeling discomfort as he moved past and Mordin followed behind. Father taught him never to feel fear. Fear was a weakness, one that krogan did not inherit.

The marines, although reluctantly, followed. Before long, they had crawled through the dead bodies and past the abandoned machinery, locating their goal; one, giant reaper artifiact. It was very bug like; exactly like reaper design specs. Mordin moved to touch it, and felt incoherent noise fill his head. He simply laughed.  _It's trying to indoctrinate me. How precious._ Mordin instantly backed off, moving to turn towards his marines when Carter approached the object. Pushing past Mordin, he touched the object, smiling.

Before he could say anything, the sound of something moving was heard. Mordin raised his weapon, as did his squad, and the source of the sound. Mordin widened his eyes as a human came into view, wearing battered looking medium armor. The armor didn't look like the standard package, looking too old. The systems alliance insignia rested on his left breastplate, and the flesh on his face was torn away, revealing cybernetics beneath.

Carter didn't look all too worried however. Actually, he looked pleased, "Now who is this?"

The man answered in a husky voice, "My name...my name...my name is..." Before he could answer, he fell face first into the ground, unconscious. Carter immediately turned to two marines and ordered them to pick up the injured human, Mordin frowning at him, "You know this human, don't you?"

Carter gave a grim smile to the krogan, one that made him cringe, "He's the main reason we're here."

Caesar answered before he could, "We were informed that this operation was to acquire reaper tech."

Carter was quick to answer, "Reaper tech? Are you that stupid? We've got plenty of the stuff; Prometheus has plenty of it! No, we used it as a guise so I could get two certain test subjects to help me with something. We need to test this man's ability to kill, he is to become the flagship of our victory over the Sanctum and the Covenant."

Mordin looked shocked, "The...Sanctum? We are at peace with the Sanctum!"

"Not for long we won't be. The Sanctum will cease to exist when Prometheus has reached it's full potential."

Caesar was quick to react as it brought it's rifle level with Carter's head, "You are a traitor to the Praetor and the Prime Candidate! You're disloyalty and betrayal will not be tolerated!"

Carter was quick to raise his pistol to level with the geth, "You fucking stupid machine. The Praetor isn't important! He's an ignorant fool who will meet his time when it comes! As for the Prime Candidate? Well...he's the one who ordered this in the first place."

A shot fired, the geth not seeing it coming; mostly because Carter didn't fire. It was a marine from behind, assault rifle round ripping through Caesar's metal chasis, the geth's optics losing light as white liquid poured from it's limp body. Caesar fell to the body, inactive. Dead.

Mordin was so shocked by Carter's sudden betrayal that he didn't see the marine turn their weapons on them. Before he could move, weapons fire poured into his back, sending him reeling forward onto his knees as blood poured from his mouth. Carter quickly approached the large krogan and squatted next to him.

"Don't worry big guy, I'll make sure you're dead before you hit the ground, so you shouldn't fret too much. Besides, you won't be around to see the Sanctum fall."

Mordin waited for his regeneration process to kick in, but it didn't. All he felt was immense pain. He realized that the teams had been ordered to use hammerhead rounds; rounds that rendered krogan and vorcha regeneration inoperable. They had effectively destroyed his chances of fighting back. This had been planned all along.

"The...Praetor...will...have your head!" Mordin tried to get out as he slowly choked on his own blood, the thick substance clogging in his throat as he desperately tried to breathe.

"I assure you, he won't," Carter stated, just as the human nearby began to stir, "Oh look, it seems our man is waking up. I think he'd like to have a word with you."

Carter got up and moved away, motioning for his two marines to drop the injured human infront of the krogan. The human looked up, pure hate in his eyes, a rage so pure that he could literally feel the heat eminating from him. Carter moved up to him and whispered in his ear. When Carter was finished, the human moved to rip Mordin's off; and considering the man's cybernetic, he could probably do it, but what happened next took him completely off guard.

A massive screech echoed through the mine and the marines aimed their weapons in all directions, not knowing where the screams were coming from. Carter looked unperturbed while the furious human tried to escape, only to be caught by the two marines once more. Then a voice entered Mordin's head.

_Do not worry, Sings-Loyalty. Your song will not conclude yet. We will rid you of the treachery-singers._

Mordin immediately recognized the tone and the voice and smiled a grim smile.

Rachni.

The screech reached an epic crescendo as a seemingly endless horde of red chitin swarmed towards the marines, who immediately opened fire. Carter didn't even bother, instead ordering the two marines holding the human to retreat outside, not willing to sacrifice his prize. The rachni swarmed around Mordin and assaulted the marines, tearing them apart with a mass of claws. One particular rachni, a brood warrior by the size, approached him.

_Your song may rest now, Sings-Loyalty. We will take you to Protection-Singer._

Mordin gave in, his eyes seeming to close as the brood warrior picked him up and left, the rachni army following behind, leaving behind a pile of blood and gore that were once dominion marines. When Mordin woke up, he'd have to warn the Praetor and his father. If the quarians and Prometheus were planning to invade Sanctum, then they had to be stopped. He wouldn't stand by as Alpha burned. He wouldn't.

But for now, all he could was rest. That's all he could do. He needed it. His body demanded it. And he gave into it. For now, he had an army of rachni tending to him, and last time he checked, they were loyal to the Praetor. He knew he was in safe hands.

But when he got out, he'd make Carter pay.

* * *

 

_July 7, 2251_

_1834 hours._

_'Courtyard', Triard Avenue, Dolo City, Zada Ban._

_Terran-Rannochian War, Invasion of Zada Ban._

_Faith._

Calculations. Plans of ambush set out in his head. Silence. Silentium in his head, but silentium does not fill the streets. Only Anger. They march across the city; very vehement. The quarians. The humans. The krogan. The geth. They march across their city; destroy everything in their past. Once proud city of the Tilthan people; his people who the galactic rulers call the Virtual Aliens. Faith was a proud Tilthan. He once lived on the homeworld; Ishani. It was beautiful. Lots of snow. Much ice. Now it was just a distant memory.

The Tilthan people once thrived. They had an advanced society and their technology was enhanced. It was nowhere near the galactic standard, but it was still good enough that they inhabited their entire solar system; building basic space stations to mine and colonize planets while also building a sizable fleet. They were a beautiful race; and Ishani was the most beautiful planet of them all. But eight years later, their sun, Valash, went supernova, destroying the entire solar system and destroying their entire civilization.

However, the Tilthans had known this was coming and prepared accordingly. Knowing they couldn't hope to evacuate in time, they built a massive spaceship of unmemorable size. Seeing no other choice, the Tilthans uploaded their consciousness into the ship's databanks. The Tilthans had the special ability of psychic thought while also possessing a unique, downloadable brain. They were only able to upload one billion of their people into the vessel's supercomputers before the ship was forced to leave, watching as their homeworld was destroyed.

For 8,000 years, they had travelled the stars. They had actually arrived from another galaxy; the M33 the people of this galaxy called it. It had taken the majority of that time to reach the milky way and due to their immortal lifespan, as a consciousness, all one billion survived the journey. They came into contact with the Citadel Council, and were given refuge. That was seventy years ago; in the year 2185. Things were different then.

The Tilthans were peaceful; not warmongers. However, contradictory to common belief, they were not pacifists. They had conducted war, and knew how to fight, they just hadn't fought a war in many millenia. Wars among their people were rare; civil wars were downright unheard of. But here they were; fighting for the Covenant, against the Dominion.

Faith looked below into the streets. It was horrifying. He was in the largest structure of the city; a building only known as the 'Courtyard' and was on the fifth level, looking down on the city. Everything was burning. Buildings toppled; bodies littered the streets as they lay deserted, skycars deserted. Covenant troops lay dead, having lost in the defense of the city. Faith watched in horror as a Dominion light cruiser, krogan in design, descended from the sky to bear over the city. This only happened when the Dominion were sure they had conquered a city.

In this case, two things could happen; they would either deem the city habitable and a valuable prize, and order the fleet to secure the region or they'd see the city as useless and order it's vaporization. When that happened, the entire fleet would descend and weapons called 'Earthsplitters' would be deployed to level the city. Earthsplitters were a terrifying weapon that utilized plasma particles to create a weapon more powerful than a thanix cannon. When the weapon fired, it literally vaporized anything in it's path. The Dominion used it to either burn cities or fight superdreadnoughts. Or, in worse case scenario, which was rare, to burn entire worlds. It was warfare at it's cruelest. It appeared they even favored it over nuclear fallout.

The enemy cruiser loomed over the city, unmoving as ground AAA batteries fired at it. They did nothing but simply peck at it's shields. It would take over a million rounds to penetrate just the shields. Fire poured into the streets, with the occasional few firing into the air, shots from AA or AAA guns. Artillery pounded fortified positions from the city outskirts and surgical strikes from covenant bombers tried to hinder the dominion's advance, only to be shot down by enemy fighters. Thick smoke occupied the skies; if there was a few more, the sky would be black.

Faith immediately went prone as he heard the telltale sounds of an approaching Wraith heavy tank. Any remaining covenant forces immediately took to cover, trying to find anywhere to hide. Just as they got to cover, the enemy force came around the corner, Wraith in the lead. The vehicle was massive, hovering above the ground like a giant rock.

The Wraith reminded Faith of what humans called a Armadillo, just without the head and tail. Or the spikes. Ontop of the 'shell' was a massive twin mounted heavy cannon, with a light mass acellerator HMG mounted inbetween. The Dominion insignia adorned it's hull, the vehicle covered in heavy armor and shielding. It moved along the streets, crushing anything directly in it's path. But the Wraith was just one vehicle in a convoy.

Numerous wolverines and hammerheads trailed behind it, accompanied by a regiment of quarian, krogan, human and geth troops, marching alongside the vehicles. The convoy just marched through the street, guns scanning the building as they seeked out targets. Even a few Atlas mechs were in the convoy, controlled by quarian or human operators. A few geth assault drones flew alongside the vehicles as well. Faith sighed with resentment as a few covenant soldiers in one of the buildings across the street made the foolish decision of firing on the lead tank.

The Wraith's main gun spun to face the building and fired, a molten blast of superheated metal firing and ripping the front half of the building wide open, allowing a squad of quarians and krogan to move inside, followed by a Atlas providing support as they stormed the building and killed any survivors. When they were done, they returned and the convoy continued. That was all the battle was now; just the Dominion going from building to building, killing whoever they could find and taking women and children as POWs to be shipped back to Dominion space. Unlike the batarians seventy years ago however, they gave them the offer of serving as paid workers or they would be sent to a prison facility called Refuge Station deep in quarian space.

Faith waited until the enemy convoy was gone before slipping out of the building and landing below. Tilthans could jump considerable heights without injuring themselves, so jumping from five stories wasn't that big of a deal to him.

He quickly crossed the street but didn't get far before a quarian voice shouted to him.

"Hey you, Tilthan! Stay where you are and hands where I can see them!"

Faith was quick as he spun around and fired, taking the quarian full in the chest. He snarled khelish profanities before Faith finished him off with a shot to the faceplate, killing him with a single shot as he continued across the street and into a nearby building that once served as a chemist. But just as he stormed in, he suddenly stopped at the sight of two humans and a quarian kneeled down on the ground, murmuring something.

When he got close enough for his translators to pick up what they were saying, he found they were speaking khelish and hebrew alike, all seeming to be preaching jewish prayers. Faith moved up behind them and was about to shoot them when he stepped on something. He couldn't tell what it was but it didn't matter; it got the dominion soldier's attention. The three of them turned around and raised their weapons.

They just looked at each other from across the room, noone firing. Faith had no idea how or why, but when he looked into their eyes, he saw regret. They...mourned what they were doing. It suddenly made sense. They hadn't been just praying for their own lives...they'd been praying for forgiveness.

"You don't have to kill me you know," Faith stated, hoping his assumption was right.

His luck held, "Our superiors...they'll shoot us if we don't. We have direct orders to kill any covenant personnel in the city." The quarian spoke up, weapon shaking in her hand.

Faith lowered his weapon, "You don't have to tell them I was even here. They can't kill you for not shooting something that doesn't exist."

They seemed to hesitate a bit more before lowering their weapons, "We're sorry...we're so sorry. I didn't want any of this. It's...the Dominion. They made us do this. I was...I was forced to fight. When they said we were fighting for the continuation of the Dominion at Shepard Academy, I didn't think they meant this."

Faith nodded, "Go back to doing what you're leaders want you to. But know this; I do not blame you for what you did. You had no choice. I just hope revolution will be your freedom in the time to come. Pray to your gods for a quick end to this terrible war."

With that, Faith left, taking multiple packets of medi-gel as he passed back out onto the street. Just as he thought the path was clear, he heard a terrible trembling noise. It was one that he had heard only in nightmares. Great feet tredding upon cities. The once lethal foe turned into a war machine for those they tried to harvest. Faith immediately ran back into cover, watching as one, giant leg slammed into the pavement fifty meters away, followed by four others as a massive bass roar pierced the air.

A thanix beam cut through a nearby building opposite his, most likely killing it's intended target. Faith watched as the giant heavy assault platform, the one hundred and sixty meter high monolithic tank marching across the street as it continued it's cleansing. Faith let out the breath he had been holding.

What had just passed, had once been a Destroyer-class Reaper. They were far smaller than Sovereign-class Reapers, which were used as dreadnoughts by the Dominion fleets, but still quite deadly. That Reaper had once been it's only living sentient being, but after the Crucible fired, it was just an empty shell. When the Dominion found out a way to rip out it's central processors and add a pilot, they jumped on the oppurtunity. Now they had the entire reaper fleet at their disposal.

Destroyers were now used to mop up ground resistance. They were more efficient than ground forces and could cover more ground alot faster due to being able to fly and it's powerful main gun and armor chasis. Faith knew time was running out. The fight for Zada Ban was lost. If he didn't reach the outskirts soon; he'd be burned just like the rest of the city. He could already see dominion dropships dropping from the sky to extract their forces. He even heard the signs of more ships entering atmosphere.

An hour later and Faith reached a cresent hill that overlooked the once-flourished metropolis. Now it looked like it had survived an apocalypse; which, in some ways, wasn't far from the truth. Faith watched as the reaper destroyer from before lifted from the ground and shot up into the atmosphere, it's job done. Numerous quarian battlecruisers as geth destroyers circled the city, weapons at the ready as what the Covenant called the 'Agents of Splitters' moved into position.

Faith turned his eyes away from the brilliant light of the Earthsplitter firing. Just like a nuclear explosion, if you looked at an earthsplitter firing directly, the light was bright enough to melt your retinas off. When he turned back around, he saw the full horror of the mighty Dominion's arsenal.

Beams of bright blue light rained incineration over the city, melting entire blocks at a time. Within half an hour, there would be no city to speak of. It'd be completely gone. Faith simply turned around, heading in the general direction of a Covenant evacuation center. He would get off Zada Ban and head to Titan. Warn the government. They needed to know that the Dominion was pressing their attacks.

He just hoped he'd get there before any more worlds fell to these devastating weapons.

Before Silentium befell them all.

* * *

 

Gunfire filled the area. Batarians and turians filled the streets as Thane took cover, his rifle braced firmly against his chest. He looked up to see if his foes were still there, and his confirmation was gunfire that bounced off his cover. Thane immediately ripped a grenade off his vest, primed the grenade and threw it over his cover, waiting for the telltale sound of an explosion before rolling out his cover and letting off a stream of gunfire before slipping back into cover again, this time behind a mako wreckage.

He managed to get one turian in the leg and multiple after batarians in the chest before he rolled into new cover. Thane activated his HUD and looked at his radar.  _Only six hostiles._ A larger red dot popped up.  _Make that six and one really big one._ Just as he looked out of cover to survey his target, he caught it. A massive Atlas mech; weapons bared on his cover.

Thane widened his eyes as he made a run for the buildings behind him; managing to get inside a supermarket entrance booth before the Atlas fired, machine gun shots missing him by a hairbreath. He slipped into cover as the Covenant soldiers renewed their advance, trying to hit Thane but to no aveil. Just when he contemplated running out, a tactical cloak deactivated next to him and the next thing he knew, he found Reby squatting down next to him.

"Hello Shepard," Reby smiled, "Thought you could use some help."

Thane was about to object when the reverbration of another Atlas cannon shot hitting his cover stopped him, forcing him to focus on his current enemy. He only got one chance at this. He turned back to Reby.

"What are you doing here?"

"Helping you."

"Do I look I need it?"

Another explosion.

"Yes."

Thane growled as he rolled to the other side, narrowly avoiding a stream of fire, "Fine. I'm going to try and charge that hostile mech. If you can draw their fire, I might make it."

Reby nodded, glowing eyes fixing with his as her rifle collapsed into her hands, fingering the grip as she prepared to lay down fire. Thane was already looking away, surveying his surroundings. Reby checked her ammo counter and found she had a full power core loaded and ready to go. Thane then looked back at her, raising her hand before swatting it downwards a few moments later.

She turned from her cover and took aim at a turian to her furthest left. She opened fire, sweeping the entire area as the turian and batarian shields soaked up her fire, but forced them into cover. Only the Atlas reacted, moving it's main gun and firing at Reby's position. It hit her cover, but Reby was already back behind cover before the projectile hit.

Thane was already sprinting though. The quman had already leapt out of cover and was charging the Atlas at full speed. He closed the distance pretty quickly, grenade already in his hand. The Atlas fired, but it's machine guns merely grazed his side, the soldier crossing the distance and jumping onto the cockpit, sticking the grenade on it's side as he pulled back, keeping the covenant troops pinned with sporadic fire from his rifle.

Thane had positioned the grenade just above the Atlas' fuselage; so when it detonated, the fuel ignited and the mech was blown apart, pieces of wreckage littering the area and a few turians being thrown across the space. Thane felt a grin crease his features at his victory. It was short lived however as a growling sound was heard behind him, huge footsteps approaching. As he turned, he watched as Reby flew past, her back hitting the wall as she slumped back to the ground, unconscious. Thane immediately faced the source of her attacker.

A massive female yahg, bronze armor emblazoned across her huge body, stood, towering over him; massive fists clenched at her side. Thane didn't move. Yahg were the Covenant's answer to the krogan and geth; they were powerful shock troops that could easily engage ODIN or Atlas mechs in combat, easily countering them in sheer height. Yahg were even stronger than krogan; which was saying alot.

Thane tried to raze his weapon to fire at the beast, but he wasn't fast enough. A goliath hand swatted him to the right, skidding across the ground while his rifle flew through the air and landed twelve meters away. Thane felt searing hot pain wash across his hip, guessing that numerous bones were broken. He tried to stand, but quickly found he couldn't as the pain intensified, so blinding that it forced him back to the ground.

He turned to see the yahg stomping towards him. He noticed that Reby was still unconscious and couldn't help him. Thunder rocked across the sky, rain pouring from the sky to hit the city landscape. The yahg stopped next to him. He glanced one more time, only to see Reby's body missing. With wide-eyed fear, the yahg raised it's foot and moved towards Thane's body in a crushing moment. He closed his eyes, awaiting his immediate death.

YOU DIED.

Thane swore as the two words crossed his screen.

RETRY.

EXIT TO MENU.

EXIT GAME.

He sighed as he pressed exit game and the holographic projection disappeared, leaving him in the quantum entanglement booth. He leaned against the railing before pushing himself up and heading outside, palming the door. Once outside, he found Reby leaning against the wall to his left, smiling.

"Have fun?"

Thane glared at her, "Where were you?"

"Quit the game. It was getting boring being a spectator. Being dead sucks."

Thane simply shrugged, "I got killed by that yahg. I think my final score was seventeen kills. That's...170 points in total. You?"

Reby felt a smile cross her features, "Thirty."

Thane groaned as Reby let a chuckle rumble out of her mouth, "Don't worry Shepard, you'll beat my score some day. You have to. I'd get pissed if you didn't."

With that, the two friends left the suite, letting the next team on. After checking the leaderboards, Thane found himself in twenty-first place with Reby ranking above him. Armax Arsenal Arena still existed seventy years after it's foundation. Thane and Reby visited it regularly to practise their combat skills or to simply have fun.

After leaving the arena, they stepped out onto the Silversun Strip, not knowing what to do next. They found advertisements for the Dominion military and products all over the place. Apparently there was one particular product that was the absolute rage at the moment. It was a modified version of the virus developed by Mordin Solus and Shala'Raan that allowed quarians and humans to produce cross-species offspring. It was how Thane had been born in the first place. Apparently now it had been modified so it could be used by all races.

There was also posters used to recruit people for C-Sec; apparently policing the Citadel was more difficult now due to all the Covenant and Sanctum refugees seeking safety on the monolithic station. There was always batarians and or other people protesting against the unfair laws emplaced on the Citadel. As was evident by some of the posters that dictated Dominion race's purity and superiority.

Number one rule of the Citadel; don't fuck with C-Sec, they don't fuck with you. Thane couldn't remember how many times he had seen C-Sec SWAT teams raid homes to take out covenant terrorists and activists. Riots on the streets were common. Fact of the matter was that the Citadel just wasn't safe these days. Not since it had orbited Earth.

Thane and Reby walked down the streets as they passed a group of turians arguing with what looked like a quarian officer and two krogan. They made sure to leave immediately, as they knew just how those ended up. Turian refused arrest, quarian took them in by force. Turian continues to resist; gunfire ensues. Turian winds up dead. Justice on the Citadel was fucked up.

Finally, after what seemed like a while, they came across the 'Reapen Raven' Dance Club. Reby, eager to check it out, wanted to have a look and Thane decided to follow, passing a human and quarian bouncer on the way in, both men exchanging conversation.

Entering the club; they found it to be a buzz of activity. As the name suggested, there was a massive model of a sovereign-class reaper with raven wings hovering in the middle of the dance floor, numerous flashing lights eminating from it to light up the club and it's dancefloor. Humans, quarians, geth, krogan, turians, batarians and races of every flag and trade were crowding the dance floor, go all at it. Only the rachni didn't join in; the bugs more coped to running then dancing. Instead, they simply watched from the side.

"Hey there baby!" Thane and Reby twisted their heads to see a strong looking human male approach Reby, the man smiling as he waved at her. Reby waved back awkwardly, not knowing what to do with an obviously out-of-reality human.

"Want to dance and share a couple of drinks with me?" The human asked, slidding next to her and sliding his arm over her shoulder. For some reason, they made a low, but inaudible growl crawl out of his mouth. The very sight of the human touching his friend made his skin crawl like maggots moving in unison.

"Um...sure." Reby declared hesitantly, turning to Thane and waving, "I'll see you later."

With that, the human lead Reby over to the bar, arm sliding to around his waist. Thane didn't like the look on the human's face, especially how he looked at Reby hungrily. Reby had been his friend for years and they had grown especially close; it was a close-knit relationship where they looked out for each other. Thane had a bad feeling about the guy and decided to keep an eye on him; if he tried anything...

As Thane followed behind, he suddenly found his view blocked by a female turian.

"Hey there, hot stuff."

_Oh for fuck sake._

Thane rudely pushed the turian aside, ruining her attempted seductive pose as he continued to spy on the human and Reby. The turian looked less than amused, storming off in anger. Thane simply didn't care as he followed behind the human. Apparently, he didn't have to as the human turned towards him, sitting next to Reby on one of many stools.

"Hey! Want to share a drink with me and my crew?"

Thane noticed this human's 'crew'; two krogan, a geth and few burly looking quarian males, one of them who seemed to have a quarian and human woman hanging off him like arm candy. Thane tried not to let the look of repulsivity roll of his face as he accepted the offer, moving to sit opposite the human. He wore a white tuxedo, with white sneakers and shades, a small, but prominent black moustache occupying the area under his nose, along with shortly cropped fiery-red hair. He wore a large tatoo on his face; it looked something like turian facepaint.

The human quickly turned back to the salarian bartender, "Three drinks; one for me, my friend here and this smoking hot babe right here," The human squeezed his arm around Reby's shoulders, the quarian offering a weak smile in return. Thane felt his arms tense at the words 'smoking hot.'  _Is it the fact that he's saying the words about your friend just to seduce her that annoys you? Or is that you're not the one saying them?_

Thane was shocked by his thoughts and quickly shoved them out as a dextro ale reached him, the salarian working with rapid effiency. He slowly picked it up, watching as the human interacted with Reby, sake a slow, cautioned sip of his drink.

"So babe, what's your name?" The human asked, a big grin on his face. Any other pathetic slut or whore would have giggled at his seducement. But Reby wasn't a slut or a whore. She was a marine. And she certainly wasn't pathetic.

"Reby."

"Sexy," the human responded, "My name's Sean. Sean Oswich. You go to clubs, alot?"

"Sometimes. Mostly on duty though, so don't get the time."

"On duty? Police?"

"No," Reby responded, "Marine."

The human slapped his leg, "Well I'll be damned. I've snatched myself a smoking hot, sexy quarian marine. Catch of the day!"

_She is not a catch._

The words desperately wanted to erupt from his mouth, but he kept his tongue. He wasn't about to make a fool of himself infront of his best friend.

The human twisted in his seat to face Reby, "About a dance?"

Reby nodded, taking Sean's hand as he led her out on the dancefloor, losing themselves in the crowd. Thane held his ground, eyes locking with one of the krogan across from him; the lumbering beast fixing him with a acidic glare.

"I know what you're thinking quarian," the krogan commented, "What the boss wants, the boss gets. The girl obviously doesn't want you, so why bother protecting her?"

Thane had no choice but to respond, "She's my best friend and I care about her. And if I have to keep her safe from scum like you, then I will. She will not be treated like some...sex toy." He made a disgusted glance towards the quarian with the two women hanging off him, the man currently squeezing the butt of his quarian companion as he hugged her lips. He turned away in repulsion.

The krogan chuckled, "The boss is a powerful man. That bitch is his."

Thane felt his finger squeeze around the bottle, "You'll keep your fucking hands off of her."

The human whore spoke up, "Ooooohhhhh...I think this one's jealous."

Thane ignored the offhanded comment. He knew he didn't have feelings for Reby; it was just friend to friend protection. But he couldn't ignore the feeling that he  _was_ jealous. That scared him. Reby was his friend. Why was he jealous about her choice in men?

Because he's not the one for her. He'll just use her.

"Well, you gonna answer?"

Thane had been too deep in his own thought to notice the krogan's question and looked up, "What question?"

"Are you going to fucking stop us? The boss has been known to...share those he snags. I mean, the last human we snagged was a hottie and we had a great time ganging up on her."

Thane's eyes narrowed, "I won't just stop you; I'll rip your fucking balls off and force them down your throat, you  _aracht._ "

The krogan's eyes widened in pure blood rage as he threw the stool away and slammed his fists into the bar counter. Thane knew he had really pissed him off. Aracht was Kra for 'filthy excuse of a warrior'. It was  _the_ greatest insult to a krogan, and Thane had learnt it from Uncle Wrex, who had visited him as a child on Rannoch.

Before anything could happen, Sean returned, holding Reby's hand.

"What's going on here, Smil?"

"He called me an  _aracht_!" The krogan roared.

"And?"

The krogan looked perplexed.

"Our friend here is an honored guest. You will treat him with the due respect he deserves. This young lady says he's her best friend. So if he's her friend, then he's my friend too."

The krogan was quick to object, "I won't-"

Sean rolled his eyes as he looked to his geth. The machine nodded, unholstering a silenced pistol and firing into the krogan's kneecap, causing him to kneel over in pain. Sean ignored the krogan on the floor as he reassumed his previous position, Reby reassuming hers although reluctantly. Both of them had sidearms with them at all times and he knew Reby was rubbing the grip of hers at that very moment.

"That was some nice dancing," Sean complimented, letting his hands explore Reby's waist, "It allowed your beautiful hips to really sparkle. Not to mention that excellent ass."

Sean then dropped his hand and squeezed her buttocks, Reby seeming not to care or not react. He could tell from her features though that she knew where this was going. Before she could meet Thane's glance, Sean escalated the matter further.

"You know babe, I'm getting hard for you right now," He leaned closer, his breath tickling the light purple skin of her neck, lips brushing against her pointed ear, "I think we should find somewhere...private, don't you?"

Reby didn't move for a second. Thane thought he was suffering from hallucination when he saw her lean in and let him kiss the nape of her neck, cooing softly which for someone caused a shiver in Thane. He shook it off so he could continue being shocked. She smiled as she replied to Sean, leaning in close, "I think so too...darling." She then wrapped her lips around his, letting go almost instantly as she stood up, heading towards the private rooms, swaying her hips seductively. Sean followed behind her, eyes hungry as he examined her lithe form. He chased after and it wasn't long before they disappeared behind one of the doors. Thane couldn't believe it. Reby had actually gone for it.

Reby was actually going to let that piece of shit violate her.

The krogan who had been shot had regenerated and stood up, grinning, "See? She left you."

Thane grumbled in response and was about to leave when his omni-tool beeped. He stopped, seeing the message was from...Reby? He checked the time and found it had only just been sent. Thane opened the message to examine it, ignoring the feeling of disgust in his stomach as he imagined Sean taking her.

He somehow felt happier when he saw the message.

_To: TheShepard101_

_From: TheLostParadigm2_

_Subject: N/A_

_Tilgra in the grasses, tilgra ready to strike. Two warriors ready to fight, tilgra destined to fail._

_From: TheLostParadigm2_

_To: TheShepard101_

He grinned darkly. When he and Reby were kids and still in high school, they had both come up with the catchphrase which they'd use whenever they were in trouble and sent for help to their friend. So if Thane got in a fight against a foe numerically superior to him, he'd simply send the message and sent the cavalry in. He realized Reby's plan now; why she hesitated. She wasn't having sex with Sean; she was dealing with him, using his sexual drive to lure him into a trap.

And she was sending him the signal.

The krogan walked over and stood next to him on his right as his omni-tool winked out of existence, "What's so amusing quarian?"

Before the krogan could continue, Thane's right hand shot up and grabbed the back of the krogan's head, slamming it into the table as he pushed the stool away and stood up.

The krogan backed away, one of the quarian males moving forward, shotgun at the ready, "Okay bosh'tet, you either fuck off or I'll-"

Thane's reaction was instant; he swatted the weapon away as his right fist connected with the man's lower jaw, reeling him back as the shotgun clattered to the floor. Before the male could do anymore damage, Thane picked up the weapon and used the butt to hit the man across the face, knocking him out. He found the weapon to be empty, and dropped it, turning back to his enemy.  _A weapon used only for intimidation. These people are real tough, aren't they?_

The krogan was already charging and the geth aiming it's weapon. Thane merely kicked the krogan in the balls, using him as a shield to block the geth's shots, the krogan moaning in pain as the shots pierced his back. Before the geth realized what Thane was doing, the krogan flew into him, Thane ramming both of them into the counter, crushing the geth while sending the krogan up and over the counter, thundering into the other side, sending the salarian bartender scrambling.

He turned to see the last quarian trying to aim his weapon while the man with his two sluts used them as meat shields. As much as the women repulsed him, he wasn't willing to kill them as they were technically innocent. Instead, he aimed carefully and managed to hit the quarian's peeking head, body slumping to the ground as the women screamed and ran. Before Thane could move, the last quarian and his rapidly reacting krogan companion aimed weapons at the soldier.

Thane was going to raise his hands when a gruff voice shouted across the room, the sound of clattering armor sounding next to him.

"This is Citadel Security! Weapons on the fucking ground and hands where I can see 'em!" Thane turned to see his saviors; a trio of armored human officers aiming pistols at the group. The quarian and the krogan complied, lowering their weapons and kneeling on the ground, hands behind their head.

"You two, buddy!" The human ordered, waving his pistol at Thane.

He activated his omni-tool and brought up his marine ID, showing the officer's his identification, "This men attacked me. I merely defended myself, officers."

The human nodded, saluting the marine and lowering his weapon, turning to the two prisoners. Thane motioned to them that a unconscious krogan was behind the bar too. Turning to the private suites, he moved towards them. Now to see what Reby got up to.

* * *

 

_July 7, 2251_

_2044 hours._

_Private Suite 05, Reapen Raven, Shalta Ward, The Citadel._

_Master Gunnery Sergeant Reby'Reegar pav Rannoch, Crime Boss Sean Oswich._

As the door closed behind them, she noticed the haptic interface lock as it turned crimson red. Reby saw what looked like a queen sized bed in the room; it was obvious this room was meant for people who wanted a private show with strippers. Reby watched as Sean took off his sunglasses, revealing green eyes before he pushed Reby against the wall and pressed his lips to her, taking her in before he tried to get her to the bed. Oh they would.

So she acted her part. Her left handle pulled his head in and she pretended to enjoy the kiss as he parted and started kissing her neck, her other hand moving to inbetween his pants, stroking his erect member. And boy, it was erect. He hadn't been joking when he said he was horny for her. She felt him return the gesture, hands clasping around her core and poking. She issued only a faked gasp.

Reby was no virgin. She had had sex many times before during in high school when she had been dating one the quarian students. So she was kind of a professional at this. It made her act all the more convincing as she felt his body heat press against hers, hands leaving her core as the groped her breasts.

She roughly pushed him towards the bed, playing the part of a sexually aroused quarian desperate for a good fuck. She unbuttoned his shirt and ripped it off, shoving him into the bed.

"Oh, I'm going to fuck you good babe." Sean announced.

Reby let a pleased smile return his, whilst moving to grip the knife on her back. Climbing onto the bed, she gently stradled him.

"Yes...yes you will."

Sean smiled and was so focused on her looming breasts that he didn't notice the knife appear to his left. He never noticed it until a sharp pain burned up from his hand, turning to see a knife pinning his hand to the bed, the quarian twisting it. He screamed in pain, the quarian covering his mouth with a three-fingered hand, shutting him up as he spat into it. Reby reeled her hand away in shock, fixing him with a glare.

"You wanted sex, but I'm sorry, you're not getting it from me," Reby then smiled, "Because I don't give a fuck."

Before Sean could attack her, she clasped her hands around his head and yanked, a loud snapping sound entering the room as she snapped his neck. She silently crawled off the bed, grabbing his ripped shirt and throwing it ontop of his dead body, still able to feel the areas where the human had left his kisses on her bare skin; the area where he had groped her breasts. It made her feel unclean.

Just as she sheated her knife and went to open the door, it opened for her, showing Thane standing there. He was about to ask what took her so long when he saw the halk naked dead human on the bed.

"Ahhhhh" He said instead, Reby rolling her eyes as she pushed past him.

"Don't 'ahhhhhhhh' me, you sound like a vorcha. Now come on." Reby ordered, Thane following behind her. After telling the C-Sec officers where to find Sean's body, they left the club, laughing as they did. It was all in a days work for the duo.

_**Author's Notes:** _

_**What, you think I was actually going to write a sex scene? What's that? You HOPED for one? Well too bad, I'm not writing what amounts to a 'rape scene'. Besides, I'm saving the smut until later...for when Tali does it with Shepard. But that's a while away, so keep your organs where they belong; zipped away.** _

_**On a lighter note, Bill Gates has been shot!** _


	21. The Price of Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zaeed asks Shepard to help him kill Vido Santiago, founder of the Blue Suns. However, there is more to Zaeed's request than simple revenge.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER TWENTY:**

**THE PRICE OF REVENGE**

_August 19, 2185_

_1200 hours._

_Shuttle Bay, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In Orbit Over Zorya._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Soldier Grunt, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani._

Marcus sighed as he stepped out of the elevator, immediately making his way towards the starboard kodiak shuttle. He had swapped his valkyrie heavy rifle for a M-76 Revenant light machine gun due to the kind of mission they'd be embarking on. He'd even let Grunt borrow his claymore, swapping the heavy weapon for a simple scimitar assault shotgun. Grunt would put it to better use anyway.

It had been a day ago since the Normandy and hit the Citadel and he handed Rana over to C-Sec. Bailey had been ecstatic, saying that the asari scientist had been a war criminal ever since the end of the Eden Prime War, and that having finally nabbed her was a big win for C-Sec. After leaving, Marcus head set a course for the coordinates of their next recruit; a powerful biotic convict by the name of Subject Zero, or by real name, Jack.

But before they could reach their destination, Zaeed had confronted him and informed the spectre that he had finally found the location of Vido and that they should act before he got away. Seeing as the merc wouldn't take no for an answer, Marcus had their course changed to head for Vido's location. Now they were in orbit over Zorya, the Faia System, Ismar Frontier Cluster.

Apparently Vido and a medium-sized army of his Blue Suns mercs were situated on Zorya; a multispecies colony with a population of one hundred and forty-eight thousand. It's capital was Thun. Apparently Zorya was also the beating heart of the entire Blue Suns organization, the mercs acting as the colony's police force. Their HQ was situated in the city of Thun itself, but Vido had taken a medium-sized force to capture a refinery owned by the Eldfell-Ashland corporation, named after it's founders, as it was a human company. The Blue Suns apparently held the workers as slaves at the refinery, giving Marcus another reason to raid the facility.

So now here they were; about to launch an all-out assault on a corporate refinery overrun by a small mercenary army. It was why he was bringing such heavy weaponry; he had even left the less heavily armed people behind, the exception being Garrus as he didn't think he'd need the turian. He even brought Grunt to, one, to test him out, and two, because he was a pure krogan. Enough was said.

Marcus wasn't surprised to see Zaeed already at the shuttle, the man having his arms crossed as he leaned on the shuttle's hull. He twisted his head as soon as he heard Marcus approach, smiling. Once Marcus had loaded up on the shuttle, it hadn't been long before Grunt and then Jacob arrived. Grunt, as was obvious, was thirsty for some combat and would make him all that more dangerous on the field. The spectre knew he could use that. The krogan didn't have biotics like Wrex, but he made up for that in raw krogan power and brawn.

"I've read up on these Blue Suns mercs," Grunt declared as they moved inside the shuttle, Marcus barking to the pilot to take off as Zaeed sat closest to the hatch and Jacob opposite him. Grunt preferred to stand up as Marcus sat down next to Zaeed, "They were responsible for Okeer's death. This is good. Okeer would love for his legacy to reek vengeance."

"Whatever, I just wipe the smug grin off of Vido's face," Zaeed stated, "Son of a bitch has been running for twenty goddam years. It's time I let the noose loose."

Marcus nodded, "Vido is our first priority, but remember, there will be civilians in that refinery too, so we have to watch our fire."

Zaeed rolled his eyes, "Vido dies. It doesn't matter who gets caught in the crossfire."

"Zaeed, you will  _not_ be shooting any civilians. Otherwise, I'll shoot you myself." Marcus said dangerously. Zaeed simply shrugged, moving back to looking out the kodiak's hatch window as the shuttle took off, gliding out of the Normandy's shuttle bay and descending into Zorya's atmosphere, locking onto Vido's coordinates.

Marcus closed his eyes and let his head bob down, not listening to Grunt's mumbling as the krogan contemplated the battle ahead of him. Zaeed and Jacob said nothing, just sitting there, the former gazing out into space and the latter just doing nothing. Marcus simply let his mind wander; resting his mind. He hadn't gotten much sleep since the battle on Omega, and it was taking it's effect on him. After this mission, he'd probably go up to his cabin and take a nap for a bit until they rendevoused with the prison ship.

He thought of his mother. How worried she would be. She must be royally pissed, having to learn of her son's survival through the Alliance and not her own damn son. He'd have to talk to her at some point; maybe even locate the Orizaba and talk to her. Then thoughts of Tali sprung up. He wondered what might transpire on Haestrom when the time came. And then what would his mum think of him dating a quarian? He knew the response wouldn't be negative, but what if she took it the wrong way? What if she thought he was...using her? And had she listened to his warnings about the Reapers?

He didn't need to think about that. It wasn't nessacary. He'd love Tali no less, even if his mother didn't like it. During his entire time serving in the Alliance, he had never fallen in love or had the time for it. He always followed a simple mantra.  _Romance has no place on the battlefield._ That had been his original way of thinking. But now that he had someone he loved; he wasn't willing to give her up. And what of  _her_ family? What would her father think of him? Did he think him worthy of his daughter?

These thoughts and many others were violently cast down when Zaeed hit him on the armored shoulder, jolting him awake. As he turned, he saw the hatch was opened and all there was to see for miles was thick jungle canopies, greenery all over the place. He could feel the heat diving into the shuttle, unrelenting. Marcus nodded and stood up, the thought of Tali never leaving his mind as he unholstered his revenant and stepped out into the harsh, Faia sun. Then it was back to business, as usual.

**{Loading...}**

_August 19, 2185_

_1228 hours._

_Outer Outpost, Nerada Jungle, Eldfell-Ashland Refinery, Zorya._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Soldier Grunt, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani._

"Jacob, right side, move! Grunt, draw their fire!" Marcus barked.

Gunfire roared across his cover as the Blue Suns tried to keep them pinned, but too no aveil. As soon as Grunt popped up and opened fire, they immediate focused on him, allowing Marcus to stand up and unleash a torrent of machine gun fire, his revenant tearing through shields, armor and flesh like it wasn't even there as merc after merc fell. Eventually they got into cover, Marcus squatting back behind cover as his revenant's magazine was depleted, popping out a molten clip as he slapped in another one, hearing a satisfying clicking sound.

It was then Jacob's time to shine as the cerberus operative hit the enemy's right, taking them behind their cover. One of the human mercs, a pyro, tried to attack Jacob from behind with his flamethrower, but didn't get far before Grunt hurled into him, 500 pounds of super krogan smashing into him and breaking almost every vital bone in the merc's body as it was thrown uselessly into a tree, body limp and dead.

Grunt let out a sadistic laugh of satisfaction, as he ran into what was left of the Blue Suns platoon, shotgun tearing into them as he picked them off, one by one. Any shots that hit Grunt forced him into cover, but almost five seconds later he was already regenerated and charging into the fight again; he was regenerating faster than even Garm did. Marcus didn't regret bringing him on the mission at all.

With the enemy platoon dealt with, they continued to clear the outpost, making sure they hadn't missed any of them. After taking a breather and time to reload, they continued. Noone had been wounded; with only Zaeed being injured. But that had been merely been a bullet grazing him and the bounty hunter had been quick to shrug it off, calling it a 'bite' in comparison to other wounds he had sustained.

The jungle trek was met without resistance. Obviously Vido was more tactically aware than Tarak and Jedore; he had withdrawn his forces to the refinery, taking the time to most likely fortify his position. Unfortunately, Marcus was a N7 and was hardcore military. He had predicted ahead. Instead of hitting the refinery directly, they'd be hitting from the side. Grunt had the explosives on him; having taken some from the pacified outpost.

It took some time, but it wasn't long before they came across a waterfall, water plunging into a deep chasm below. The only way across was a bridge, which had been retracted. However, that was easily reversible, with the controls to bring across the bridge on their side. Just as Zaeed activated the bridge, Marcus stepped up to him. Suddenly, a voice popped up from Zaeed's position. He turned, seeing him holding one of the Blue Suns' communication devices.

"This is Commander Santiago," A human male voice stated, voice deep, "Fortify the front gate and hold. If any of you retreat and the intruders are still alive, I'll kill you myself." Zaeed then growled as he moved to cross.

"Sounds like he hasn't changed."

Marcus shook his head, "I have a feeling you're going to tell me just why you hate this guy."

Zaeed merely scoffed, "I knew he was a sadistic bastard back when we started the Blue Suns. The Suns only got meaner after he staged his little coup twenty years ago," the merc explained, "So yeah, we have a fucking past. Glad to see you took notice."

Marcus widened his eyes in shock, "You founded the Blue Suns? Why wasn't I told?"

Zaeed answered with annoyance in his voice, clearly taking Marcus' tone for anger, "Because it's not common knowledge. Vido wiped me out of the records," The merc paced, shaking his head, "He ran the books. I led the men. Worked real well for a while. Then Vido decided to start hiring batarians. Cheaper labor, he said. Goddamn terrorists, I said."

Marcus raised an eyebrow as he titled, "Twenty years is a long time to hold a grudge over something like that."

Zaeed's face creased into one of rage, standing towards Marcus, "A grudge!? Vido turned my men against me! He paid six of them just to restrain me while he put a gun to my head!" He then made a drilling motion with his index finger into his forehead, "Then he pulled the trigger! For twenty years, I've seen that bastard everytime I've closed my eyes...Every time I sighted down a target. Every time I heard a gunshot."

Marcus nodded in realization, noticing the man's change of tone. This wasn't a grudge, this was something that truly haunted him, just Akuze had haunted the spectre many years afterwards.

"So don't you call that a fucking grudge."

Suddenly, Marcus realized something. Zaeed. A human. Had survived a gunshot to the head. Something that should have  _killed him_ , "Wait, you survived a gunshot to the head. How the hell...?"

Zaeed let a grin cross his face, anger fading away, "Rage is a hell of an anasthetic."

Just then, Jacob returned, running towards them and out of breath, "Shepard, we need to go, now. Grunt and I just ran into a enemy squad and I think they know about our counterattack. If we want this to work, we'd better go now."

Zaeed simply sneered, vindicator grip already in his hand as he pushed past Marcus and sprinted down the bridge, past Jacob, "Bring it on, you son of a bitch!" the merc shouted to the jungle, as if hoping that his adversary would hear his words of exclamation. That he'd hear the verbal challenge brought on by the man who he had betrayed.

Marcus and Jacob were quick to follow and they quickly met up with Grunt, who was kicking the dead bodies of numerous turian and human blue suns mercs to make sure they were dead. Without waiting for Grunt, they rushed past and towards the eastern entrance to the refinery. Zaeed's hijacked comm unit crackled to life once more.

"Squads Charlie, Delta, Foxtrot, Mike and Papa, mass at the gatehouse. Move!" barked the batarian voice. Good, the Blue Suns were still expecting an assault from the northern gatehouse. That meant only a small force, or none at all, would be there to greet them at the east entrance. Then it'd be a simple matter of locating Vido and taking him down. Then they'd liberate-

"Shit!" Zaeed barked as he fell to the ground, missile narrowly missing the group as it zoomed past, impacting the ground nearby and setting fire to the nearby undergrowth. Marcus turned to the source, finding a turian holding a missile launcher, accompanied by a Mako. Marcus cursed his luck as he dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding a blast from the Mako's main gun. Without waiting, he simply dropped his revenant, pulled out his missile launcher, and took aim at the stolen alliance vehicle.

Grunt, Zaeed and Jacob were already leaping for cover by the time Marcus squeezed the trigger of the missile launcher, the projectile flying out of the chamber and shooting towards it's target. The rocket hit the Mako just above the cockpit, tearing the shields, but not breaking through. Without waiting, he keyed a program on his omni-tool Tali had given to him. It was an overload unit used to disable kinetic barriers given to her by her father, and this one had been modified by her to target larger geth like the colossus models. He never had to use it, but it might just work on vehicles. Opening the program, he aimed at the Mako and pressed activate.

A jet of electricity shot out of his omni-tool and hit the Mako, causing electricity to taze the entire vehicle. When he looked, he grinned in triumph as Zaeed fired his rifle, seeing the shots ping off the Mako's now exposed exterior.  _My Tali; helping us even when you're not present._ Without waiting, he took aim with the missile launcher again and tried to fire. Before he could though, the Mako located him and fired it's main gun.

The shot missed and hit two meters away behind him; but it was enough to lift him into the air and send him flying forwards, shields gone. He hit the ground with a grunt and he groaned in pain as his mouth slammed shut from the impact, bitting his tongue. He rolled over and aimed the launcher from his upside down position, firing the missile. It zoomed towards the vehicle and hit home; striking the turret and causing it to explode in a brilliant flash of light.

Dumping the launcher, Marcus equipped his SMG and rolled back over, firing sporadic bursts into the bewildered mercs. They tried to retreat, but his team cut them down. Grunt, who had also been thrown across the area by the blast, had gotten up and his fire joined theirs as they picked off the survivors.

Shaking his head to get rid of the dull effects of the shellshock he was experiencing, he motioned for Jacob and Zaeed to breach the Mako and kill any passengers. Meanwhile, he went to stand up, already tasting the coppery taste of blood still fresh in his mouth. He picked up his launcher and holstered it, followed by his SMG as he searched for his revenant. He found it, hiding behind a few bushes. He quickly picked it up and moved to join Zaeed and Jacob, who were already moving towards the wide open gate.

Marcus looked the sight of his revenant, scanning the room. There was a balcony over looking the room directly ahead along with another door to the entrance of the facility; gas pipes and fuellines occupied much of the room. His suspicions of a trap were pretty much confirmed when three squads of Blue Suns mercs; human, turian and batarian, all arrived over the balcony, lowering their weapons at the group. Suddenly, the leader of the group, a african-amerian looking human male, appeared over the balcony, blue tech armor active.

"Zaeed Massani. So you've finally tracked me down." The voice that rolled out of his mouth was recognizable as soon as he spoke. This was Vido Santiago.

"Vido."

He noticed Zaeed move to raise his rifle, but he immediately stopped at the grip when all three squads focused their weapons on him, "Don't be stupid, Zaeed. I have a whole company of bloodthirsty bastards behind me, ready to kill or be killed on my command."

Marcus felt his blood boil. This man was strategically intelligent, but he used his men like resources to be disposed of and replaced. It reminded him of Josef Stalin.  _'Death solves all problems - no man, no problem.'_ This man must be the living embodiment of the bastard.

He noticed Zaeed looking around the room, trying to spot somekind of weakness. Oblivious to Zaeed's plan, Vido continued his smug speech, "Actually, take your shot. Give my men a reason to put you down like the mad dog you are. Again."

Zaeed didn't even hesitate as he unholstered his vindicator and fired pointedly at a fuel pipe behind Vido, missing the man and hitting the pipe, causing gas to hiss as is it fumed out. Vido merely chuckled as Zaeed moved beside another gas valve and Marcus and the team took cover.

"What was that? Gone nearsighted, old friend?"

Zaeed peeked out of cover again, taking aim at the pipe one final time, "Burn, you son of a bitch."

His vindicator barked once more, the fuelline exploding in a torrent of flame as one of the nearby squads was consumed by the fire, throwing Vido into the railing with a grunt. The man fixed a glare at the bounty hunter, who fixed him with the same expression. Rage covered Vido's face.

"You just signed your death warrant, Massani. Men, take down this piece of shit!"

With that, Vido limped away, three squads taking his place and raining fire down on them, keeping Marcus and his team pinned. With fire already brewing all over the place, Marcus wanted to bark at Zaeed to get down when he saw him priming a grenade and placing it on the fuel valve he was using for cover, "Zaeed! Don't-"

Before he could continue, Zaeed had rolled out of the way and the grenade detonated, triggering a chain of explosions to rip through the balcony. The mercs were tossed around, some falling off the balcony and others being thrown into walls, some even being engulfed in flames; either way, they all met a quick end. Marcus fixed Zaeed with a piercing glare, but didn't have time to argue about it. Vido was getting away and the refinery was falling apart.

They rushed through the door and down the next path, encountering two mercs with avengers trying to delay them. The best they did was harass them, with Zaeed simply headbutting the lead merc and Grunt throwing the other aside. When they reached the door to follow Vido, they heard screams of help breach through the walls of the refinery. It was the sounds of workers trapped inside, fires enveloping them. Zaeed didn't seem to care; too busy opening the door.

"There are people still trapped inside," Marcus stated.

"Let them burn. Vido dies, no matter the cost."

Sick to death of Zaeed's stubborness, Marcus clenched his fist and punched Zaeed across the jaw, causing the man reel backwards. He cradled his face, turning towards Marcus with a look of anger on his face, "We  _do not_ sacrifice innocent lives of the sake of the mission! Do you understand me? This isn't about your lust for vengeance anymore! You're recklessness has endangered human lives and we are damn well going to do our best to clean up your mess!"

Zaeed was quick to retort, "And if Vido gets away? What then!? What the fuck shall you do then? I'm not going to lose twenty years of my life over some goddamn civvies!"

Marcus had an idea in an instant, opening his omni-tool and pressing Garrus on his contacts list, "We're not going after Vido. But he won't escape either."

Garrus was quick to answer, "You've reached the Vakarian hotline. I'm either running calibrations or I'm in the middle of a suicidal mission to stop genocidal machines. Please leave a message after the beep."

No beep followed.

"It's me Garrus, and I know you're there."

"At least I tried," Garrus responded immediately,"What can this turian do for you?"

"We've got a situation. Zaeed here decided to blow up the refinery and now we've got civilians to save. But that could mean Vido getting away. Do me a favor and deploy the shuttle to these coordinates and stop him for us. Kill any troops with him but leave him alive. Zaeed will deal with him. I've pissed him off enough already."

"Copy that Shepard. I'll take Kasumi and Mordin with me." With that, the turian hung up. Marcus instantly spun towards Zaeed, "Happy now?"

Zaeed let a smirk cut his features, "You're full of surprises, you moral pain in the ass." With that, Zaeed leapt down from the platform, moving towards the inferior of the refinery. Marcus was close behind, with Jacob and Grunt taking up the rear.

They were inside pretty quick and the place wasn't pretty. Fires occupied everywhere, with the whole place just falling apart. However, it didn't take them very long to reach the trapped civilians. It had been a simple matter of shutting off the emergency lockdown, as it caused the doors to lock and trapped the workers inside. With the workers outside, Marcus and his team made best speed towards Vido's platform. Hopefully Garrus had gotten there in time.

When they reached what looked like a cargo port of some sort, they found themselves wedged between the remainder of Vido's forces and Vido himself. It became a fight for survival from there. The Blue Suns forces never seemed to stop coming; not to mention they had a YMIR mech guarding the exit to the outside platform; most likely deployed to hinder their progress.

But Grunt had no such fears. He recklessly charged the enemy mech, ramming it head on. With uber strength, Grunt literally sent the YMIR stubbling into the wall, the mech unable to reset itself; not used to being moved due to it's sheer weight. Grunt then shoved his claymore into it's midsection, unloading a shot that crippled the mech's leg motors, causing it to fall to it's knees. Bent over, the YMIR stood no chance as Grunt pumped a final shot into it's optics, causing the mech to topple to the ground, defeated. The krogan roared in victory.

This proved a big bonus as the mercs focused on Grunt, allowing them to take them from behind. They dispatched the survivors and let the remainder retreat, Zaeed seeming more worried about Vido escaping. They chased after the bounty hunter, moving through the exit gate and out onto the main platform.

As Marcus looked across the platform, he could only manage a smile. He smoking wreckage of a mantis gunship lay in the forest, shot down. What made him smile even more was the kodiak shuttle parked on the platform; but it wasn't Garrus', it was theirs. Garrus, ever the man of style, had actually taken the mobile tank Cerberus had put on the ship and used it to stop Vido. The vehicle looked odd in design; with a main body much like the Mako, but with two 'wings' that acted as the hover thrusters and the main turret ontop. Unlike the Mako, it had no wheels, hovering above the ground, but was parked perfectly.

Dead Blue Suns littered the area, either blown apart by the Hammerhead's firepower or gunned down by Garrus' team. Kasumi leaned against the tank while Mordin and Garrus kept Vido still; the man kneeling on the ground. Upon seeing Zaeed, Vido's smug look changed to one of sheer terror. Marcus rolled his eyes at the man's sudden change of demeanour.

As soon as Zaeed reached Vido, he gave the man a swift kick to the quad, causing him to double over in extreme pain. Garrus let go, letting Zaeed finish off the bastard. The great leader of the Blue Suns; nothing but a sack of trash. For a organization based around military-trained mercs, this man was more grunt then he was commander. Mordin walked over to the shuttle, followed by Kasumi, who seemed disturbed by the sight of Zaeed beating Vido. Garrus just watched on.

Zaeed grabbed Vido's head and pulled it back so he coud look him in the eyes, shouting in his face,  _ **"Piece of shit! You caused me twenty years of pain, you treacherous sack of goddam excrement! I should wipe the fucking floor with you! But I won't-I'm not in the mood today for gore. I just want to see you dead!"**_

"Please Zaeed, think this through!" Vido pleaded, "I could give you control of the Blue Suns again! It'd be just like before!"

Zaeed shook his head as he let go of Vido's head, unholstering the pistol at his hip and raising it to the back of Vido's head, "No Santiago, nomore deceit, no more bullshit. I've spent twenty goddam years hunting you down. I don't show mercy to those who betray my trust; especially not you, bloody cunt."

Vido tried to raise himself again, but a shot echoed through the jungle, Vido's body going slack on the floor from the massive hole in the back of his head, red blood pooling around his dead body. Twenty years of the merc's life wasted searching for this piece of filth. This bastard who turned his own men on him. And now he was dead at the man's feet; hunger for vengeance fullfilled.

Marcus sighed as he let Zaeed have a moment to himself, instead moving towards the shuttle, taking off his helmet as he did. His tongue stung with pain from biting it earlier, but it seemed the blood had stopped running; his regeneration most likely kicking in. The back of his armor was most likely scorched from the Mako round blast, but he'd fix it back on the ship. He instead stepping into the shuttle, throwing his helmet onto the seat to him as he collapsed into the seat. He was quickly joined by Kasumi.

"Tough day, Shep?"

Marcus huffed, "Just so much as tough but...exhausting."

Kasumi nodded under her hood, "I understand that. Kinda felt like that after the fighting on Korlus. I'm a thief; Keiji taught me how to fight, but I don't usually go into full combat missions. This is my first time."

Marcus quirked an eyebrow at the petite thief, "Keiji?"

The master thief was quiet for a moment and once again he saw that sadness in her eyes; but it only lasted a minute, "He is a...good friend of mine." With that, they both went silent. It didn't take long for the Normandy to descend, moving to pick up the Hammerhead. Garrus drove it into the Normandy, and Zaeed was quick to follow, leaving Vido's dead body where it lay.

With Mordin, Grunt and Jacob inside, the hatch closed and they docked with the Normandy. Once inside, the stealth frigate ascended into the atmosphere, Joker taking the ship up and away from Zorya. Away from the Faia system. They needed away from that particular place. After all the absurdity of the mission, Marcus went up to his cabin, having stripped his armor in the armory and had Jacob repair it, deciding to take that nap he promised to himself. As soon as he hit the bed, he was asleep.

He imagined what Tali was up to at that very moment.

**{Loading...}**

_August 19, 2185_

_1245 hours._

_Debriefing Room, Zarasis-Class Light Cruiser QMFV Neema, Migrant Fleet, In Orbit over Ilos, Refuge System._

_Brigadier General Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Major General Kal'Reegar vas Rayya, Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema, Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay, Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh, Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Huzzi._

Tali stood perfectly still in the light of the debriefing room. It wasn't really a debriefing room; just a space on the ship that had been cleared a little to serve as a debriefing room. The mission they were briefing Tali and Kal on was top secret and highly classified, meaning that holding such a mission briefing on the bridge where numerous ears could hear was out of the question. Tali was glad Koris wasn't present; as he probably would have whined on about the unethicalities of the mission. Suit-wetter.

It was about the Haestrom mission. This was it. They were finally doing it. They were literally within two day's travel of the Far Rim Cluster, where Haestrom was located. The point of the mission was to take a ship, which in this case was the Hutbyk, a heavy fleet corvette, and enter the Dholen System where they'd land on Haestrom undetected with the Hutbyk's stealth system. Once on Haestrom, they'd hide the Hutbyk and set up a secure facility at an old military barracks within the city ruins. They'd be taking an entire company along with them; her division would attract too much attention and alert geth forces on the planet. They would be gathering specific information.

Dholen was dying. That wasn't the problem though; it was how fast it was dying. Dholen was meant to have two billion years left before it went supernova; according to current estimates, at the rate Dholen was decaying now, the system would cease to exist in just over two hundred years. What was causing the acelleration of the planet's death was unknown but the Admiralty was determined to find out. Tali would be leading a science team, accompanied by a company of skylords, to Haestrom to research what was going on. Apparently Dholen was also effecting Haestrom's atmosphere; filling it with mass amounts of deadly radiation. Thanks to the suits, they didn't have to worry about that. Kal was military leader and would be leading the skylord company.

Prazza and his platoon had originally been going on the mission, but due to their untimely deaths on Freedom's Progress, only Myr would be accompanying them. So now here they were, discussing it.

Considering they'd be using stealth technology, it should be an easy mission; the likelihood of geth detection was moderate at best. So why did she fear death? Because mere  _thought_ of going into a geth controlled cluster with a corvette and a company of soldiers wasn't exactly hopeful. They may be skylords, but they were in enemy territory, and they had the homefield advantage; more troops and knowledge of the landscape. The quarians hadn't occupied Haestrom for three hundred years; the geth still occupied it.

But Tali had fought tons of Tali before. Gei Hinnom had been her first time. Then Therum. Then the geth strongholds. Feros. Noveria. Virmire. Ilos. The Citadel. She had fought and destroyed more geth than anyone person in this room; even Gerrel or Kal had killed that much. Tali was known as the geth slayer by all those on the fleet. It made geth apologists depise her; like Koris. It made many quarians worship her. It was why they had high hopes for this mission; Zorah, the geth slayer, was coming with them. That was the pressure. The fact that everyone believed in her. They believed she'd get them out of there alive.

She was afraid of getting them killed. But she knew Marcus would be there for her. He'd be there to save her and her fellow quarians. She knew it was a breach of military confidentiality, but she had to do it. She'd be saving lives. In the end, Tali may be the geth slayer, but Shepard was her mentor. Her teacher. The god of war himself. The man who had fought Saren and won. He would save them, not her.

"So it's settled. The Hutbyk will depart for Haestrom in an hour. Any questions?" Xen asked, looking at Kal and Tali, who both shook their heads. Xen had a major interest in the mission and she knew why. Science was Xen's speciality; her field. If it hadn't been for being an admiral and the captain of the Moreh, Xen would be deploying with them. Tali looked over to her father, who appeared to be avoiding eye contact with her on purpose. Whether out of shame or self-admonishment, she didn't quite know.

"Then this meeting is adjourned. May the ancestors gift you with good luck. Keelah Se'lai." Raan finished, Xen crossing her arms and picking up a datapad to examine the data again.

"Keelah Se'lai," everyone returned, Tali and Kal turning to leave. When the door closed behind them, they moved down the corridor, moving towards the armoury to grab their gear. Tali would bring her armageddon shotgun; she'd probably need it. Kal chuckled at the absurdity of it all.

"Haestrom, huh? I guess this is where the geth slayer, shines, isn't it?"

Tali sighed heavily, "I really wish you wouldn't make me out to be some kind of hero."

Kal nudged her in the shoulder, "Well, that's because you are a hero. You're the Hero of the Citadel!" Kal then noticed that she was looking a little stumped; her shoulders were hung low and she was wringing her fingers. It was a fashion she hadn't used for a year; since then she was a hardened, authoritive marine. She hadn't the need for such nervous stances; she was drilled to ignore such gestures. But now, this Brigadier General, was fidgeting her hands like she had just passed graduation.

He stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "You okay, ma'am?"

"Please Kal," Tali laughed halfheartedly, "It's just Tali."

"Still working on that ma'am," Kal responded, "But why so down? Something I should know? This isn't about your bosh'tet of a father, is it? I saw you looking at him during the briefing."

The quarian engineer shook her head, "No, nothing like that. I'm just sick of being heralded as everyone's savior. Every single quarian is depending on me to get them out safely; what makes it worse is that I've slayed geth and I'm a brigadier general; lot of people's lives will be riding on me. An entire company and science team; depending on me to get them out alive."

"That's the pressures of command," Kal stated, pulling her into a corner and wrapping his arms around her. It was a thing that was reserved for lovers and family; and Kal was a big brother to her. He rubbed her back gently as Tali held onto him, "You've got to make decisions that are going to weigh heavily on your consciousness; but they have to be made. Leaders need to become mindless so that others don't have to be. It's the way the system works; it's a fucked up system, but it's nessacary."

Tali simply nodded as she let go, Kal pushing away, but keeping hands on her shoulders. Tali chuckled, "You know, only one other man has held me like that. And not in the way you have. I'd give anything for him to be with me right now."

"And who's that? The corp gave me guns, not intellect." Kal joked.

"Commander Shepard," Tali admitted, seeing as the area they occupied was empty, "Marcus Shepard. He's my mate."

Kal smiled behind his mask, "A human, ma'am? You've outdone yourself. Two heroes in love, out to save all life as we know it? Sounds like an old Rannochian folk tale."

Tali laughed, louder than she thought, "You make me out to be some kind of angel."

Kal shrugged, "You might be. I've seen lots of good marines, good men, fall for you, but never get to live long enough to express. I know our people's women are beautiful Tali, but I think the main reason that Shepard guy fell for you is because you make the asari seem like they're not trying hard enough."

Tali blushed beneath her mask, "He hasn't even seen my face."

"You don't need to. We're quarians," Kal explained, "We don't need to leave the suit just to show our true virtue. And you were right about Elan and Veetor."

Tali widened her eyes, "How so?"

"They're together," Kal stated, "As in a couple. I honestly never saw it coming; but they are. Not quite suit-linking, but I doubt that's far away."

Tali and Kal traded banter much like this for awhile all the way to the armoury. When they had their weapons, they went to the hangar to get prepped for the mission. Tali was still scared, more so than ever before, but her time with Kal had alleviated some of her trepidation. She also secretly knew Marcus would be there to save them all. She believed in him; and that's all the faith she needed.

She believed in him; and the ancestors would deliver him.

**{Loading...}**

_August 19, 2185_

_1310 hours._

_Garbage Disposal, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for the Hourglass Nebula, Osun System._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani._

"It feels good to know that bastard is dead," Zaeed admitted, taking another, drawn out sip of his alcoholic beverage, wiping his lips, "Rage is a great anesthetic, but like all anasthetics, it wears off. It feels good that Vido's dead and that I killed him, but it doesn't feel all that good now. I should feel fucking great!"

Marcus shook his head as he rejected the bounty hunter's offer of a drink, "It might seem satisfying, but you quickly become hungry for more. That's what corrupts people. You can't let yourself lower to that level."

Zaeed slammed a fist into the bulkhead next to him, "Don't give that bullshit! That might work for you, but I've killed tons of civvies before and I never lost an sleep over it! I've killed fucking batarians, asari commandos, turian soldiers and the best krogan battlemasters! Don't bother with speeches! That's how it's been, and that's how it goes!"

"Don't tell me that you look down the barrel of your rifle and love gunning down defenseless civilians!"

"I do! I goddam love it!" Zaeed barked back, "Call me retarded if you want, but I love the death. The smell of blood arouses me. The sight of dead corpses makes me feel better. Ever heard of the quote, 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning?' Well, I love the smell of blood in the morning! It motivates me! How do you think I became the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy? It wasn't because I played nicely!"

"And do you think I became the Hero of the Citadel by butchering civilians and drinking their blood?" Marcus followed his statement with by standing up and moving forward so his face was inches from the merc's, "You seriously fucking think that I love murdering people by the hundreds? Slaughtering mercs and savoring the smell of their rotting corpses? No! I do it because it's nessacary!"

"I can't change who I am! It's who I fucking am!" Zaeed retorted but before more could be said, his face twisted backwards, blood dripping from his nose as he looked towards Marcus in anger.

"That is a load of horseshit and you know it! You can change!"

"Don't lecture me, Shepard. You ain't no bloody saint," He could see Marcus' confusion, so he continued, "I read up on you! And I read about what you did to that ERCS guard on Noveria; she used reave on the bitch!"

Marcus remembered the memory quite clearly. They had been raiding the Synthetic Insights Office for a turian named Lorik Quinn so they could acquire evidence for him that lead to administrator Anoleis' corruption. Sergeant Kaira Stirling however, confronted him and took her threats so far that she outwardly threanted to pop Tali's suit seals. This had been after he first admitted he had feelings for her, after he thought she had been creeped out by him. Outraged by the threat to the quarian's safety, Marcus had snapped and had captured Stirling in a biotic reave; an ability to utterly brutal that it involved the formation of warp fields inside the body; ripping apart interior organs and causing profuse bleeding.

He shook the memory away, "She threanted the life of a friend I considered very special to me. I...snapped. It's one of the times I couldn't control myself. But I didn't enjoy it. I've had nightmares about it since, ableit rarely. But they are still there. The point I'm trying to make Zaeed is that people can change. That means you can too."

Zaeed sighed heavily as he fell back into his seat, wiping the blood collecting under his nose away before it dried up. He went to take another swig of his drink. When he was finished, he looked Marcus straight in the eyes and nodded. Whether out of agreement or the alcohol in his system, he didn't know.

"Fine, Shepard. I'll let the matter sort itself out. I promise I'll be sober when we hit Purgatory. I've heard of Zero before and can't wait to see him in person."

Marcus simply smiled, turning and leaving peacefully. Marcus heard his omni-tool beep, but he ignored it. He had to. The events that had transpired on Zorya were burned into his mind. Vido's death. Rescuing the civilians and watching the refinery fall apart. He had done Zaeed's mission, and now the merc was devoted to the mission ahead of them. Marcus felt like he was sacrificing alot just to defeat the collectors. Hell, he didn't even know where they lived, let alone actually faced one yet. All he'd done was fight mercs; he hadn't fought a single collector yet.

And yet, he knew they were out there somewhere. Just watching. Waiting. Finding new colonies to attack. If he didn't stop them soon, every human colony would disappear.

And then it'd be the whole galaxy who suffered next.

**"And now you went off to recruit Jack. That must have been...interesting."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"I'm not even sure that's the way I'd put it."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

_**Author's Notes:** _

_**A review recently posted asking if Reby was Kal's sister. No she is not; as explained in Enigma, she is his daughter. If she was his sister, I would have mentioned her in the present storyline. I have not, because she hasn't been born yet. This is why I've told you to read Enigma, as tedious as the first few chapters are, because it will help you understand the story of Prophecy even more; same will be with the following installments. Reading the previous stories is a sure fire way to getting to understand the story alot more.** _

_**Still working on that information page. ;)** _


	22. I Was Frozen Today!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard takes the Normandy to the prison ship Purgatory to pick up their next recruit: a powerful superbiotic known as 'Subject Zero'. The transfer doesn't go as planned. Tali and team of marines are sent on a mission to Haestrom, where they run into trouble.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:**

**I WAS FROZEN TODAY!**

_August 20, 2185_

_1348 hours._

_Customs Unit, Titanic-Class Maximum Security Prison Starship MSV Purgatory, Osun System, Hourglass Nebula._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian._

Marcus picked up his pace as Zaeed, Kasumi and Garrus followed closely behind him. Due to the fact that they'd be simply picking up Jack, he had decided he didn't really need to bring a full squad. Nevertheless, Zaeed and Kasumi had accompanied him out of curiosity and Garrus simply out of paranoia, saying that you can never trust the Blue Suns, especially after killing their leader.

The halls of the purgatory were quite large; with the corridor they traversed being overly massive. Rows upon rows after large, square shaped observation windows allowed a clear view of space outside and the Normandy docked below, along with the spinal section of the gigantic prison ship. Titanic-Class in this case was definitely the right word, even if it was simply named after the Titanic itself, not it's size.

Before long, they finally reached the actual customs area. As expected, a full squad of Blue Suns mercs were waiting, a numerous assortment of weapons equipped with them. Marcus was beginning to wonder if his encounters with them would ever end.  _Omega. Korlus. Zorya. Now the Purgatory._ He was beginning to wonder if the Blue Suns had secretly wiped out the Eclipse and Blood Pack while he wasn't looking. Luckily, they wouldn't be fighting the Blue Suns this time. The Illusive Man had already paid the mercs; so all they had to do was make the pickup.

A Blue Suns turian, recognizable by his stature and the specially crafted helmet, quickly approached, raising a talon to halt them, "Welcome to the Purgatory, Shepard. You're package is being prepared and will be ready for you shortly. As this is a high security vessel, you'll need to relinquish your weapons before you proceed."

Marcus shook his head, "I'm taking any chances with Blue Suns mercs. I'll be keeping my weapons; if you want to push the matter, I'll have to punctuate why."

The door at the top of the ramp opened, with another turian merc, in what looked like rather bulky heavy blue suns armor, walking out. The turian lacked any actual markings, meaning he must have been one of the few turians to be disgraced. To be disgraced was to be removed from the records of the colony you lived on, including the removal of the facepaint used to identify the colony you lived on.

"Everybody stand down," The turian ordered, obviously the leader, "Commander Shepard, my name is Warden Xictus Kuril and this is  _my_ ship. Your weapons will be returned on the way out; you must realize that my men are only following standard procedure."

Zaeed was quick to answer, "It's my standard procedure to keep my gun."

Marcus gave the merc a scolding look before turning back to Kuril, "My...subordinate here maybe a little rash, but he is right. My guns will stay with me." He made sure he was careful to not put Zaeed on the spot. The Blue Suns might not take lightly to having their founder's assailant on their ship and cut the deal. He didn't need that.

For a moment, it seemed Kuril would push the matter. His small, turian eyes stared into Marcus', as if wondering if he should just shoot the spectre. In the end however, he relented, "Let them proceed. Our security detail is more than enough to deal with three armed guests."

The turian merc infront of them suddenly lowered his weapon, moving to the side and allowing his team to proceed. Kuril immediately motioned for them to follow him, which they were quick to do, not wanting to dwadle longer than they had to. They moved up the ramp and quickly moved past the door, entering a corridor who's walls were literally windows; allowing them a clear view of the prison blocks below.

"We're bringing Jack out of cryo now," Kuril declared, "Once the funds are transferred, you can be on your way. Right now I'm taking you to the processing section of the ship. It is where you can wait to have Jack prepared. We have to run some decontamination protocols before transferring the prisoner to your custody."

Kuril then motioned to the area they were in, crane-like mechanical arms moving blocks, most likely prison cells, around the bay like someone moving pieces on a chessboard; inserting cells in places while moving others somewhere else, "Cell Block Two. As you can see, we keep tight control over the population."

Garrus scoffed, "That's an understatement. This place is maximum security."

Kasumi deactivated her cloak, having been invisible during the exchange in customs, "Place is so tight that I don't think even I could get out of here."

"Each prisoner's cell...," Kuril continued, ignoring the banter as they moved down the corridors, "...is a self-contained modular unit. I've blown a few out the airlock as an...example." The turian then gestured to three empty spaces in the cell block, showing the cells that were missing, "The ship is made of thirty cell blocks identical to this one. We house thousands of criminals."

Marcus felt himself whistle at the amount of cell blocks mentioned on the monolithic vessel. This cell block alone was huge; he couldn't imagine twenty-nine of these also layered throughout the ship. The turian then suddenly stopped in the middle of a third corridor, turning to face them, talons on his hips, "We can put the whole facility on lockdown at a moment's notice. Nothing goes wrong here."

Marcus decided it was time for some questioning, "What about Jack? If I'm recruiting him for my mission, then he must be pretty strong. Tell me about him."

Kuril looked visibly nervous, messing with his thumbs in nervousness, "Cerberus...hasn't told you? Jack...i-is the meanest handful of violence and hate I've ever encountered. Dangerous, crazy and very powerful. You'll see soon enough. I lost alot of men to her when she managed to break free of her cell. We've had her in cryogenic stasis ever since."

Marcus shuddered. If a man such as Jack could make a Blue Suns commander look visibly frightened, then he was the kind of man Marcus was looking for. Brutal, deadly and powerful. Three words in a sentence that meant disaster for the collectors.

"How did you end up running this ship?" Garrus asked, practically being the only one still present. Kasumi had gone to the windows and was observing the guards and prisoners down below while Zaeed was intimidating a guard, a human female.

Kuril simply shrugged, "I was in law enforcement on Palaven when I got sick of seeing criminals escape into the galaxy, allowed to carry on their crimes," Garrus nodded in agreement, understanding Kuril's point. He had felt the same when C-Sec let Saleon escape.  _But Shepard fixed that at least_ , "You could hire bounty hunters, but they aren't exactly dependable." Marcus was glad Zaeed didn't notice that particular comment.

"So I hit upon this idea," Kuril continued, "Keep the criminals in space and the galaxy is a safer place."

Marcus quirked an eyebrow, "What makes you so sure of that?"

"We're in space. Not only are you surrounded by mercs, but there is nowhere else to go. Shuttles are locked and the only escape is the airlock. Space is the best prison in existence. There's just no escaping it."

Marcus simply nodded, understanding the sentiment, "And you do this because you think it's nessacary?"

Kuril sighed heavily, "Everyday...I see the worst sapient life has to offer. Governments are too soft; unwilling to make the difficult choices. Someone had to stand up and make the galaxy safe; I think they were surprised when the Blue Suns stepped up to the task."

Zaeed stepped in, apparently having enough annoying the human merc, "Maintaining a population of scum like this can't be goddam cheap."

Kuril shook his head, "We can cut corners that governments can't, and each prisoner brings in a fee from his or her homeworld. These individuals are violent and their own homeworlds pay well to keep them secured here."

Garrus raised a brow, "And what happens if, say, a homeworld doesn't pay up or refuses to do so?"

"We explain that we can't maintain the prisoner without their help, so we'll be forced to release him/her onto their homeworld at an unspecified place and time."

Garrus growled, "That's a fucking extortion racket."

Kuril waved a dismissive talon, "You don't have to agree with my methods, but don't question my motives. These are despicable people and I'm keeping them locked up!" Kuril then wiped his talons, as if wiping them clean of some sick substance.

Marcus rolled his eyes as he held his hand up to forestall any response from Garrus, "Then let's just get this over with."

Kuril nodded, motioning for them to follow.

As they passed, they saw two dangerous looking prisoners confront each other. One was a severely burned looking human male who punched a salarian in the face. They both immediately got into a brawl, catching the attention of three nearby merc guards. After a moment of hesitation, a batarian merc raised his omni-tool and locked up their suits, freezing the prisoners and allowing the mercs to take them back to their cells.

Finally, they reached a fifth corridor, where Kuril turned around a final time, "I'm going to confirm that the funds from Cerberus cleared. Outprocessing is straight down this hallway," he then motioned to the curving corridor directly ahead, "Just keep going past the interrogation rooms and the super max wing." Kuril then fixed Marcus with a lingering gaze before returning back through the door they just went through, disappearing.

Kasumi deactivated her cloak once more, "That guy creeps me out. I don't like him. Something in my gut tells me he's bad. Real bad."

Marcus simply shook his head, "We'll see. Come on, we've got a psychotic prisoner to pick up." They moved down the corridor at a fast pace. They passed numerous Blue Suns guards, patrolling the halls, giving the group moment-long glances. Some were seen chatting with each other while others patrolled alone.

Then they passed the interrogation rooms. Marcus forced himself to stop at the sight of a turian merc and a human merc arriving at one of the cells, the human unholstering his pistol and unsheating a shock baton, opening the cell, causing the prisoner to fall back in fear. He then saw Marcus and held his hands out to him.

"Please! Buy me! I'll do anything! Just please buy m-" He was cut short as the merc brought down his baton, causing the prisoner to scream in pain as the merc began his onslaught, beating the crap out of the man. Marcus felt a twinge of sympathy of the man; he probably deserved it, but that was just too inhumane. Kasumi averted her eyes, trying to shut out the man's screams for it to stop. Marcus was finally forced to confront the turian.

"There's no excuse for beating a prisoner who can't fight back." He growled.

The turian, avenger assault rifle in hand, turned to address the spectre, "This is a massage compared to what his victims went through."

"That doesn't make it right. You're just as bad as the prisoner if you revert to his methods to get information out of him." He stated.

"So what? This son of a bitch signed his death papers as soon as he took his first life. This man is a convicted rapist, mass murderer and butcher. He's commited crimes you can't even fathom; he's raped women and then chopped them up while they were strapped to his bed. He's also a convicted pedophile, if rape wasn't bad enough."

"Then put the fucker out of his misery," Marcus stated, grabbing the turian's arm, "Don't prolong his death. You gain nothing from it and in the end, you're no better than him."

The turian sighed, looking at the human being beaten before looking back at the spectre, "Yeah...yeah, I guess you're right," he then turned to his friend, comming his comms as the door was soundproof aside from the screams that easily pierced the walls, "Quit beating him. Just kill the guy."

His human campanion stopped for a second, looking at him in confusion, "Why? I'm not even done introducing myself to this sick piece of trash."

"Just kill him. Then we'll take out the trash." The turian stated, Marcus taking his squad and continuing on their way. They heard the gunshot echo from the turian's comm, marking the prisoner's demise.

As they continued past, Marcus couldn't help but cringe at what he heard. He heard prisoner's recounting past kills, even relishing in it in a way that made Zaeed look like a paragon.

"...oh, I fucked her good..."

"...I can still hear the screams...I love it...oh yes..."

"...she was a witch...and she was black..."

"...quarians make for a good kill...especially the pilgrims...I can still hear his screams...yummy..."

Finally, Marcus and his team escaped the house of horrors and arrived at outprocessing, which was in a short corridor just ahead. A corridor leading off to the right curved to the left ahead and lead into the cryo processor. He hit the haptic interface to enter the room, surprised by the size of it. It looked more like an office; with rows after rows of desks lining the room; all of them being empty aside from the single receptionist, a human woman with the blue suns insignia on her shoulder pads, who looked up upon hearing them enter, looking bored with her elbow on the desk and head in her hand.

"Outprocessing is just at the back of the room. Big ass door, can't miss it," she stated in a monotone voice, going back to looking at her terminal with the same bored look she had before they entered. Marcus nodded and motioned for his squad to follow him through the room, making their way through the office before arriving at the door. When the door opened however, they found what looked like an elevator. Entering it, they looked for a panel. Confused, Marcus snapped around when he heard the door close and the haptic interface flash red.

"That son of a-"

Kuril's voice came over a hidden intercom, "My apologies, Shepard, but you're more valuable as a prisoner than a customer. I'll make a fortune selling you to the right people; maybe the batarians would appreciate me handing over the butcher of Torfan to them. They'll pay good. I think the right people will pay well for capturing the great Kasumi Goto, the Master Thief! And Archangel; yes, you'll make a wonderful collector's item. And let's not mention Zaeed Massani; I can't believe I nabbed the great enemy of Vido Santiago. He'd be so pleased."

Marcus arched an eye at Kasumi, who simply shrugged and Zaeed laughed, "Yeah, well that son of a bitch is dead. Killed him myself."

Kuril's response was delayed, "It doesn't matter; I might get paid more if I kill you myself. I might even taken his place as leader of the Blue Suns. An added bonus. I once again apologize Shepard. Goodbye." Marcus felt the cell move and numerous switches begin twitching. They had to act fast. He spun to Kasumi.

"What happened to professional, not famous?"

Kasumi held her hands up defensively, "Hey! I can't help it if I make a little bit of a legend of myself. Besides, last time I checked, we were trapped in a cell, so I'd say we've got higher priorities right now, Shep."

He nodded, looking at the interface, "Can you hack it?"

Zaeed simply laughed, "Fuck that. You're forgetting something..." He then unholstered his vindicator and fired into the door, riddling it with holes and ripping apart numerous pieces of circuitry. It wasn't long before a bang was heard and the door slid open, "...they didn't build these things with armed prisoners in mind."

Marcus gave the old mercenary a grin as he equipped his valkyrie, motioning for Zaeed and Garrus to take point while Kasumi took the rear with him, activating her cloak and unholstering her SMG as Kuril's voice came over the intercom, "Shepard is loose! Patrol Golf, engage immediately."

Marcus felt himself rage at the PA, "Go to hell, Warden! I'll send you there myself!" With that, they moved forward, watching as the bored receptionist ran out of the room, running past a squad of Blue Suns mercs charging into the room, using the desks as cover.

_It was a little too much to hope for no combat._

**{Loading...}**

_August 20, 2185_

_1400 hours._

_Outprocessing, Titanic-Class Maximum Security Prison Starship MSV Purgatory, Osun System, Hourglass Nebula._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian._

Marcus kicked away the body of the now deceased merc, the trooper having been the turian from the interrogation room. His team made sure all the blue suns hostiles were eliminated before securing the doorway, scouring the corridor for enemy hostiles. Apparently Kuril was too busy consolidating his forces to keep Marcus and his squad checked. That, or he wasn't accounting for the spectre's unplanned escape.

"Okay, the area looks clear," Marcus whispered behind him, "We'll take the left and head into the cryogenic stasis chamber. We'll have to break Jack out. Eliminate any blue suns mercs you come across; shoot to kill."

Zaeed and Garrus nodded their affirmation, moving ahead and taking the left, running into two awaiting mercs. The troopers fired, but the lone batarian of the pair never got to continue before Garrus' omni-blade met his neck, followed by Zaeed entering hand-to-hand with the other human. Unable to combat the veteran's alliance combat training, Zaeed defeated the merc and fired a single round into his head, allowing them to continue.

"Shepard's trying to free Jack!" Kuril announced over the comm, "All available squads converge on cryo immediately! Stop Shepard!"

They ignored Kuril as Garrus palmed the interface for the door. Instead of opening, the door hissed as it changed from green to red. Kuril had locked it. Marcus immediately turned to Kasumi, who set about hacking into it. With a satisfying beep, the interface turned green and Garrus palmed it again, this time opening the door fully.

Inside was a large control center, with observation windows lining the front, obviously allowing a clear view of the cryo chamber below. Standing at the main control console had to be a operations tech, wearing light Blue Suns armor and with a predator pistol holstered at his hip. He was obviously human by his stature. Four guards, two turians, a batarian and a human, flanked him, likely being assigned to guard the chamber. Luckily, they didn't hear the door open.

Motioning to Kasumi, he ordered her to deploy a flashbang into the middle of the group and for them to raise their weapons in preparation to storm the room. Kasumi acknowledged her readiness and he ordered her to deploy the grenade, watching as the flashbang soared through the air to land at one of the female turian's feet. She noticed too late.

A massive bang echoed through the room, Marcus' squad looking away from it. The mercs weren't so lucky at the blast blinded them, causing them to drop their weapons in confusion. The tech hadn't been looking at the blast and therefore was confused when he saw his guards flailing around helplessly. Everyone's ears were filled with a ringing sound except the turians and Garrus, as turians were immune to the deafening effects of flashbangs.

Marcus and his team activated their omni-blade, dealing with the blinded mercs swiftly. The tech unholstered his pistol and went to shoot Zaeed, but his hand was met by Marcus' fist, the pistol being slapped out of his hands before suffering a powerful kick to the chest, sending the tech flying through the observation window and falling to his death. A loud crack was heard a second later.

Marcus ordered Kasumi to get to work on the terminal while Zaeed made short work of the door's control interface; gunfire ripped through the circuitry, the merc assuring him that no merc would be getting through it in a hurry.

He looked down upon the cryo area; there wasn't anything of note except the giant, circular sealed tube in the ground of the room, sealed by a huge and 5 meter thick slab of solid titanium. Icy vapor seeped out through the cracks, a testament to the prisoner's cryogenic containment. And they were about to set him loose. He widened his eyes in horror at the protection surrounding the cryo tube; six YMIR heavy mechs. He felt his heart drop.  _How the fuck do we take that down? I should have brought Grunt..._

Joker's voice crackled into his comms, "Commander? You okay down there? Kuril just ordered the Blue Suns to hijack the ship. EDI's dealing with them, but what about you?"

He shook his head as he saw Kasumi continue to frantically type at the terminal, cursing in japanese as she continued her work, "Yeah, Kuril tried to take us as prisoners and sell us. Guess he forgot that I was the Hero of the Citadel and that we had weapons. We're in the cryo chamber breaking Jack free now. I want you to get Miranda to take Grunt and every cerberus commando we can muster to push through towards us. How copy?"

Joker's answer was instant, "I read you solid. EDI's informing Miranda and Grunt now."

"Copy that, Shepard out."

"Shep!"

Marcus turned to Kasumi, who had stopped typing at the terminal and had turned to him.

"Bad news I presume?"

" _Tashikani_ ," Kasumi replied, "I can get Jack out, but Kuril's rigged the whole system. I was able to override it, but I was forced to take some short cuts. I'm sorry, but it was the only way, Shep."

"What Kasumi? What did you do?"

"Kuril's made it so that when we release Jack, every cell block on the ship opens."

Marcus cursed under his breath at the revelation.  _If I want to release Jack, I have to release every prisoner within 30 cell blocks. Fucking wonderful._

He hesitated for a couple of seconds, weighing his options. He had no choice. He needed Jack if he was going to defeat the collector threat. It was a nessacary evil.

"Do it," Marcus ordered, "Kuril brought this on himself."

Kasumi hesitated for but a second, before going to type at the console, hitting a final release button. His team gathered around as they watched the ice vapor increase in intensity until it fogged the room, watching as five meters of titantium rose out of the floor. The YMIRs turned towards the slab, weapons activating in preparation to battle Jack. Just as the titantium disappeared, Jack's full form appeared.

He was restrained to some sort of device. It held him in place and numerous straps and injectors attached to it. But when their eyes finally landed on Jack, confusion washed over their faces. Jack wasn't a man.

It was a woman.

The first thing they noticed about her was that she was basically stark naked. Well, if you could count straps covering her nipples and a pair of loose nit jeans clothing then she wasn't fully naked. Her head was shaved to the point of basically being hairless and her lips were very puffy, covered in layers of thick, red lipstick. Her body was also covered, knee to toe, in tattooes.

"Jack's...a woman?" Zaeed asked in surprise.

Before anything else could be asked, Jack's eyes shot open as the cryogenic stasis wore off. Marcus could hear the sounds of gunfire and explosions echoing through the ships. Marcus had just been made responsible for a prison wide prison break; all for this one woman.  _This had better been worth it._

Another thing the noticed about Jack from her eyes was that her irises were brownish/greenish in color. Her skin was smooth and beautiful, while the back of her head had lines of code covering her scalp; it looked like a barcode. It was most likely her identification code used on the Purgatory to differentiate prisoners.

Jack eyed the YMIRs and let out yell of fury, ripping her arms out of the restrains and the one around her neck. She landed on the floor, body glowing in intense azure light; powerful biotic was right. The six YMIRs were converging on her almost immediately and for a second, Marcus thought they'd rip her apart. Then the unbelievable happened.

A biotic explosion ripped through the chamber, sending four YMIRs flying in multiple directions, smashing into walls, inactive. Jack ripped apart the last two YMIR mechs with her bare hands and pure biotic power, leaving the mechs as smoldering wrecks. Before he could do anything, Jack used her biotics to pick up the last YMIR's wreck and used it as a battering ram; smashing into the wall on the right and leaving a massive hole that exited into a corridor leading into the cell blocks. Glowing with unbelievable power, Jack ran through the hole disappearing, going on her unstoppable rampage.

"We've got to stop her...now." Marcus ordered, jumping out the window he had sent the tech flying through, followed closely by his squad as they moved through the hole Jack had left and followed her path of destruction.

Kuril's voice came over the intercom as they moved through the ravaged corridor, the dead bodies of numerous blue suns mercs litering the area. The gunfire and explosions up ahead was even more intense as they moved on ahead.

"All guards, restore order! Lethal force is authorized, but don't kill Jack!" Kuril ordered, "All cell blocks, lockdown, lockdown!"

The ship's VI then piped in, "Sectors 7, 9 and 11 have lost life support. No survivors."

"The situation sounds real goddam bad," Zaeed noted.

"Come on. Let's get moving!" Marcus barked, moving down the corridor until they found yet another hole blown into the wall on their left, allowing them to move inside Cell Block Four. As soon as they did, they found a warzone.

Emergency lighting was on, illuminating the entire room in a perputual blood red color. Entire modular units had toppled from their positions and prisoners poured out, overwhelming the guards immediately and taking their weapons. Entire areas had been set on fire and the crane-arms had either collapsed or stopped operating. Alarms blared throughout the ship and they could see mercs in the observation corridors above taking defensive positions. The mercs were so desperate they had begun sending in centurions and legionnaires to deal with the situation.

Kuril's desperate voice came over the PA once more, "All prisoners, return to your cells immediately, or I will open every airlock on this ship!"

The prisoners, being too focused on attacking the guards, were unprepared for Marcus and his team as they gunned them down. Without kinetic barriers or armor, their weapons chewed right through their flesh, dropping the inmates in seconds. With the majority of the prisoners in the area eliminated, they pushed forward, picking off any Blue Suns mercs that dared get in their way. Apparently Jack hadn't really bothered with them, opting only to run right past them while the guards focused on the other prisoners. She had ripped apart another YMIR guarding the entrance to Cell Block Three, however.

" _Doudou_ , Jack is basically doing all the work for us." Kasumi exclaimed as they past through the destroyed remnants of the doors that were meant to be opened but instead had been ripped violently open and tossed away by Jack in her rush to cause as much destruction as possible.

Just as they moved to exit through the final door into Cell Block 3, a dead prisoner, body wrapped in dark energy, flew through the doorway and hit the wall with a sickening crunch, body crumpling to the fall. Turning the corner, he saw Miranda, Grunt, Jacob and numerous cerberus commandos fighting prisoners and guards alike. Marcus sighed happily, patting Grunt's shoulder.

"Battlemaster," Grunt greeted, squeezing the trigger of his assault rifle and firing a sporadic burst into a charging group of biotic prisoners. As biotic as they were, their barriers weren't enough to stop the krogan's onslaught, and they were quickly cut down with ease.

Marcus raised an eyebrow at Grunt, "Battlemaster? I'm not krogan, Grunt."

Grunt merely chuckled, "No, but you've proven you're as strong as a krogan. Read up on you; found out you worked with Urdnot Wrex. Wrex calls you a battle-bother; big honor among the krogan. Besides, you've got biotics too, so that makes you a battlemaster. My battlemaster."

Marcus merely shrugged it off as he slipped next to Miranda behind cover, Zaeed, Garrus and Kasumi joining with Grunt, Jacob and the commandos in pushing back the enemy.

"Did you see Jack?" Marcus barked over the sound of gunfire.

Miranda nodded, "I didn't just see her, she rampaged through us. Almost took off my head too. Subject Zero apparently not only hates being imprisoned...but she hates Cerberus. No surprise there."

Marcus raised an eyebrow, "And why's that?"

The cerberus operative shook her head, "We don't have time to discuss this, we've got Blue Suns to break through and prisoners between us and the Normandy, which, last I checked, was exactly where Jack was headed."

Marcus nodded, peeking over cover to see Grunt ripping the head off a dead krogan, howling in triumph as bullets hit him and only caused miniscule wounds, the pure supersoldier ripping through ranks of Blue Suns mercs without even catching a sweat. Not that krogan could sweat anyway. Jacob let loose a concussive round from his shotgun that hit another merc square in the chest, allowing two of the commandos to gun him down.

"Legionnaire!" A commando shouted out, motioning towards the turian merc stalking towards them. He wore blue tech armor and bulky looking armor. At first he thought it was Kuril, but it turned out just to be another merc. A legionnaire.

"Grunt, target that legionnaire. Garrus, line up a shot on the bastard's head."

Grunt nodded, turning to the merc and firing, drawing his attention. Grunt laughed sadistically as he fired on the turian, the legionnaire's tech armor soaking up the shots as he returned fire. It wasn't long before Grunt was forced to retreat, body coaxed with fresh krogan blood and shields worn out. But it was all the time Garrus needed to line up his reaper sniper rifle and fire.

The legionnaire's head exploded and the turian fell to the ground, tech armor flickering out of existence. Seeing no other hostile presence, Marcus motioned for them to push forward, having Jacob lead the commando squad and take point while his team covered the rear. Apart from a few dying prisoners and mercs, or the few still rampaging, no resistance met them as they moved into Cell Block Two.

"Full alert! I want Jack found, now! If she's not found, someone will find a death warrant with their next paycheck!" Kuril shouted over the comms, "All guards, report to Cell Block One. Block her escape!"

Then the VI broke in, "Cell Blocks Thirty, Twenty-Nine, Twenty-Eight, Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Six, Twenty-Five and Twenty-Four are now uninhabitable. Hull breaches detected on Twenty-One, Fifteen and Four."

"This ship is being ripped apart," Miranda noted.

"All the more reason to find this psychotic bitch and get out of here," Zaeed stated.

The trip through Cell Block Two was seamless. Prisoners in the hordes swarmed the place, mostly because Kuril had withdrawn all his available forces and focused them on the first block, allowing them to overwhelm the place. However, this was no problem for Marcus and his team and they simply ripped through the inmates with little to no trouble. Finally, they reached the first cell block.

The room was all but abandoned apart from the massive amount of blue suns forces concentrated at the exit to the customs unit, Kuril, in all his turian stoicism, standing ontop of a large metal container, blue tech armor active and revenant LMG in his hands as he gunned down numerous prisoners from his vantage point. Marcus ordered his troops into cover as Kuril spotted them, opening fire.

"You're valuable Shepard!" Kuril shouted, "I could have sold you and lived like a king!"

More fire riddled their cover as Blue Suns forces edged closer to them; Kuril's suppression fire keeping them pinned so they couldn't push them back.

"But you're too much trouble! At least I can recapture Jack!"

Marcus growled, too low for Kuril to hear over the gunfire, "Not happening! You're a two-bit slave trader and I don't have time for this!"

Kuril howled in anger, "I do things civil governments are unwilling to. This is for the good of the galaxy!" The warden then commed his channel, "Kill them all. Then find me Jack."

A howl of impotent fury entered the room and Marcus and his team turned back to the door just in time to see Jack, aglow in biotic light, leap over them as she smashed into the Blue Suns' ranks. The mercs desperately tried to take her down, but her biotic fields knocked them away or block their shots, the biotic convict ripping through them like they were nothing.

Marcus noticed Kuril's stance turn from one of confidence to desperation. He raised his Revenant and fired a non-stop burst that went wide, but Subject Zero wasn't a fool. A biotic barrier flared up around her, repelling Kuril's shots as she ripped him away from his position and threw him away, body slamming into a nearby crate.

Despite her power, he noticed Jack's adrenaline rush running low and she began to tire. He ordered his team to open fire on the remaining mercs, gunning them down quickly and efficiently. Jack, surprised, turned to her saviors, seeing them as the people she passed before her rampage. However, her eyes glazed over Miranda's cerberus insignia and Miranda found herself thrown backwards, Jack sprinting towards the customs area. Marcus immediately found himself running after her, gunning down Kuril with his rifle as the turian tried to get up, killing the turian with a headshot.

Upon reaching customs, he found the door ripped open and the customs officers dead or knocked out. Jack sent a biotic fist hurling into the glass of one of the observation windows, letting out a cry of vehemence. Just as she turned around, she saw Marcus and his team slowly approaching, and she rose her arms, ready to fight, biotics flowing through her body once more.

Marcus held up his hands in a gesture of peace, "We don't want to hurt you. We're friendlies."

For the first time since they met, Jack spoke, biotics dying down, "What the hell do you want?"

Grunt chuckled, "We just saved your ass, fleshy."

Jack rolled her eyes, "Kuril was already dead, he just didn't know it yet."

Marcus decided to step in before this turned into a argument, "My name is Commander Shepard and I've come to recruit you for a dangerous mission. The Collectors are abducting entire human colonies and I'm forming a team of the most elite to stop them. You're one of those best."

Jack snorted, pacing along the corridor, "I'm not going  _anywhere_  with you. You're Cerberus."

The spectre shook his head, "I'm working with them, but I'm not a part of them. I'm using them as a resource to defeat the collectors. Nothing more, probably a little less."

"With them, for them, I don't give a flying fuck," Jack snarled, "You show up in a cerberus frigate to take me off somewhere? Do you think I'm fucking stupid?"

Seeing as reason couldn't come into the equation, Marcus knew logic was needed, "This ship is going up in flames, in case you didn't notice. You can either fly off on my ship, or burn with the rest of the scum on this ship. Take your pick."

Jack shook her head, "Look, if you want me to come with you, make it worth my while."

Marcus knew immediately what the convict might want, "I can give you full access to the cerberus database. You can have a look at what Cerberus has on you."

Miranda's voice piped up, holding her leg as he limped towards the group, "Absolutely not. We can't just let her rummage-"

He shot the operative a glare, "Miranda, I'm calling the shots. The Normandy is my ship and if I say she can look at the files, she can look at the goddamn files."

Miranda, whether out of defeat or annoyance, just sighed and looked away, no further argument coming from her. The convict let a grin crease her face; but it was gone the instant he turned back to address her.

"You'll have full access."

Jack nodded slowly, "You'd better be straight up, or I'll turn your pretty little ship inside and out, deal?"

"Deal."

"Then what the fuck are we standing around here for?"

Marcus nodded, motioning for Jack to lead the way. Grunt shrugged his shoulders, "Would have been easier to simply knock her out."

"That isn't the way to get her to trust us, Grunt. Take a battlemaster for his word, trust me."

"Yes, battlemaster. Your wisdom is my wisdom." Grunt pounded his chest and they followed the convict onto the ship. The Normandy was quick to detach from the burning ship, EDI noting that the Purgatory's distress beacon had been activated and a pickup ship, most likely a military warship, would arrive to pick up any survivors soon. With that, the Normandy set a course for the Osun Relay, never looking back.

One more recruit. One step closer to the most elite team in history.

**{Loading...}**

_August 21, 2185_

_1237 hours._

_The Barricades, Abandoned Military Barracks, Ik'halm'la City Ruins, Haestrom._

_Brigadier General Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Major General Kal'Reegar vas Rayya, Corporal Myr'Jorin nar Gmyl._

"Ma'am, the science team is in position and they've started their work." Myr reported.

Tali paused her examination of Haestrom's landscape to address Myr, "Thank you, corporal." With that, Myr snapped a crisp salute and left, Tali going back to her examination of Haestrom's deserted surface. As was expected from the planet, the city they landed in was just ruins, with essentially no geth forces to be seen. The Hutbyk's stealth systems worked like a charm and they were able to bypass the small amount of geth vessels in orbit and land on Haestrom, hiding the ship within the city's catacombs.

Tali marvelled at the quarian architecture; two words you never thought you'd hear in a sentence. Unlike imperialistic human design, battle turian design, luxurious asari design and the lot, quarian design was much more simplistic, but utilized reinforced concrete, making it very hard to bomb a quarian city. Except maybe the geth. Now, after three centuries of neglect, the city of Ik'halm'la, heralded as the last stronghold of the quarian species before the Fall of Rannoch, was nothing but a scorched ruin. The once towering skycrapers had been reduced to rubble and skycars littered the area.

This military barracks was barely recognizable. The Barricades, as the skylords nicknamed the fortification, was located on a raised platform that towered six meters above the lower courtyard, which was quite large, being able to fit a platoon's worth of makos. Four support pillars aligned the area, although their original purpose is unknown, khelish scriptures written on their exterior. Across from the courtyard was the barracks' main wall, seperating the disclosed military facility from the civilian part of the city. Behind her was a door leading into what was most likely a command center, now nothing but a malfunctioning terminal.

It turned out that they weren't as safe from the radiation breaking through Haestrom's weakened atmosphere as they previously thought as well. The radiation is so deadly, they discovered quickly that walking into direct sunlight causes an EMP effect, draining shields, usurping power from thermal clips, etc. As per her orders and Kal's, they had avoided the sunlight completely. Luckily, the barracks' was hidden by the shade casted by the massive skycraper that was the center of the barracks.

Tali felt the grip of her shotgun. Marcus hadn't reached them yet and she was wondering what had kept him. She had sent him the message two days ago.  _Maybe he's on the otherside of the galaxy. Or maybe fighting mercs. Or engaging the collectors?_ The quarian sighed inside. She so desperately wanted to see Marcus again; it was tearing her up inside.  _Get ahold of yourself. Even if Marcus doesn't show up here and now, you can return to the fleet and contact him then._ But Tali knew that wasn't the problem.

It was that he had promised to help her on Haestrom. He had promised to help her. And now in her time of need; he hadn't shown up. She just had to hope their luck kept up and the geth didn't notice the quarian's presence. If they did, it would end very badly for them. The Hutbyk's sensors had detected four geth frigates in orbit, accompanied by two light cruisers. Accounting for the ground forces available on all six of the enemy's warships, that was at least 20,000 to 48,000 troops that the battlegroup could deploy; that was the size of the enemy force responsible for attacking the Citadel. Such odds for a company of skylords were slim at best.

 _So our lives hang on the hope that the geth don't realize we're here. Keelah, I hope we're done here soon._ Tali checked her chrono and realized it would most likely take the whole day to find the data; and that was without the looming threat of a hostile action. With a sigh, Tali took a deep breath.  _I'm on a world once occupied by my ancestors. My people, owned a planet and were able to walk around, their heads uncovered, able to breath the fresh air, able to hold their mate's hand and feel their warmth...children able to play without the need of sterile balls..._

Tali felt a tear fall down her cheek. It was a freedom that the geth had taken away from her people. A freedom the Council had ripped from them; that they kept from them. Looking for a homeworld was becoming desperate now and if Gerrel and Xen got their way, Haestrom may once again become a battlefield. War was on the horizon; and Tali was ready to meet the geth head on once more.  _We need our own world to call home again. And I will fight to death to secure my people's future._

Tali moved from her position behind the barricade and looked around. Kal had ordered his company to fortify the barracks around them with HMG nests and to establish vantage and fall back points. If a geth attack did occur, they'd need a backup plan. Tali and Kal knew it would be grasping at straws at best; if the geth attacked, they wouldn't stand a chance. The geth had air support and outnumbered completely. They had a corvette against a battlegroup of four frigates and two light cruisers. Even so, they would be damned if they didn't have some kind of military strategy when and if the geth did attack.

Walking back inside, Tali nodded at one of the scientists who had been moving outside when Tali had opened the door. She saluted and Tali reciprocated the gesture before moving inside. All the scientists and techs inside, which was eleven, turned to face her instantly.

"Status update." Tali barked, the scientists moving about to ready status reports for the general as she took a seat at the rear terminal, trying to make sense of the data on it. One by one, all of the stuff they had found wizzed onto her terminal; atmospheric analysis, surface decomposition, ultra-violent trajectory, ozone layer thickness. It was all here and none of it looked good.

"Anything on Dholen itself?" Tali asked.

"Nothing but a slight change in it's color. It seems to be a lighter shade of purple instead of bright yellow." One scientist reported.

"Keep searching. I want every rock turned upside down and looked at. Admiral Xen won't be happy if we return with nothing but dust." Tali declared and she was right. She would almost assuredly get a demotion for that if she did. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. But then Kal would take fault for the mission's failure, always Tali's savior, and they'd both get demoted. No, Tali wasn't a selfish person, she wouldn't let that happen. The mission must be completed.  _No matter the cost._

For hours, Tali and the scientists worked and worked. More and more info began to reveal itself and the more they found, the more shocking it became. They discovered that Dholen was suffering from mass exposure to dark energy and that's what was acellerating the sun's lifespan. They couldn't quite calculate what caused the dark energy build up, but it technically didn't matter. They had found their culprit.

Tali contacted Kal, telling him of the good news, "Kal, we've-"

"Ma'am, you need to bunker up now." Kal stated.

Tali was crestfallen, "Why? What's wrong?"

Gunfire ripped through the comms and Tali recognized it immediately. Geth pulse rifles, "Ma'am, you need to bunker up,  _now._ We've been discovered. I don't know how, but the geth found out we were on the planet and have sent down ground forces to deal with us. So far all we're getting is troopers, but I'm sure destroyers, juggernauts and primes will follow. You need to-damn it! Target that dropship!"

An explosion followed by khelish profanities.

"Fuck!  _Farba'tulut!_ Lock up now! You've got a geth dropship zeroing in on you!"

Tali tried to get to her feet but was knocked back into her chair by a blast that rocked the building. The dropship was attacking; and time was out. She equipped her armageddon shotgun, moving to check the door. Before she got past the ramp, the door opened and three geth troopers and a shock trooper moved inside, pulse rifles raised and giving off mechanical screeching noises.

Tali let out a battle cry followed by the loud report of her shotgun, the weapon unleashing a heavy metal slug into the lead trooper and ripping it's armor chasing apart, causing it to drop it's pulse rifle. Tali fired again, this time ripping apart it's optics. Without missing a beat, she raised her omni-tool and unleashed an overload on the shock trooper, allowing Chiktika to engage it while she dealt with the second trooper.

She took cover and watched as the scientists took cover. The trooper fired it's pulse rifle, the weapon ripping into Tali's cover as he hacked into it. Laughing in success, Tali completed the hack and ordered the trooper to turn on it's ally. It spun on the spot and her drone withdrew it's assault, the trooper ripping into the shock trooper. Within seconds, both of the geth platforms and destroyed themselves, allowing another tech to seal the door and lock it, making it possible for the geth to get inside.

Tali deactivated her drone and looked at Myr, who had his assault rifle raised and protecting the scientists. Myr nodded to the quarian who nodded in return and had lowered his rifle when a salvo of pulse rifle shots ripped through his barriers and tore into his suit, red blood splattering the tiles. Tali spun on the spot, finding the shock trooper to be only heavily damaged, pulse rifle raised. She finished it off with a shotgun shot to it's optics before moving next to Myr's bloodied remains.

"Ma'...am..." Myr muttered, holding his stomach in severe pain, rifle next to him on the ground. Tali grabbed a medi-gel packet and began applying it to Myr's wounds, but quickly found it to be a useless gesture as more and more blood poured out of Myr's wound and soaked into his suit and onto the tiled floor.

"Ma'am...I...have...one last...request..." Myr coughed, desperately trying to hold onto life a little longer. Tali nodded, taking the marine's hand and holding it softly, letting him know he wouldn't be dying alone.

"Whatever you want, soldier," Tali responded, iron in her voice.

"Could I...see this world...without...a mask..." Myr requested.

Tali smiled grimly as she moved her hands to his mask, her lithe fingers finding the release switches at the back of the man's helmet and unlatching them, taking his mask away and placing it on his chest. Tali and the scientists turned away as to not look at his face. Revealing their face to anyone was reserved for loved ones and intimate moments; unfortunately, Myr would never get that chance.

"Thank...you...Keelah...Se'lai..." Myr's voice then went silent, Tali quietly moving the mask to recover his features, muttering the same words back to him as did everyone else in the room. Tali placed the quarian's hands over his chest and placed him against the wall. She went up to the door and could easily hear the sounds of a firefight outside. Kal and his men never stood a chance. Even skylords couldn't halt such odds.

She leaned so her mask touched the door, "Keelah, I hope Marcus turns up soon." She whispered to herself.

She heard Kal's voice once more over the comm, "Bosh'tets have a colossus at the comm building..."

**{Loading...}**

_August 20, 2185_

_1532 hours._

_Maintenance Deck of Engineering, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Hourglass Nebula._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Subject Zero Jack._

"If it isn't the big old pussy, come to check up on me, have ya? About fucking time." Jack curtly greeted.

Marcus raised an eyebrow at the convict as he finished entering her hidey hole under engineering. Apparently she had decided she'd set up there and that the quiet was all she needed. She had a bunk bed and a basic desk, so she was set. She also seemed to have her preferred weapons down there with her; a carnifex heavy pistol and a scimitar assault shotgun were her choice in guns.

"Just wanted to know how you're settling in," Marcus stated, "Had any trouble acquiring that information on Cerberus?"

Jack rolled her eyes before falling back into her bunk, holding her datapad, "Yeah, wouldn't you like to know. As for the information; I have to say, you did good. I got the information without a problem. I also have to say that you've got a nice ship. Pretty fucking high-tech. Ever think of going pirate? You and me, we'd be unstoppable in a ship like this."

Marcus crossed his arms and shook his head, "This isn't a pirate ship. And I'm no pirate."

Jack let her smile drop and she immediately looked back to her datapad, snorting, "Well you fucking suck; lighten up, boy scout. If you're going to come down and talk to me, you can at least learn to accept who I am and what I do. And as long as that Cerberus cheerleader bitch keeps the hell away from me, I'll be fine."

Marcus raised his eyebrows, "You mean Miranda? And what's with 'boyscout'?"

"Yes, your Cerberus bitch of the isles," Jack responded with venom laced in her voice, "And I call you boyscout because you act like one. All gentlemanly, moralistic and bullshit like that. I like boyscouts, but that's until they turn on me. Tell me; have you ever gotten laid?"

"Well then, I...wait, what?"

"You deaf? I said, have you ever-"

The spectre held up his hands, "I heard you Jack, and I don't know if that's a question I should even be answering. What the hell has that got to do with you, anyway?"

"Just curious," Jack responded, sitting up in her bed and tossing the datapad onto a nearby table, "Anything in particular you want? Or are you here for peptalk?"

"Tell me what you found in the Cerberus database."

Jack looked back at the datapad, as if in contemplation, "Pretty nasty shit. I'll find something I can use...I just know I can." It was now, when Jack turned around, that Marcus noticed a golden-appendage strapped to Jack's right ear. He guessed it was a earing aid or something.

"What if the answers aren't what you're looking for?"

"I'm not looking for answers. I'm looking for names, dates, places."

Marcus narrowed his eyes, "And if you find what you need?"

"I go on a witch hunt," Jack responded menacingly, "Every single person who's screwed with me pays. Their assiociates pay. Their friends pay. And when I'm done, the galaxy is going to be alot emptier."

Marcus knew where this was going. It was all too obvious, given Jack's personality, "I won't let you go on a killing spree."

"I'm here for your mission and nothing much else," she responded hastily, "After that, you can go fuck yourself, because my business is my business."

Remembering Miranda's earlier statement about Jack hating Cerberus, he spoke, "What's your history with Cerberus?"

"They raised me in a research facility," Jack began, "I escaped when I was a kid. Been on the run ever since. And they've been chasing me ever since. But soon, I'm going to chase them." Jack then picked up her shotgun, letting it collapse in her hand as she shot the bulkhead, the round embedding itself in the wall and a dirty smile creasing the convict's face.

"You think about this alot...don't you?"

Jack's gaze snapped back towards him, clearly forgetting he was there as she placed the shotgun back on her bench, "I go to sleep with that shotgun and I wake up with it every night. Ever person I kill? I pretend it's the people who did this to me. The people who turned me into Subject Zero."

"You don't have to live in this pit you know. We've got perfectly good crews quarters," Marcus stated.

Jack sat up on the bench and shook her head, "It's dark, quiet and hard to find. Makes me scarce. That spells safety to me. You know, you could still go pirate. I could be your first mate and handle the boarding parties. Judge, jury and executioner."

He shook his head, "I'm still not doing it, Jack."

"Fine. Offer is still up though. Now could you please fuck off, I've-"

"Commander!" Joker shouted over the intercom. His voice sounded urgent.

"What is it, Joker?"

"Urgent message from Tali, Commander! She says she's on Haestrom and under attack from geth forces and is requiring immediate assistance!"

Marcus slammed his fist into the table, "Set a course for the Dholen System, Far Rim Cluster immediately Joker! EDI, have all combat personnel, save the commandos, meet at the shuttle, full combat gear and bring the heavy stuff, we're going in hard."

EDI's response was immediate, "Affirmative, Shepard."

Jack laughed, "Only just recruited me and already we're off to fuck with geth? I'll come. Can't say I've ever ripped a geth apart with my biotics before."

Marcus looked at her attire and shook his head, "If you're coming, you're going to be wearing something that provides more protection. Report to Jacob in the armoury...he'll get you something."

Jack simply rolled her eyes as she pushed past him to the upper deck, Marcus right on her heels. If Tali was in trouble, he needed to save her. He wasn't going to lose her to the geth; not now.

**"And once again, like before, you go off to save the damsel in distress."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"On a world your people hadn't seen for three centuries? Every man's dream. Except, I think that dream involved less geth and more sightseeing."**

**Interrogation Subject 001.**

_**Author's Notes:** _

_**And finally, we're off to save and recruit Tali! The story gets better from here folks and I hope you remember to review. That's my fuel.** _

_**Keelah Se'lai!** _


	23. Home, Bloody Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Normandy rushes to Haestrom to save Tali's life before the geth close the vice.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:**

**HOME, BLOODY HOME**

_August 21, 2185_

_1642 hours._

_Armoury, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In Orbit over Haestrom, Dholen System._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Professor Mordin Solus, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Soldier Grunt, Subject Zero Jack._

Marcus nodded to Jacob as he helped him fit on the final piece of his heavy battle armor. He was wearing an extremely thick variant of the standard N7 package that they referred to as the Terminus Assault Armor. The armor was covered in self-lockable armor joints and glowing, crimson red lines. The helmet was also completely covered aside from the 'Y' shaped visor in the middle. Marcus had found the helmet to be too encroaching on his vision, so he had swapped it with his usual blood dragon helmet. His team weren't far behind.

Miranda and Jacob had taken to wearing the Cerberus assault armor in the ship, on loan from the commandos who wouldn't be helping them. Kasumi had insisted she wouldn't need armor, Marcus having to settle with just giving her a strengthened kinetic barrier unit. Mordin had fitted on his specially fit salarian armor and Garrus had decided to keep what he was wearing, as did Zaeed and Grunt, despite the krogan's armor being battered from the battle on Purgatory. Jack had put on a leather vest and taken a pair of shades, saying it counted as armor. Marcus had simply rolled his eyes.

Once done in the armoury, his team made their way down to the shuttle bay. They had all been debriefed in the debriefing room prior to hitting the armoury, so it wasn't nessacary; they were going to rescue Tali'Zorah vas Neema and recruit her for the mission. At least, that's what he told them. He was more worried about her safety than recruiting her.

What felt like forever past as the elevator slowly descended into the shuttle bay. When they finally arrived, Marcus was the first to step out and hurriedly approached the shuttle on the left, stowing his gear. Once more he felt the revenant LMG on his back, keeping the claymore instead however. A bandolier was wrapped firmly around his chest, thermal clips strapped in all of the straps. His pockets were also full of thermal clips and enough grenades to make a army of mercenaries blush. Shepard looked about ready to fight the Reapers on his own.

Zaeed leaned in towards Garrus, watching the commander in awe, "What's so special about this...quarian we're picking up? I've never seen him this armed up. He looks like he wants to attack the hegemony itself."

Garrus smiled, "She's...very special to him."

Zaeed let out a murmur of realization, "Oh, it's that kind of special. Can't say I was this protective over a woman, especially not a quarian."

Apparently Jack heard as well but stated it louder than intended, "Shepard's going to rescue his quarian hoe? Damn!"

Miranda facepalmed and Jacob tried to pretend he wasn't present. Kasumi simply giggled before activating her cloak while Garrus could help his own chuckle. Marcus didn't even turn around, too busy loading up the shuttle for his all-out assault. Grunt stood still, turning to Jack with confusion in his step.

"Hoe? I do not understand."

"Tali is not Shepard's...'hoe', she's his girlfriend." Jacob added.

Grunt shrugged, "He has a lady friend. I still fail to see the big deal."

"Let me put this in krogan terms, Grunt," Garrus stated, slapping the krogan on his armored shoulders, "Tali is his mate."

Grunt widened his eyes in realization, "My battlemaster's mate is in trouble?" Grunt then let out a loud bellow of laughter, "Then we shall save her!"

Zaeed laughed long and loud, joining Grunt in hefting the weapons onto the kodiak, "I think I'm going to like you alot, Grunt!"

"I'm glad to see everyone's becoming friendly!" Kasumi spoke up, disengaging her cloak as she leaned on Jack's shoulder, smiling, "How 'bout you and me? The girl's brigade? Oh! And when Tali joins the crew, there will be three girls! Three girls, plus Kelly!"

Jack gave Kasumi a glare that would cause an apocalypse, "Keep dreaming, mystery girl."

Kasumi smiled devilishly, "Mystery girl? I like it! Thanks alot Jackie!" With that, Kasumi had disappeared again before Jack could strangle her. As Marcus hefted the last piece of explosive ordnance onto the shuttle, Miranda walked up to him.

"Commander, do you think this is wise?" Miranda asked.

Marcus didn't even face the woman as he answered, moving to unholster his claymore and check if it was loaded or not, "Why wouldn't it be?"

"We should be hunting the collectors, don't running into geth territory to rescue some quarian that you're getting emotional over. We can't afford setbacks. If the quarian is going to prove to be a liability-"

Marcus was on her in a instant, "She is  _ **not a liability.**_ Not only will she be beneficial to the mission, but, most of all, she is important to me. If I have to bring down an entire alliance fleet onto Haestrom to save her, then I'll bloody well do it. You're either coming or your not; but do not get in my way. I won't tolerate incompetence and second guessing on this ship."

"I'm only concerned over your special attention to-"

"I'm going to save Tali not just because I love her, but because she's been with me since the beginning. Aside from Garrus, she's the only person I've met from my old crew who's been willing to join me so far. I haven't seen Wrex, Kaidan or Liara. So, in my books, that equals damn good. But that doesn't matter; she matters to me, and I don't care if I have to charge onto Haestrom by myself, but I'm going down there regardless."

"If you think you're going alone, you're bleedin' mental," Zaeed added, sitting with his vindicator inbetween his legs and standing vertically on the floor, "Let's go rescue your quarian damsel and be big goddamn heroes."

Marcus gave Miranda one last gaze before turning back to the group, "Yes, but I'm not going in the shuttle. Neither is Kasumi or Mordin," Marcus stated, unwinding the bandolier from his chest and pushing it into Grunt's idle hands, while also passing more grenades among the group, "You're in charge Garrus."

Garrus looked shocked, and rightfully so, "You don't want to save your own girl, Shepard? Are you nuts or indoctrinated?"

Marcus shook his head, cracking a smile as he jabbed a thumb at the cerberus tank behind them, "I'm going in with the Hammerhead. We'll land behind you and provide rear support while you're team lands closer to the barracks and the skylord company. Provide them support while we use the hammerhead to hit their rear flank. With luck, we can get them at a choke point and force them into, allowing you to deal with them swiftly."

Garrus shook his head, "You're putting your team in my hands. And besides, the geth aren't like mercenaries, Shepard. They don't feel fear and don't have room for many errors. I don't a choke point with synthetics is going to work."

"You doubt yourself too much, Garrus," Marcus retorted, watching as Garrus tried to object, "You're a leader; you were born to lead. I can see that fire in you. Don't let your mistake on Omega get to you; the thing is, is that you lead your team with integrity. Don't let the treachery of one man negate that effect. You were born to lead; and I'm giving you a direct order to do just that. We'll be right behind you."

Garrus snorted, "You've got the hover tank; how could you not be?"

Marcus snorted, "If you find her...keep her safe for me, okay?"

"I'd be dead if I didn't," Garrus retorted.

Marcus gave a weak smile before turning back around and leading Kasumi and Mordin towards the Hammerhead parked next to the shuttle. The shuttle's hatch closed, blocking Garrus' vision as the shuttle lifted off from the bay and shot out of the Normandy, descending into Haestrom's atmosphere and towards the city of Ik'halm'la. The crew of the shuttle could practically hear the roar of the frigate's engines as the Normandy sped past, moving to deploy Marcus and his team.

The assault on Haestrom had begun.

**{Loading...}**

_August 21, 2185_

_1650 hours._

_Supermarket Ruins, City Plaza, Ik'halm'la City Ruins, Haestrom._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Professor Mordin Solus._

"Geth! Right below us!" Kasumi shouted over the roar of the thrusters as the hammerhead acellerated out of the Normandy's shuttle bay and fell towards the ground at encroaching speed. Marcus laughed long and hard and Kasumi's uneasiness; Mordin seemed stoic and uncaring.  _This reminds me of the Mako during the old days._

"I know! And they are about to get one hell of a wake up call! Hold on to something!" Marcus watched as the hammerhead slammed into the four geth destroyers below them, the synthetics looking up to see their assailant but never getting to raise their weapons and fire. The flying cerberus tank hit them with shattering force, crushing one of them and sending the other three flying, destroyed.

"Everyone all right? Nobody hurt?" Marcus asked, looking back to check everyone was okay. Kasumi gave him a hesitated thumbs up while Mordin simply nodded, unphased. The Normandy roared overhead, performing evasive maneveurs as two geth fighters trailed behind it.

"Goddamn it! EDI, shake them off us!" Joker barked, "I knew I should have activated that damn stealth drive! We'll see if we can lure that geth fleet away from the planet commander! Good luck, and say hi to Tali for me! Joker out." With the comms silent, Marcus reved up the tank's engine and they pushed forward and into the city.

Almost immediately the hammerhead's motion tracker immediately detected hostiles ahead. When they came into full view, Marcus made sure the geth couldn't see them before ordering Kasumi to take the helm while he operated the turret. A massive blast door blocked progress towards the barracks and on their side were six geth rocket troopers and two armatures. What a field day.

Unfortunately for them, the element of surprise was on vacation. One of the armatures immediately turned to face the hammerhead, main gun charging up to fire. Marcus widened his eyes as he lined up the turret with the armature's optics.

"Ah...Mordin, do you know how much punishment this thing can take?"

"Talked with Miranda about specifics about Hammerhead All-Terrain Assault Tank," Mordin explained, "Hammerhead equipped with light armor. Not built for sustained combat. Strong kinetic barriers, but armor will not last. Main gun and sheer speed of vehicle make up for this however. Main gun comprised of 230mm heavy incendiary rounds more powerful than the standard Mako shell. Extremely effective."

"Then Kasumi, it's time you pulled some amazing maneveurs," Marcus ordered, making the sure turret was loaded before pumping a round straight into the armature, who had already fired. A bright blue siege pulse surged towards them, but thanks to Kasumi's reaction time and the tank's amazing durability, it shot to side and the pulse missed, Marcus sounding his retaliation with a second loud thump. The first shot had punched clean through the armature's barriers and ripped through it's neck, while the second shot scored home inside it's main body, detonating inside and ripping it apart.

He watched as the six rocket troopers lined up their missile launchers and prepared to fire. He remembered a tactic he used to use with the mako. He smiled, "Kasumi, ram those damn rocket troopers."

"Shep, are you sure? I don't know if the hammerhead can take more of that."

"Just do it. I'm not playing duck hunt with these bastards all day." Marcus snapped, preparing to line up a third shot on the second and final armature. Kasumi, taking a deep breath, then hit the thrusters and the whole vehicle shot forward, slamming into the rocket trooper's with speed that put the mako to shame. Bits and pieces of ripped geth chasing were thrown all over the place as the attack tore apart the rocket troopers, bringing them close enough to fire a round straight through one of the armature's many legs.

And it did. The shot punched clean through and didn't stop. The leg was torn in half as the round continued and connected with the ground, detonating at the opposite leg and ripping it apart as well. Without it's front two legs, the armature was unable to keep itself upright and collapsed forward. Without hesitation, Marcus loaded a fourth and final round into the chamber and fired it to the back of the geth tank's head, finishing it off with a large explosion.

Garrus' voice crackled over the comms, "We're on the ground Shepard. How goes the counterattack?"

Marcus smiled and stroked the handles of the gun like he would Tali back on the old Normandy, "Would Tali be okay with a three-way relationship? I love this tank."

"I wouldn't know, but I don't think she'd agree with you loving a tank. She might get jealous. By the way, I've got a...Kal'Reegar who wants to speak to you."

"Patch him through," Marcus ordered before ordering Kasumi to hit the jet thrusters. An when she did, the tank literally  _jumped_ over the blast door from the power released, allowing them to glide over it and land in what looked like the parking lot of an old supermarket.

"This is Major General Kal'Reegar vas Rayya, Migrant Fleet Skylords. I assume you're this Shepard I've heard Tali speak so highly of?"

Marcus didn't answer for a second as he spotted what looked like an advancing platoon of geth shock troopers and destroyers advancing on the barracks. Both fortunately and unfortunately, the geth had heard their attack at the blast door and turned to deal with the hammerhead first, obviously seeing a durable assault tank as a bigger threat than a company of quarian soldiers.

"The one and only," Marcus responded as he fired a round directly into the center of their flank. The shot impacted and detonated, taking a destroyer and several of it's cohorts with it, "Before you start asking all the military questions, I need to know; is Tali safe?"

"She's safer than safe," Kal responded, gunfire being heard over the comms, "She's locked herself up in the command center with the rest of the scientists. The geth are trying to get in, but Tali's a hacking marvel. They won't get in unless she wants them to. Wouldn't tempt fate though. How soon can you get here?"

Marcus snorted, "This tank is turning the geth into molten metal faster than I can feed you sitreps. From what I can gather, we can reach your position in no more than ten minutes, tops. Just keep Tali safe. What can you tell me about the geth at your end?"

Kal snorted over the comms, "The one's attacking Tali or the one's your guys are dealing with? Actually, let me rephrase, the ones your team are ripping through like they were children eating chocolate?"

Marcus widened his eyes, "Attacking Tali? I thought you said she was safe!"

"Of course she is!" Kal retorted, "Doesn't mean the geth aren't trying to get to her. There's a fucking colossus between us and her and I'm not in a hurry to forget the damn geth troopers and snipers protecting it, along with those new hunter models. If that wasn't bad enough; the colossus' hav evolved too. Now they have some kind of repair protocol; we take down their shields only for it to huddle down and repair itself. I've been harassing it with my missile launcher, doing anything to keep it's attention off of Tali. But I don't have infinite missiles."

 _Tali could look after herself. Don't worry so much_. Despite his mind's reassurance, he couldn't, "Kasumi, it's time to speed this up. I want to be at the barracks yesterday. Hold tight Reegar, the cavalry's on the way."

"Don't know what a cavalry is sir, but I guess it must be bloody awesome. Ancestors guide your hand, sir, Keelah Se'lai." With that, Kal's disappeared from the comms and Marcus prepared to make short work of the hostile geth. He had heard Kal mention geth hunters, but he had no idea what they were. By the way he described them though, they must have been a new class of geth. If so, he had to keep an eye out.

As they continued to plow through the geth platoon, Marcus noticed unbelievably fast movement to his left. He whipped the weapon around just in time to see a hopper fire a single shot at the tank, attempting to drain it's shields and failing. It then leapt off, Marcus trying to get a shot on the incredibly fast geth. But it was proving to be a pain in the ass.

" _Kiwotsukero!_ Prime!" Kasumi exclaimed as Marcus whipped the turret around to face the new threat. Approaching them, ableit slowly, was the trodding form of the most feared geth unit a foot soldier could face; a geth prime. He had encountered the towering goliaths occassionally during the Eden Prime War, but only during major offensives such as the geth invasion of the Armstrong Cluster, Ilos, The Battle of the Citadel and Virmire. Apart from colossi and armatures, the geth primes were essentially their walking tanks.

The prime raised it's heavy siege pulse rifle as it prepared to fire on the tank, Marcus reciprocating the gesture while lowering the weapon over the hover tank. Just as Marcus squeezed the trigger, the prime let out a massively loud screeching sound, a mechanical sound like techno beats in sync. But it wasn't just noise.

"Terminate organic lifeforms."

The geth spoke.  _But geth don't speak. The geth have evolved further than we thought._ The sound the prime's siege pulse impacting the hammerhead's shields ripped him from his shock, instead pulling the trigger. A single heavy round hit the prime, exploding but only managing to drain the prime's shields. It gave a massive screech of...anger? Fury? Did geth even feel any of those qualities?

"Kinetic barrier depletion," The prime spoke again, "Engaging hostile organic lifeform. Error in runtime 645-723-999. Attempting to correct. Engaging hostile organic lifeform. Terminate corrupted processes."

Without acknowledging the prime, Marcus simply fired again, the round not even exploding on impact, but instead tearing the prime's optics clean off and exploding in the midst of a regrouping squad of shock troopers, ripping them apart and causing the decapitated geth prime to collapse on the ground, forwards.

A familiar voice crackled over his comms; one he had missed sorely, "Marcus, are you there? Can you hear me?" It was Tali.

"Tali, is that you? Thank god. I'm sorry I'm late; I just had to pick up a psychotic biotic before I came to the rescue." Marcus tried to let some dry humor encase his last sentence, trying to coax the concern that was evident in his voice.

"Don't try to hide your concern; you're terrible at it," Tali responded, "I'm just glad you're here. Kal's a great soldier, but I don't think him and his company would have held if you didn't show up. Keelah, I'm so glad you're here."

"So am I. I've missed you alot," The spectre motioned for Kasumi to take the hammerhead forward, having dealt with the remainders of the geth platoon, "When this is over, I'll have to show you the new crew and the new Normandy."

"New Normandy? Now I'm very curious," Tali responded lightheartedly, "Can't say working with Cerberus will be fun, but I think I can look past it. Especially if you're there. I can't tell you how much of a pain it's been waiting for this mission. I know I shouldn't be looking forward to what's practically a suicide mission but once this is over...I can join you again. Are any familiar faces on the Normandy?"

"Well there's Garrus. There's also Joker and Doctor Chakwas, but apart from that, it's all new faces, I'm afraid to say. But don't worry, I'll protect you from all the Cerberus soldiers."

"As much as I...appreciate the sentiment," Tali explained, "I can handle myself. Brigadier General, I might add."

"Justs make you all that more sexy."

"And don't you forget it."

"It's literally not possible."

"Hmmm..."

Jack's irritated voice came over the comm, "Oh, good fucking jesus, I feel like I'm watching Titanic while gorging my eyes out. Quit fucking flirting, or at least do it where noone can hear you."

Tali didn't respond until Marcus twitched to their private channel, "Who...who was that?"

"Meet Jack, our resident loudmouth but all-powerful biotic," Marcus explained.

"Jack? I thought that was a boy's name."

"Tell me about it..."

"I could tell you about something else..."

"Like what?"

"You'll see..."

Kasumi decided to reign, "Okay, seriously, that is actually getting really annoying now. Do you always flirt with your girlfriend in the middle of a battle, Shep?"

"What, you don't?"

"Two things; I'm a thief, battle isn't my thing and two; you two must have gotten really used to doing this if you think flirting in battle is normal."

"I wasn't aware it wasn't."

They traded banter as they continued to mow down geth after geth after geth, Marcus just enjoying the sound of Tali's exotic voice through his eardrums. It was like beautiful music; the more you listened to it, the more you didn't want it to go. And he thought it possible; but Tali's voice was much more attractive than it had been two years. Maturity apparently wasn't something human's a monopoly on, or at least in Tali's case. It didn't take long for him to find out what a hunter was either.

Apparently the pesky tincans were a variant of geth that had a built-in tactical cloak that could run for hours on end, just like Kasumi's variant and utilized powerful geth plasma shotguns, a weapon that proved more powerful than the original pulse shotguns. They were the first plasma weapons in existence; and they packed one hell of a punch. As he passed, he retrieved one, along with a discarded pulse rifle, for safe keeping. Might be useful against the collectors.

And so they continued through the city, Marcus and Tali continuing to talk like two years had never past. Soon he would be reunited with her and this time he'd make sure nothing seperated them ever again.

Not even death.

**{Loading...}**

_August 21, 2185_

_1721 hours._

_Main Gate, Military Barracks, Ik'halm'la City Ruins, Haestrom._

_Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Soldier Grunt, Subject Zero Jack, Major General Kal'Reegar vas Rayya._

An explosion ripped through Garrus' cover as the turian was thrown backwards into a fallen pillar, the ex-cop attempting to stand up as he raised his mattock and poured a field of fire into one of the advancing geth. He managed to get a trooper in the leg, followed by both legs, toppling the platform over as Grunt then crushed it with his foot. A quarian skylord ceased his defense as he held a hand out to Garrus, the turian taking it and allowing the soldier to pull him to his feet.

Nodding his thanks, he turned back to his team, "Miranda, Jack, I want you to act as biotic artillery! Pound them with everything you have! Grunt, Jacob, Zaeed, you're the forward rank. Give them a hellstorm. I'm going to provide support to second team. Hold position and do not fall back, understood? Oh, and Miranda? Do behave."

Miranda and Jack threw each other dirty looks before complying, making sure to stay as far away from each other as they could before unleashing a torrent of biotic strikes on the geth ranks while Grunt, Zaeed and Jacob fired their weapons down on the nearly perputual waves of invaders. Garrus knew they couldn't keep this up; Marcus needed to reach them soon; a tank is what they needed, especially against that spirits be damned colossus standing guard infront of Tali's bunker.

As he made his way over to Reegar's position, the thought of a cliche human flick came up in his mind and he laughed at the eerily funny comparison. A princess trapped in a castle, guarded by a dragon and her knight in shining armor coming to save her. Tali was the princess, the colossus was the dragon, the command center was the castle and Shepard was the knight. Yet again, he didn't really see Tali as a helpless damsel as much as a hardass marine.

It didn't take him long to find Reegar, the quarian squatting behind his cover with a missile launcher stretched across his lap and cursing in khelish as the geth colossus hammered his cover with HMG rounds before following it with a heavy siege pulse, ripping apart his cover and forcing the quarian to lose more ground. Waiting for a break in the tank's fire, Kal then stood up and fired a single shot with his missile launcher at the colossus before ducking back behind cover. Garrus quickly slid in next to him.

"How you holding out, General?"

"Keep to cover, don't let that colossus get a beat on you or you're screwed!" Kal shouted as his remaining men before turning to Garrus, "You tell me, you're doing most of the work at the gate, I'm just harassing this colossus. Unless we get a tank soon, that thing ain't going to budge. Can't your ship just bomb the damn thing?"

Garrus quickly clicked his comm, "Joker?"

He heard Joker curse over the comm, "Mister Moreau is busy at the current moment." EDI responded instead.

"I was going to ask for an orbital strike on this colossus, but I can already tell that's a solid 'can't help you', isn't it?"

"That is correct. Mister Moreau is busy attempting to distract numerous geth warships. We have managed to lure one of the light cruisers and three of the frigates from their previous flight path over the planet and we've lead them on a chase around the planet Charoum. It will be approximately two hours before they realize we've tricked them and will return. Even if my processes weren't already focused on shaking the fire of a geth battlegroup, a bombardment in the city ruins would be ill-advised. The surrounding structure is too unstable and a bombardment could cause the structure to collapse and possibly kill Tali."

"Very well, EDI. Vakarian out," Garrus then turned back to Reegar, shrugging, "The Normandy's out of the question; too busy dodging geth boggies. We're on our own."

Kal cursed under his breath, "Well, better to ask than to be left in the dark. Better we know now." Hearing a break in the geth's fire, Kal stood up to take another shot. But Garrus realized that the colossus had stopped firing a minute earlier than it should have. It knew Kal would-

HMG fire tore through the air and ripped at Kal's envirosuit, sending the quarian flying backwards. Instead of letting himself get riddled with bullets, Kal rolled back behind cover, still holding his launcher as he clutched at his wounds, red blood pouring from numerous ruptures in the general's suit. He pulled out his omni-tool and began applying antibiotics and medi-gel to himself, before finishing up.

"Good, now I'm swimming in antibiotics. I'll be good." Kal reassured the turian.

"Regardless, I don't think you should try that again anytime soon."

"I said I'd be fine."

"You're suit's a wreck!"

"I'm not just going to sit here! I'm a marine! But most of all my sister is in that room and I'm damn well going to keep her safe!"

"Shepard will handle that."

"How can you be so sure?" Kal asked skeptically.

"Because he's madly in love."

"Best excuse I've heard all damn week."

An explosion from behind caused Kal and Garrus to both look at the source simultaneously, watching as four geth juggernauts and a armature tried to push through the gate, accompanied by two hunters, both shimmering and disappearing. Jack shouted towards them.

"Scarface, get the fuck over here!"

Garrus turned to Reegar who nodded to him, "We'll hold. I just hope this Shepard guy proves to be what my sister says he is. I'll fucking kill him if he breaks her heart."

Garrus smiled wickedly, "Trust me, he's the one person who  _won't_ do that."

The turian practically leapt from his cover and rushed over to his team, making sure to keep his head down as gunfire soared through the air. He reached his team, only to watch as two quarian troopers were vaporized from the impact of a siege pulse, pieces of quarian body parts flying backwards and gore scouring the ground. The turian gritted his teeth together as he aimed his mattock, only to stop as he heard the distinct of a geth hunter appearing next to him.

Only for it to disappear as Jack picked it up and threw it against a pillar like a play toy, ripping the geth in half. Before he could thank the biotic, the second hunter was upon him. He immediately whipped out his omni-shield, an orange field of simmering energy appearing before him and absorbing the hunter's shot. Garrus used the solidified energy shield to push the hunter backwards, staggering the platform just enough so he could morph his shield into a blade. But as he brought it down, the geth dropped it's shotgun and whipped out it's own omni-blade, blocking Garrus' swipe in a way only a machine could.

The geth's sudden block sent Garrus reeling backwards and just as he regained his balance, the geth took a swipe once more. Garrus strafed just in time, the blade grazing his arm and causing Garrus to wince in pain from the heat of the omni-blade cut. The hunter took a second swipe, but quickly found it's blade lodged in Garrus' heavy armor. Unable to escape, the hunter met a swift end as Garrus decapitated it's optics with his omni-blade in a single fell-swoop, letting the platform's limp body fall to the ground motionless.

Garrus quickly picked his rifle back up to assess the situation, but it was hopeless. The geth juggernauts were now supported by a vanguard of troopers, shock troopers and rocket troopers while three more armatures made their approach. A geth dropship even swooped towards them, ready to bombard them with searing hot heavy cannons. Just as he prepared to order a retreat, he saw the glimmer of something in the distance. Something glowing a deep blue...

Just as the dropship reached the wall and looked about ready to fire, an extremely loud sound, like an artillery battery firing, cut through the air and stabbed through the geth vessel, detonating inside as the dropship exploded, it's momentum carrying the debris at hyper velocities as wreckage smashed into buildings and pillars. They all turned to see their savior.

The Hammerhead was suddenly the most beautiful thing Garrus had ever seen. It's gleaming main cannon, smoke trailing from it's barrel after making the kill. Prestene, bright white armor glistening in the deadly radiation of Dholen. Hover thrusters held the vehicle upright, calm, blue light eminating from the mass effect field powered reactor hidden deep in the heart of the vehicle. He never thought the sight of a cerberus tank would bring joy to him. Well, right now, it did.

The cannon tilted to aim at the armature moving through the doorway, giving off the same loud raport as the gun fired twice, both rounds detonating on the armature and tearing it apart, causing the geth to turn and assess the new threat. Kal cheered loudly as Marcus' voice came through the comms.

"Reegar, this is what a cavalry is."

**{Loading...}**

_August 21, 2185_

_1736 hours._

_Evacuation Center, Military Barracks, Ik'halm'la City Ruins, Haestrom._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Professor Mordin Solus._

And so the hammerhead charged forward, the main gun discharged as it went, ripping through the geth's ranks either by crushing or blowing them apart. Geth after geth fell to their fiery spree of death as Marcus charged into the military compound, ready to stand triumphant over the bodies of his enemies. The forces deployed on Haestrom weren't even half of the fleet's full deployable army; it was a mere scouting force. Marcus managed to score a direct hit on a hopper that had been leaping at the vehicle, leaving nothing left of it.

Recon drones attempted to harass the tank, but they were quickly taken out by the skylords, who assisted in the counterattack by pushing the geth towards the hammerhead's onslaught. The last three armatures of the geth assault all turned to attack the hover tank, but never got the chance when they leapt off the ground, jumping into the air and landing on such an odd angle, that they knocked over the armature and hovering above it. With the armature disabled, Marcus swerved the turret around let loose two rounds, ripping apart the nearby armature and escaping a siege pulse from the third that hit it's ally and destroyed it.

Without further hesitation, Marcus finished off the final armature only to be swarmed by multiple juggernauts. Luckily, Jack charged in and tossed the juggernauts about with a powerful biotic singularity, Kasumi using the distraction to pull the tank back and put them in a position to force the enemy troops back. With the juggernauts decimated, no more primes available and their vanguard destroyed, the geth retreated, disappearing into the ruins. But it wasn't the last of them.

Suddenly a loud bang eminating from the atmosphere caused them to look up. They watched as an explosion painted the sky, the wreckage of a geth frigate falling towards the planet as Joker let out a cry of victory over the comms.

"Oh yeah! I managed to take one of the frigate's by surprise with four javelin-torpedoes. I've got the rest of the fleet's attention and they are onto me. Catch ya later! Joker out. EDI, help me shake these damn things!"

Marcus nodded and disconnected the comm, bringing the tank inside the compound and watched as Kasumi parked it just inside the main gate, allowing Marcus to open the hatch and get outside, immediately moving to Garrus' position next to an injured Reegar. Kal looked up at Marcus upon arriving, greeting the man with a nod.

"Glad you could show up. That colossus has been a pain in the ass since it turned up and I'm just glad someone has turned up to finally take care of it. The sooner it's gone the better."

Activating his private comm, he contacted Tali, "Tali, are you sure you can hold off the geth hacking attempts?"

"I'm doing my best," Tali responded, "But they're getting smarter. You better do something soon or they'll eventually break in!"

Deciding that extreme action was nessacary, he motioned for Garrus to follow him to the hammerhead. When they reached the tank, the spectre ordered Mordin and Kasumi out of it, instead having Garrus take the driver's seat and he retook the gunner's seat, closing the hatch behind him.

"Just you and me?" Garrus asked.

"We're the only people in this team she's ever met before. Seems fitting. Apart from Reegar, but I think he's too injured. So, ready to go kick this colossus' ass?"

"I don't think it has one, but I guess I'm willing to kick it's optics, if that'll satisfy you."

"That'll do just fine, Garrus."

With a roar, the hammerhead's engines crackled to life once more as they took the tank over the barricade and into the main compound. The colossus immediately noticed them, charging up a siege pulse almost immediately while simultaneously ripping at it's shields with it's HMG. Numerous rocket troopers moved in an encircling movement to trap the tank. But Garrus was having none of it. With a strafe, he crushed two of the rocket troopers and narrowly missed the colossus' siege pulse. Marcus fired a retaliatory shot, but the attack only drained it's shields, not depleting it. Destroying this colossus would be harder than taking down an armature.

But he had to act fast. Tali's hacking couldn't last forever. With a roar of defiance, Marcus unloaded the last six rounds of the hammerhead's main gun into the colossus. And this time, it  _did_ have an effect. The first shot depleted the shot and the second scored home in the thing's neck. The third hit one of it's legs, the fourth hit it's optics and the fifth hit it's underbelly. Finally, the sixth round was the killer shot, digging deep inside the colossus and detonating, causing a massive explosion that left nothing left of the colossus except wreckage dispersed all over the area. The rocket troopers were easily dealt with by Marcus' team.

With renewed vigor, Garrus parked the hammerhead deliberately ontop of where the colossus had stood vigil, opening the hatch as Marcus virtually raced out, fast walking towards the door that held the love of his life.

He knocked on the door, "Tali, it's me and Garrus. The colossus is destroyed and the geth forces have been eliminated. We have to act quickly and leave before the geth battlegroup return and deploy their full forces."

A few seconds passed before the interface on the door finally turned from red to green, sliding open to reveal the interior of the room. Numerous, terrified looking scientists looked relieved when they saw it was friendlies. Marcus took note of the destroyed shock trooper and it's two trooper escorts. He guessed it was Tali's doing. He also cringed when he saw the dead body of what looked like a quarian marine, hands on his bloodied chest.

Then there was Tali, standing at the back of the room. When the door opened, she had stood at the back of the room, just staring at him, unsure of what to do. But when she saw him, striding into the command center casually after having just destroyed a colossus and mowed down hundreds of geth just to save her, that triggered something in her that caused her to react. When he took off his helmet and his eyes looked into hers, she just reacted.

She ran forward and embraced him, arms tightening around him, uncaring of the scientists around them. Marcus was startled at first but was quick to return the gesture, dropping his helmet on the ground, smiling warmly. Garrus coughed slightly and they let go of each other.

"I'll give you two some privacy; I have no intention of being a third wheel," The turian then motioned for the scientists to move outside, "I'll be outside."

"Don't think you're escaping that easily, Garrus." Tali then hugged the turian as well, who looked more surprised than startled. Garrus smiled, "It's good to see you again too, Tali. Like I said, I'll be outside." With that, the turian strode on outside, striking a posture that said 'yeah, I killed a colossus and I'm casual about it.' Marcus and Tali simply laughed at the gesture.

After a bit they stopped. They embraced once more, Tali hugging him tighter than before, smiling contently behind her mask. Marcus smiled as well, just happy to have his perfect little quarian back. Although she probably wasn't little anymore. And very much outranked him.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Marcus finally asked, breaking away from Tali, but leaving a small peck on the side of her hood for good measure. Tali smiled once more at the gesture before dropping her smile.

"Yes, I found out why Haestrom's sun is destabilizing, it's dark energy. Aside from that, nothing. All just wasted lives. I just hope the admiralty board is satisfied with the information. If they're not, they can go to hell. I've long stopped forgiving them for such pointless endeavours."

"That does mean...you can join me...now?" Marcus hesitantly.

Tali felt a smile creep across her features, "Do you want me on your crew?"

"I think that's a stupid question."

"Well, I'm a stupid person."

"I wouldn't be here recruiting you if you were stupid, now would I?"

"I guess not."

Tali and Marcus continued to talk some time after that. Afterwards, Kal had confronted Marcus and thanked him, saying he was impressed by how he took down the colossus. After offering to take Myr's body back to the flotilla, Tali stated her intention to join Marcus' team and Kal said one last goodbye before taking what was left of his company and heading for the Hutbyk. They would be gone before the geth ground troops landed.

The Normandy was able to lead the geth on a wild goose chase, giving the frigate time to land, pick up the shuttle, hammerhead and the crew, and then take off. Tali watched out of the bay as she left Haestrom behind, the Normandy leaving the planet's atmosphere and heading straight for the Dholen Relay.

She was where she wanted to be. She was truly home.

**"And I wasn't the only friendly face you ran into that week, was I?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"No, you weren't. However, I think it was the first time we actually fought our enemy head on. We showed them just who they were dealing with."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

_**Author's Notes:** _

_**Google Translate. You useful little epitome of vegemite. Damn it; I'm hungry now. -_-** _

_**For those who don't get the chapter's title pun, it's meant to be play on a 'home, sweet home.'** _


	24. The Face of the Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Collectors attack Horizon, where Kaidan is stationed. The Normandy is warned, and Shepard's new squad receive their trial by fire.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:**

**THE FACE OF THE ENEMY**

_August 21, 2185_

_1800 hours._

_Engineering, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for the Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Brigadier General Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Power Engineer Kenneth Donnelly, Propulsion Engineer Gabriella Daniels_

"And welcome to engineering." Marcus stated, opening the door into engineering and showing the quarian inside. Ever since leaving Haestrom, Marcus had been giving Tali a tour of the new frigate. Tali was impressed by the SR-2, but she didn't really trust the cerberus crew, as was expected. The friendly faces were nice though, Joker being very happy to see the spunky quarian and doctor Chakwas greeting her with a smile. Tali was also happy to see Garrus again, having talked with him for a few minutes before being shown her new work place.

"As you can see, it's very different from the old Normandy's. The tantalus drive core is also much smaller than the original, along with a perfected stealth drive. Impressed?" Marcus continued. He smiled at how her posture changed and she ran past him, moving to the master control panel opposite Ken and Gabby, bouncing on her toes.  _Even after all this time she's still immensely cute._

"Marcus, it's look even better than the first! This place is so much bigger; and there's more terminals!" Tali brought up one of the terminals, touching multiple buttons and bringing up a schematic of the drive core. She then quickly turned to the spectre, who had been watching her, smiling. She didn't seem to notice this however, "Can I work here?"

"You're an engineer Tali, where else would you work?" Marcus retorted.

"That's not a yes."

"It's not a no."

"Who's the quarian lass?" Ken piped up, turning to face the group.

Tali was quick to turn to the engineer, narrowing her eyes at him, "Tali. Brigadier General Tali'Zorah vas Neema."

"I get the feeling she don't like us, Gabby." Ken turned away, looking scared off. Gabby simply rolled her eyes.

"Of course she does, we're wearing Cerberus uniforms."

Marcus shook his head, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, "Go easy on them Tali, they're really nice people. Besides, they only work for Cerberus because I'm here."

Tali shrugged, wringing her fingers, "Sorry."

"That's okay," Marcus responded, "Besides, you can be mean to them if you want anyway, because you're their new boss."

"Thanks, I...what?" Tali said, shocked.

"You're the Normandy's chief engineer," Marcus stated, "Congratulations."

Tali was shocked and the fact that Ken and Gabby spun around to face her and snap a salute only magnified this, "Thank you, Marcus. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't. That's why I chose you."

"Thank you."

Before he knew it, Tali had spun back to face the two engineers, both eagerly waiting orders, "Well? What are you waiting for? Get back to work! I want a full diagnostics report by the time I get back. I want to know every inch of this ship."

"Yes ma'am!" Gabby responded, turning back to her console. Ken just turned back, mumbling under his breath, "Fiesty, that one is." Gabby simply elbowed him, prompting him to get back to work. Tali, satisfied they were working, strolled over to Marcus, wrapping her arms around him and leaning in close, "Could the captain show me to his cabin?"

Marcus allowed a warm smile to crease his features, "Of course. But I'm Commander, not Captain. Never reached that rank."

Tali smiled, sliding her arms off of his neck and letting her hand take his, "You're the commanding officer of the ship. You're the captain to me. Now come along, captain."

"I see. Must be a quarian thing." Marcus responded, before squeezing Tali's hand and walking out of engineering, taking the elevator straight to the top deck of the frigate and to the captain's quarters. When they reached the top, Tali made a beeline for the door, palming the green interface and opening it, dragging Marcus inside with her. When she stepped past the threshold of the cabin, she let out a gasp of surprise.

"Look at all this space!" She exclaimed, "A fish tank? A shower cubicle? A couch? And keelah, look at that bed!" Marcus simply chuckled at Tali's shocked expression as the quarian took to exploring more and more of the cabin. She eventually found herself being quick bored of the top section, instead moving down the steps onto the lower platform of the cabin, letting her hands stroke the milky white sheets. From the way the quarian leaned over to stroke the bed, the spectre was given a perfect view of her hips and buttocks. He drank the entire view in, piece by piece.

Eventually, Tali stood up and turned to face him, "For a captain to get such a privledge; it's unheard of on the fleet. But right now...you've got so much room to do things! How do you make use of all of it?"

Marcus simply smiled as he cleared the distance between the both of them, locking his arms around her and humming softly as she returned the gesture, leaning his forehead against her visor, "I just do. And trust me, I don't plan on keeping all these space for myself. I've got a very special woman I'd like to share it with."

He could tell Tali was blushing even behind her mask, "I don't know Marcus..."

"Why? Don't you want to?"

"No. I mean yes, I mean...keelah, how do you do this to me!" She tried to shy away and bury her helmet into his chest. Instead, he cupped her chin in his hand and gently pushed upwards so he could see into her mask, "Tali, if you think you're going to be an inconvience, you can drop that thought right now. I want you here. I  _need_ you here. These past few days have been really hard on me, and I need someone I care about to be by my side to pull me out of the fire. I care about and I want you in my life. So the door is open to you. It's always open to you."

Tali smiled warmly, leaning her visor against his forehead once more, "Then I will. If you want me here, then I will be here. Do you mind if I...move, my stuff...up here?"

"Of course not. You can use that table if you want," he then pointed to the table infront of his sofa, "I wouldn't mind you using my... _our_ bed either."

"I'll think about it," Tali teased before sighing heavily, "I want to kiss you so much right now. It just reminds me of how much I hate this suit."

"I know you'll find a way," Marcus promised, taking her hands, "And I wouldn't care if I never got to see your face. Your beautiful even with the mask on. I don't need to see your face to prove that. As nice as it sounds."

"I want to be out of this suit, Marcus," Tali stated, "I need to feel your skin on mine. I need to feel you; to touch you, to be with you. I waited too long on the old Normandy; I won't let it happen again. Besides, with that salarian geneticist of yours, I might actually get my research done alot faster. As awkward as it will be asking a salarian for human sex advice."

"I don't think it'll be any less awkward for me when I ask for tips on quarian sexual positions. And yes, I will be asking that."

Tali giggled, "At least we don't have to worry about amino acid transfer or protection; you can't get me pregnant anyway. The only thing we have to worry about is consuming each other's saliva; consuming anything else will only cause my immune system to act up and for yours to destroy the offending proteins. I just hope I don't die during it."

That thought scared Marcus more than anything, "I won't do it if the risk is that great."

"Marcus, happiness was never achieved without taking risks," Tali answered, "Please, just let me have a chance."

"Okay. I don't want to risk your health, but I'm willing to wait."

Tali grinned cheekily behind her mask, keying her omni-tool and locking the cabin door, "You know...there is one thing I can do to you without taking the suit off."

"And...what's that?"

"This."

Before he knew it, Tali had guided him to the sofa and had pushed him into it, the spectre falling into it. Tali was next to him in a second, her hand moving up his leg and towards his pant's zipper. Before he could do anything, she grabbed hold of the zipper and pulled downwards, unzipping his pants and pulling them down slightly. Tali had never done this before, but she felt the sudden need to do it. Being away from him for so long had left this pent up need for her.

Soon, Marcus' pants had been pulled down to his knees, Marcus realizing what she was doing. Before long, Tali was looking at his boxers like they were alien. She suddenly became very nervous, her sexual drive being overwhelmed by her nervous reason.  _Keelah, should I do this? I don't know if I..._

"Are you okay, Tali?" Marcus asked, beginning to pull up his pants.  _I knew I shouldn't have let her do this. She's rushed herself; I can't believe I-_

Tali's sexual drive took over her once more. Her hand reached out and stopped him while the opposite hand grabbed hold of his boxers and pulled them down to his knees along with his pants. Tali gasped as she saw his erect organ quite literally pop out, the large organ standing straight out of his pants and the quarian eyed it wearily. She suddenly remembered her lessons in school about sexual education.  _Keelah, human penises aren't all that different from quarians. I can't believe I'm doing this. What are you doing Tali! You're simply a horny child..._

_No, I am a grown woman. I can't shy away like this. Grow up._

Before Marcus could once again have second thoughts, Tali's hand slowly slid up and stroked his erect organ. Marcus hummed in pleasure, desperately trying to hold back the moan he had been ready to let out at her touch. It was soft and silky; and that was only her gloves.  _Imagine her actual hands..._

Eventually, her stroking stopped at his tip. Then, inhaling a deep breath, she clenched her hand around it and quickly pulled down. Marcus couldn't hold it back this time; he let out a moan of pleasure. Tali looked up at him and smiled, ableit weakly.  _At least I'm pleasuring my mate._ She continued these sexual motions, gradually moving to rub it faster and faster. Then she made one of the biggest mistakes she could make; she hadn't noticed his moans intensifying into groans and had leaned closer. Before she knew it, Marcus had hit his climax.

She suddenly jumped backwards from her perch on the couch, squealing as she fell off the couch, surprised by the jet of white that now coated her mask. Her hands frantically moved to wipe the substance off, completely forgetting what it was.  _Keelah, human...reproductive cells...are white? Okay, that's definitely something different._ These thoughts fled away as she continued trying to wipe away the substance, only managing to get it all over her hands.

"Keelah! Keelah, keelah, keelah!" Tali shouted in rapidfire, Marcus laughing his head off as he pulled up his boxers and pants, zipping up his pants as he moved towards his desk. Tali widened her eyes at him, "Marcus, don't abandon me! Get this stuff off me! Help!"

"What's this? A great quarian general defeated by sperm on her mask?" Marcus teased.

"I can't see!"

"You can see just fine, Tali."

"It's sticky and it's all over my hands!"

Any response from the spectre wasn't forthcoming. Instead, he grabbed a handful of tissues and approached the quarian who was sitting up, against the couch and just holding her hands infront of her, examining his seed like a scientist would a lab experiment.

"Don't worry, Tali. I'll save you from the evil seeds of Marcus Shepard."

"Keelah, you're horrible."

"And you're adorable. Maybe we should do that more. Besides, it makes it look like I've claimed you."

"You don't need to do...that, to me just to claim me. I think the crew already knows."

"Then I'll do it because your reaction is just too cute."

Leaning down, Marcus began to wipe Tali's hands off the sticky white seed, before moving to her visor. Just as he finished, they both broke out into a fit of laughing. It was cut off just as EDI's voice came over the comm; so well timed, you'd think the AI was watching.

"Commander, I'm sorry for interrupting, but the Illusive Man is trying to get a hold of you over the QEC."

"EDI, were you watching us?"

"It is a programming command built in as part of my coding by the Illusive Man," EDI responded, with what sounded like regret in the AI's tone, "As part of Cerberus regulations, I must record the activity of all the crew on the Normandy. Survillance devices are installed all over the ship allowing me to take video recordings of the crew and relay them to the Illusive Man. Including your cabin. And before you ask me not to, the information is relayed to Cerberus HQ via real time, meaning he is currently watching this conversation or is saving it."

"So in short, you were watching us the whole time." Marcus recapped his question.

"That is correct, commander."

"EDI."

"Yes, commander?"

"Please don't let Joker get his hands on that tape. And if you don't mind, please don't keep sending these videos to the Illusive Man. I have a right to my privacy. So does my crew. I hope that asshole realizes that."

"Very well, commander. Logging you out."

Marcus sighed as he stood up, throwing the soaked tissues in the bin as he held out his hand for Tali to take as he helped her up. Her strong, three-fingered hand grasped his and pulled her up just so her chest was pressed against his. He moved in closer, whispering into her ear.

"I'll have to treat you later."

"You can't. I'm in a suit."

"I don't need it off to treat you."

Tali's cheeks lit up a bright red at his comment. But she couldn't deny how much it made her light up inside. She would be looking forward to his treatment of her.

"I look forward to it, captain." Tali replied in her best sultry voice. It worked, as Marcus immediately smiled back at her and kissed her vocalizer, letting her go so they could both walk to the elevator, instead holding her hand as they went. He hit the CIC, waiting as the elevator slowly descended, all the while holding Tali's hand. It was good having Tali with him, knowing that he could protect her and that they weren't seperated by light years. Instead she was where she belonged; and he would keep her safe, no matter the cost.

_I can't lose her like she lost me._

What felt like a few seconds too early, the elevator arrived at it's destination, the door sliding open and Marcus reluctantly was forced to let go of the engineer's hand as he moved towards the armoury to enter the debriefing room. Before he left, he quickly turned back to Tali, "Remember, that cabin is ours now. You're welcome in it whenever you want."

"I know, Marcus. And thank you. I'll see you later." With that, Tali hit the button for the engineering deck, the doors closing infront of her as the elevator continued it's descent. Marcus sighed and continued into the armoury, nodding to Jacob and Zaeed who were examining what looked to be Zaeed's avenger rifle, Jessie. Hitting the second door panel, he headed down the corridor into the debriefing room, waiting as the table was sucked into the ground and EDI made the connection.

Before long, the debriefing room vanished and was replaced by the darkness of the Illusive Man's personal HQ. 'Humanity's Sanctum', he called it. Marcus crossed his arms, once again filling the need to rip off the unclean cerberus attire he was forced to wear.  _Next time we're at the Citadel, I'm definitely going to be looking for something different to wear._

The Illusive Man, his body illuminated by the bright light of Anadius, sat, poised in his chair infront of the bright red sun, smoking his cigar. Waiting for Marcus' full form to ionize, he then spoke, "Shepard. I think we have them."

Marcus raised a brow at the leader of cerberus, "By them, I assume you mean the Collectors?"

The Illusive Man nodded, "One of our colonies in the Terminus Systems just went silent. The Alliance will of course blame it on a faulty-communications buoy, but we know the real reason; this is the prelude to a collector attack. If you act now, you can catch them in the act. If they're not under attack now, they soon will be."

Marcus nodded, noting the seriousness of the situation, "What's the colony?"

He took another puff of his cigar, "Horizon. It's located in the Shadow Sea Cluster, in the Iera System. It's a garden world with a radius of 5,402 kilometers. It has no moons and it's a purely human colony, as is expected of a colony chosen for collector attack. The capital city is Discovery, but we think their main target will be Colony Grandeur, as it's secluded and less chance of a military retaliation. It was founded in 2168 and has a current population of 1.5 million people."

"You're very informed," Marcus complimented, impressed by his knowledge.

"As humanity's sword, I tend to know everything about our own species. But that's besides the point. All you need to know is that the collectors have disabled Horizon's communications and are bound to attack any moment now."

Marcus was quick to inform the ship's pilot, "EDI, inform Joker that we have a course change. Get us to the colony of Horizon at best possible speed. I want us there yesterday."

"Affirmative, Shepard." EDI responded before disappearing. Marcus was about to leave, but apparently the Illusive Man wasn't done.

"Has Mordin developed the countermeasure for the seeker swarms? It is likely the collectors will use them in force and you need to be ready for them."

"I'll check in on his progress as soon as I'm done here," Marcus responded.

"One more thing you should know," TIM stated, "One of your former crew, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, is stationed on Horizon."

Marcus' brows knit together skeptically, "The collectors just happened to choose a colony with one of my former crew on it? That can't be pure coincidence."

TIM simply nodded, "It shouldn't be a surprise that the collectors are interested in you. Especially if they're working for the Reapers. It's quite possible they're going after him to get to you. This most likely explained the sudden geth presence on Haestrom; they found out a former crew member of yours was planetside, and sent their geth to eliminate her. Good job on recruiting Miss Zorah, I might add. She will make a great addition to your team. I've found the dossiers for two more potential recruits. I'll send them to you when you've repelled the attack on Horizon."

Marcus simply nodded, "Last you told me was that Kaidan was still Alliance. Why is he in the Terminus Systems?"

The Illusive Man took a sip of his whiskey before continuing, "Officially, it's an outreach program to improve Alliance relations with the outer colonies. Unofficially however, they are installing GARDIAN laser antiship weapons to see if they can catch the culprit attacking the colonies by surprise and disable them so they can find what they are dealing with. Staff Commander Alenko's presence only proves this. However, they don't know it's the collectors and don't realize that GARDIAN turrets won't cut it; a collector cruiser's kinetic barriers are too powerful. They need to hit it when it's on the ground."

"Wait, those bloody things are only  _cruisers_?" Marcus asked in disbelief.

"And, so far, are the only collector variation of warship," TIM confirmed, "Despite a collector cruiser's offensive and defensive capabilities, it is no match for a Reaper. And soon, no match for the Normandy. I've been doing some research and I've managed to find a secret that the turians have been keeping since the Battle of the Citadel."

"What is it?" Marcus asked, curious.

"The turians did indeed do some searching of Sovereign's wreckage and found what looked like the reaper's main weapon. They surmised that it fires a shot of superheated metal that is then shot at extreme velocities, allowing it to bypass shields and rip through armor like butter, which is how the reaper's have been able to destroy our ships so easily. They've dubbed it the thanix cannon and have been secretly researching a way to mass-produce the weapon for their dreadnoughts, but haven't gotten the government funding."

"Where are you going with this?" Marcus asked.

"Some of my agents managed to acquire schematics for the weapon," TIM informed him, "I have uploaded them to EDI's database, along with the location of a cerberus drydock. My people will give you the power of the reapers Shepard; the Normandy will have it's own thanix cannon. And when you get it, that collector cruiser won't stand a chance."

Marcus nodded, "Two new recruits, a lead on the collectors and a weapon capable of making even a collector cruiser seem like space junk. I can't say you don't impress Illusive Man."

TIM simply smiled, "Cerberus only provides the best. Remember, this is the best lead we've ever had, don't let it slip. Good luck." With that, the Illusive Man terminated the connection. Marcus smiled darkly as he headed out of the room, asking EDI to send a copy of the thanix's schematics as he headed into the Tech Lab to see how Mordin's countermeasures were coming.

Upon entering, he watched as Mordin yelled in triumph, smiling broadly at his terminal. Upon seeing Marcus in the doorway, his grin became even wider, "Shepard! Excellent timing! Have great news! Just finished countermeasures. Will take but a day to convert into physical form for armor. Sterdy, but not infalliable however. Will only work against small numbers. Larger numbers...problematic."

"That's good Mordin. You better get that to Jacob immediately, because in a day, we'll be arriving at Horizon and we'll be hitting groundside. We're about to get a jump on our enemy and meet them head on."

"Glad to hear. Always wanted to see collector in person," Mordin responded, "Would like to get payment for plague on Omega."

Marcus simply gave the salarian a thumbs up, moving out of the tech lab and towards his cabin. The mission on Haestrom had been exhausting and he really needed the rest. Tali would be getting used to the Normandy's new engine room, which meant he wouldn't get distracted, allowing him to get some actual sleep. He smiled at the thought.

This mission seemed barable now.

**{Loading...}**

_August 22, 2185_

_1527 hours._

_Colony Transport Hub, Colony Grandeur, Northern Hemisphere, Horizon._

_Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Colony President Lilith Abraham._

"Then tell them it's for their own good!" Kaidan pleaded.

"And then what? I tell them to expect an alliance militia at their doorstep? What will the rest of the colony think about alliance tanks surrounding our colony? Panic is one thing, but this won't spark fear, it will spark outrage. We were a peaceful colony until the alliance turned up." Lilith retorted, continuing to walk through the colony as Kaidan followed alongside her.

"We only want to protect you so you can continue to be a peaceful colony!" Kaidan continued, "Besides, it's not my decision. The brass at Arcturus have decided that this is the best way to keep the colony safe."

"And let me guess, you weren't responsible for our loss of communications?" Lilith replied, stopping and turning to face Kaidan, who also stopped to face the woman, determination in his face.

"No, we weren't," Kaidan stated, "That's why we know this colony is next. We always lose communications with a colony before an attack. That's how we know Horizon is about to be hit. Which is how we are going to catch these sons of bitches offguard."

"Oh really, you're going to catch them offguard with AAA guns that don't even work yet?" Lilith asked skeptically.

"Our techs and your mechanics are working on it constantly. They'll get it done," Kaidan explained, "Your people will be safe, I promise."

Lilith still didn't look all that convinced as she let out a breath of air, "So we've got non-operational anti-ship guns that don't work yet and a platoon of marines to defend us. Why couldn't we just be left alone? We were never a target before you started setting up camp. The people are starting to wonder if you're the catalyst for our abduction too."

Kaidan sighed as he moved to respond to Lilith, but the woman was already moving again, walking towards the entrance to the processing plant, "That's not true. Horizon was always bound to get invaded; it was only a matter of time. My platoon's presence here is the only reason you have a chance at fighting off these people."

Lilith, outraged, turned back to him, jabbing a finger into his armoured chest, "And who decides to make you the judge of that? We can handle ourselves!"

"These people have the technology to make entire colonies disappear without so much as living a single  _trace_ of evidence behind. Not one body. Now tell me, how do you plan on fighting something like that? Chances are the other colonies thought they could fight them off too. Look how they turned out."

Lilith punched him in the face, "I will not have my people endangered by the Alliance or by you! We're sick of the Alliance and it's crap! You're going to get us all killed! Why do you think we ran off into the Terminus Systems? To get away from the Alliance! That's why!"

"You're no safer in the Terminus than you are in Alliance space," Kaidan retorted, ignoring the injury she caused him, "Forget pirates and slavers! These people don't mess around! If they want to take your colony, they'll do it without so much as leaving a trace of their presence! We can't afford to muck-around, Abraham!"

"These people depend on me!" Lilith stated, the words reminding Kaidan of Fai Dan's words back on Feros two years ago. That was before the man had taken his own life; his thrall under the Thorian making him turn on them, only for him to sacrifice himself, "I will not-"

"Sir!" It was the voice of Gunnery Sergeant Kahleigh Waters.

He keyed his omni-tool and brought up Kahleigh's face on video as Lilith waved a dismissive hand, walking away, "What is it, Gunnery Sergeant?"

"The rest of the orbital buoys just went silent! Not just silent though, they just plummeted into the atmosphere," Kahleigh stated with fear, "And ground-to-air radar just picked up a massive object entering the atmosphere. And by massive, I mean just over two-kilometers long sir. It's goddamn huge. And due to it's deliberate movements, we think it might be a ship. We've matched it with known ship profiles. It matches..."

"Sovereign..." Kaidan muttered.  _A Reaper. You idiot, of course the Reapers are responsible! And to think I thought it was..._ "So it wasn't Cerberus taking the colonies. It was the Reapers."

"You really believe that, sir?"

"You're damn right I do, gunnery sergeant."

"What do we do, staff commander? If this really is a 'reaper', then we don't have the weapons to take it down. It took the entire fifth fleet to destroy Sovereign. What do we do?"

"We meet them head on," Kaidan ordered, noticing that Lilith had been listening the whole time, "Lilith, evacuate everyone from the colony and head for Discovery. We'll try our best to hold this thing here." Lilith nodded, moving to help everyone get out of the colony. Kaidan deactivated his omni-tool and readied his harrier assault rifle, the weapon looking alot like a Cerberus mattock, but instead was automatic and of Alliance make. He nodded for his platoon to assume defensive positions as the sky began to blacken, a large booming sound being heard as the ship descended from the clouds.

He took position behind a crate, Kahleigh opposite him. He then readied his rifle so he was looking down the scope, aiming directly at the source of the noise. When it erupted from the clouds, it was not what he was expecting. Instead of seeing the terrifying silhoutte of a massive squid-shaped dreadnought, he looked up at something far more horrific. A huge, organic, metal-looking pillar of numerous insect-like design architecture appeared, two-kilometer bulk filling the sky. And surrounding it, was the source of the black cloud.

A massive swarm of insects, all descending upon the colony.

He heard a familiar scream as he whirled around and saw Lilith and the colonists, looking at the black horde descending upon them as they turned tail and ran. He was angry at her for not evacuating them, but dropped the thought as he ordered his team to open fire on the insects and soon, a wave of gunfire poured into the horde that blackened the colony like a massive blanket.

One by one, assault rifles ripped through the swarm, taking down hundreds of insects. But it wasn't enough. For every bug shot down, a hundred replaced it. When he finally ordered a retreat, it was too late. The horde smashed into their ranks, quickly overwhelming the marines. He watched as one of the bugs latched onto Kahleigh's unarmoured neck and bit her, flying off as she groaned in pain, only for her body to cease movement as she froze. He watched, one by one, as all his marines were bitten and frozen.

Before he could run, he felt a bug land on his hand. He tried to shake it off in panic, but the bug was too quick. It bit him and he immediately found his body stopped responding to his brain's commands. Like lights going out in a city wide blackout, he lost sense of all his nerves, soon feeling like his whole body was missing except his eyes, only able to look around in horror as he found himself unable to move. Forced to watch as the insects continued around the colony, freezing colonist after colonist.

He was forced to watch as Lilith tripped over, her husband abandoning her to save himself, only to succumb to the horde himself. Watching helplessly as the insect bit her in the neck, freezing Lilith completely. He now realized how this...enemy, managed to take the colonists without causing a battle.

Only this time, Kaidan wouldn't live to tell anyone.

**{Loading...}**

_August 22, 2185_

_1538 hours._

_Colony Outskirts, Colony Grandeur, Northern Hemisphere, Horizon._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Professor Mordin Solus, Soldier Grunt, Subject Zero Jack, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

The shuttle quickly found itself flooring it towards the colony, only just being able to avoid detection by the collector cruiser that had landed in the heart of the colony. Like in the videos on Freedom's Progress that Veetor had shown them, the collector warship stood like a solid pillar made of a honeycomb of organic and steel architecture combined. It was frightening to know just how big the vessel was. And Marcus finally got to see it. He had seen it just before he died over Alchera, but that was in combat. This time, it wasn't attacking them.

When the shuttle hatch popped open, he quickly ordered his team to file out. He smiled at Tali as she gave him a glancing look, geth plasma shotgun folded out in her hands. After collecting the geth weapons on Haestrom, he had decided to use them, giving Tali the plasma shotgun while keeping the pulse rifle for himself, deciding to let Grunt have a taste of the power of a Valkyrie. Apparently the krogan agreed with it.

Marcus waited until his crew had all filed out of the shuttle before following them, geth pulse rifle folding out into his hands as he unholstered it. Horizon reminded him much of Earth; green plains and a blue sky with large cloud coverage. Come to think of it, apart from Eden Prime, Horizon was the only real garden world he had been to aside from Earth. And to think that it was the first place he'd face his enemy face to face, like his first time fighting geth on Eden Prime, just filled the moment with surreal irony.

"You're absolutely sure this stuff works, Solus?" Jack asked, appearing unhappy with the anti-seeker vest she was wearing, "Because this shit smells nasty."

"Have never tested out on field. Should be interesting to see in field use. Should make us invisible to swarms. In theory." Mordin responded as they moved forward, Tali deciding to stick as close to Marcus as possible.

"In...theory?" Tali asked skeptically.

"Like I said, never tried before. Experimental technology. Will be fascinating to see in action."

"I feel like a glorified test dummy," Garrus responded snarkily.

"Bloody oath," Zaeed stated.

"At least I have a cloak to fall back on if shit hits the fan," Kasumi added. Everyone simply glared at her as she held up her hands in defense, "Okay then, guess I shouldn't have said that."

"Obviously." Tali teased.

"Coming from the buckethead," Kasumi countered, "The name is Kasumi. Kasumi Goto, at your service."

"Um...hello, my name is Tali. Tali'Zorah vas Neema."

"Ooohhh...that's a mouth full. Mind if I just call ya Tali? Or maybe 'fishbowl?'"

"Fish...you know what, don't even want to know. I think Tali will be just fine."

"Okay, cut the chatter," Marcus piped up, "Motion tracker's picking up movement up ahead, squad-sized. Keep low and quiet. I want to take these bastards by surprise. Kasumi, you're up. Do what you do best."

"What, steal their guns?"

"No, stealth."

"I know. Just messin with ya, Shep."

Marcus and his squad quickly moved up ahead into a small cargo port where they quickly found the source of the tracker pings. He motioned his team into positions surrounding the small area and took position just ahead of the targets before taking a peek at his foe. They looked just as they had in the recording; two-legged insectoid creatures with chittin-like bodies, a pyramid shaped head and four eyes, all aligned vertically. Just like then, he kept feeling like he'd seen seen them before. In their arms were equally insectoid looking assault rifles, making clicking sounds as they patrolled the area.

"Kasumi, take the one just below the ramp. We'll open fire on the rest when you've made your move."

"Copy that, Shep."

Marcus waited for Kasumi's move. He heard the sound of an omni-blade extending over the comm followed by a choking insect sound. Turning, he watched as Kasumi dragged the dead body of a collector on the floor and behind a crate. With a nod from the thief, he ordered his team to ambush the collector squad.

He was immediately up and over, gunfire reaping from his pulse rifle and into the nearest collector. He was surprised when the first round hit flesh; the collectors seeming to possess no kinetic barriers. They obviously weren't prepared for retaliation. The seeker swarms, to their fortune, completely ignored them, proving that Mordin's countermeasures worked. His team was merciless in killing the enemy squad and soon, all the collectors in the area were dead.

"That was way too easy," Zaeed stated.

"Hey, don't jinx it," Marcus added.

"They have no shields, but their weapons certainly pack a nasty bite," Garrus stated, "Their assault rifles ripped through my shield like it was made of plastic. I'd recommend keeping our heads down. Still, I find it odd they wouldn't equip their troops with kinetic shields."

"I think it makes sense," Tali added, "They've been on a streak of abducting defenseless colony after defenseless colony. They really don't see the point I've giving them shields when ground resistance is rendered inert by their swarms. Any people leftover could be dispatched with assault rifles. They didn't expect retaliation; it's an advantage we should press."

"Agreed. We keep moving into the colony and stop the collectors from abducting this colony," Marcus ordered and the squad quickly moved up ahead and towards the actual colony's boundries. Just as they reached the colony, he tried to comm the Normandy, "Joker, how's the Normandy holding. I need a schematic of that collector cruiser if we're going to board it."

"Commander...we're getting...all kinds...ference...can't maintain...out." His comm then died, the static overwhelming it. It was clear the collector had deployed a jamming device to block their communication; and if that was true, then they were now alerted to their presence. They had to act quickly if they wanted to save the colonists.

They quickly came across an empty area emptying into a township off to the right. It was a large area with a prefab house to the right and a playground in the middle, followed by the main colony off to the left. They proceeded into the colony, Marcus taking point while Tali and Garrus, as always, had his back. The people he could depend on.

"Here they come!" Grunt shouted. He was right. Jumping over the threshold of some buildings to the left was another squad of collectors. But they weren't jumping; they were  _flying._ They had insect-like wings that allowed them to fly through the air, beating away as they fell towards the ground, all landing with a thump as said wings were folded away and they raised their weapons in welcome.

However, one of them looked different from the others. This one had spine line appendages, similiar to turians, poking out of it's head and had a larger body, not to mention a longer and deadlier looking weapon. Jacob fired a shot at it and quickly found his shot had hit a kinetic barrier, it's head whipping around to the cerberus soldier.  _Must be a field commander. Collectors must really know we're here if they're sending in the heavies._

This suspicion of a heavy was confirmed as the new collector, a captain, fired at them, powerful orange beam firing out of the weapon and just missing, but cutting right through the wall next to them and penetrating deep, leaving a searing hot bulkhead.  _A particle beam._ He ordered his team into cover as the collector captain continued it's assault, red hot beams slicing through the air, desperately trying to hit a target, it's soldiers pressing on their position.

"Tali, do you still have Chiktika?"

"Of course."

"Then deploy her," Marcus ordered, not even peeking as he raised his weapon over cover and let out a frenzied burst; managing to catch a collector if the screeching sound that followed wasn't any indication. He quickly lowered back down as the captain locked on and fired, beam impacting his shield. He did so in record time as well; his shields being drained to 9% and only beginning to recharge. Luckily, Chiktika was quick to rescue, flying over to the collectors and harassing them as he ordered Grunt, Garrus and Mordin to follow him into the prefab bunker, hoping to get a chance to flank the collector forces.

"Grunt, focus on that captain. Take him down," Marcus ordered, "Garrus, Mordin and I will pick off the rest with suppression fire from the rest."

"What's a captain?" Grunt asked.

"Long story short; it's that asshole with that particle rifle. The guy who's being a real pain in the ass right now." Garrus answered instead.

"Tactically sound. Collector captain poses largest threat. Remaining collector troops sent into disarray without leader. Due to insect-like appearence, safe to assume hive mind."

"Assumptions are dangerous," Marcus retorted before motioning for Grunt to charge the collector leader. Due to the collectors focusing their fire on the other part of his team, Grunt went unnoticed until he was a meter away from the captain, to which it turned around to retaliate. But by then, it was too late. Grunt roared as he thrusted his shotgun into the bottom of the collector's jaw, squeezing the trigger.

Disgusting green gore erupted from the captain as it's head was split from the blast, barriers bypassed and unable to save it. It's weapon went limp as it dropped it, body falling backwards into a wall. A collector charged Grunt, but the krogan had already picked up the beam rifle and turned on the spot, firing. A searing hot shot of particled energy sliced through the collector, decapitating it in one shot, head falling to the ground. Grunt laughed loudly, examining the weapon.

"I love this gun! Battlemaster, may I keep it?"

"For now Grunt...yes, yes you can."

"Time to kill some more bugs!"

Marcus and his team merely watched as Grunt slaughtered the remaining collectors, the walking enigmas simply refusing to surrender as they tried to take the krogan soldier down, but he mercilessly cut into them with the particle rifle, only having to stop occassionally to let the weapon dissipate heat; the rifle using a heating system similiar to weapons from two years ago instead of thermal clips.

After what seemed like next to no time at all, Grunt had crushed the skull of the last collector with his boot, Marcus motioning for his squad to continue into the colony. After all that commotion, the collectors were definitely awake now. And judging by the size of the cruiser alone, they'd have a field army's worth of collector forces to rake on through to get through the colony.

Suddenly, as Marcus turned the corner, a familiar moan followed by a screech alerted him as someone tackled him to the ground, trying to tear his helmet off. He twisted his body around to see what looked like blue, synthetic eyes and what looked like a once human form, but only twisted into a deformed, synthetic abomination of a creature. He had fought these creatures before. They were the ones he had thought the geth had created.

They were called husks.

A plasma shotgun tore the husk apart, ending it's assault as it's body was torn from the spectre and was sent flying into a wall, crumbling to the ground, dead.

"You're so useless without me, Marcus."

"I try not to be."

"Yet you'd have better luck dancing."

"Hey, don't bring my dancing into this."

Garrus' cough cut through the silence, "Don't we have more pressing issues? Like, what the fuck is a husk doing on Horizon? I thought the geth made them."

"Well it's quite obvious they didn't," Marcus explained, "The husks were always a reaper manifestation. The dragon's teeth were of reaper design. The husks were never geth made, they always belonged to the Reapers. Which only proves the collectors are involved with them. Come on, we've got to keep moving."

For another few minutes the colony seemed quiet. They came across the numerous frozen bodies of colonists not yet taken aboard the collector vessel, all looking at them as they passed, eyes begging for them to be saved. Despite them, he was more worried about Kaidan.  _What if they've already taken him aboard their ship? Can EDI even find us a way into the ship?_

Finally, their look broke when a deep, bass voice echoed through the colony. They had been advancing towards what looked like a garage when they heard the roar, followed by what felt like mind-drilling words, a voice that seemed to breach the inner corner of his mind. He barely noticed as he slipped into cover as more collectors, lead by two captains, came streaming into the scene, keeping them pinned.

_**"Shepard."** _

"Shepard, I think those captains are the least of our problems!" Garrus shouted, pointing to a new collector on the scene. Marcus looked towards it and found himself frozen to the spot. It looked like a normal collector drone, as he called the normal troops, but there was noticable differences. The collector's body was riddled with cracks and fissures, bouts of flame and heat eminating from it's body; it's eyes glowing with an orange intensity. It carried a single collector assault rifle, single-handedly, across the battlefield, eying them.

_**"You cannot hide from me, Shepard."** _

Again with the voice. He realized now that the voice was coming from the collector he was looking at; yet it wasn't. He knew the voice came from the collector, but it just felt like that the creature wasn't even the one talking. Like something was talking through it...

"He ain't hiding, piece of shit!" Zaeed yelled, charging forward and firing at the collector lieutenant, who was clearly the collector commander. The leader quickly raised a three-fingered hand, somekind of orange biotic barrier eminating from it's body and shielding it, stopping Zaeed's attack stone dead. Before Zaeed could collect himself, the collector spoke once more.

_**"Your attacks are futile, human. You are but bacteria fighting purity."** _

Before Zaeed could retort with another one of his colorful insults, the leader dropped it's barrier and it was now that Marcus noticed a shimmering orange orb of energy forming in it's other hand. Before he could yell for Zaeed to get to cover, the beast thrusted it's hand forward, letting loose a orange biotic warp at the mercenary. Without even thinking, Marcus leapt from cover and jumped infront of Zaeed, raising a biotic barrier just in time to absorb the blast. The leader raised it's rifle at him.

_**"You cannot fight your ascension, Shepard. You will all perish in the fires of salvation. Your galaxy is but a pinprick to the grand scale of the universe. A puff of smoke in the grand scheme of universal workings."** _

Marcus found the words the creature used to be similiar. He instantly recognized what was talking through this thing. But it couldn't be possible. It just couldn't be. Not here, not now...

"What...what are you?"

_**"We are the agents of your destruction. You will be harvested; we are the catalyst for your downfall. Your harvest is essential."** _

_It has to be. This thing...it's a Reaper. But I thought Sovereign was the only Reaper left behind?_

_**"We are Harbinger. We are your salvation through destruction."** _

Before he knew it, the collector leader began it's assault, rifle rounds chewing through his shields rapidly. He rose his barrier once more as he ordered Jack to hit the collector with a biotic attack. Jack nodded, launching warp field after warp field into the collector, forcing it into retreat.

_**"We are pure. You are bacteria."** _

"Fuck you, bug-turd!" Jack barked, continuing her assault before having to retreat, several collectors already moving to flank her. She managed to rip apart one of them with a biotic flare before sending another three flying back with a shockwave. She retreated behind cover just in time to avoid a particle rifle shot from a nearby captain, who quickly lost it's head to Garrus' sniper rifle.

Marcus charged forward, focusing all his firepower on Harbinger. Unlike the other mindless drones, Harbinger utilized his pawn to great effect, dodging Marcus' shots while keeping his team pinned with assault rifle fire and biotic attacks. It was a freak of nature. Just as he turned the corner, two drones and a third captain attempted to ambush him, only for him to use reave on one drone and to barrel into the captain like a biotic missile, tearing it from it's position and sending it flying into a wall, followed by a loud crunch.

He moved to try and take care of the second drone, but underestimated the speed of it's counterattack. Searing pain went up and down his arm as he felt a collector's razor-sharp talons dig into his shoulder. It took all the determination he could muster to activate his omni-blade and hurl it into the collector's face, impacting one of it's eyes.

His visor was immediately coated in a thick layer of collector body fluid as it's eye exploded from the impact, the collector doubling back and ripping out it's talons. With his omni-blade out, he activated his omni-bow and aimed it directly at the collector's left leg. He fired, a molten-hot surge of energy impacting it's leg and blowing it off, causing it to scream once more. The pain in his own injury dumbed down; medi-gel coating the wound. The drone reached for it's weapon in a last act of defiance, but had was gunned down as he emptied a clip from his SMG into it's head.

He quickly picked up his pulse rifle, rounding the corner and hoping to get the jump on Harbinger. Instead, he came face to face with a trio of husks. They snarled and moaned as they spotted the spectre, charging at him even as he flared up his biotics. He managed to grab two husks and throw them away, but the other tackled him to the ground, once again trying to rip his helmet off so it could tear his throat out with it's teeth.

He struggled to keep it off him as an idea lit up in his mind; his hand fumbling for a grenade on his belt. Finding one, he grabbed the husk's neck and primed the explosive, shoving it into the abomination's open mouth. With a final roar of fury, Marcus kicked the husk, sending it hurling at it's approaching brethen, for lack of a better term. A great explosion hit him with a wave of heat, followed by rotten slabs of synthetic flesh, black, oily fluid that served as the husk's blood coating his armor. Struggling to his feet, he picked up his pulse rifle and once more trudged on. By this point, the collectors were in retreat once more.

But he could tell Harbinger wasn't down yet; his team would have said so if it was. He looked around for the beast, deciding to unholster his claymore and continue searching, only for Harbinger to find him.

_**"You're resistance is admirable, Shepard. However, your time for victory is not forthcoming. You will succumb to the envitable."** _

Marcus was unable to combat the incoming biotic blast, even if he wanted to. His weapon was knocked from his hand, his body battered aside as he collided into the ground, boiling pain surrounding his chest. When he turned to see it, he saw that his kinetic barriers had failed and the chest section of his armor was completely scorched. Standing above and approaching, was Harbinger.

"We can beat you," Marcus retorted, "I sent Sovereign to hell! I'll do the same to you and the rest of your kin! This galaxy is going to kick your ass!"

Marcus suddenly felt control over his body loosen and disappear entirely. Almost immediately, his body became like a puppet, Harbinger raising his hand as if he was the puppetmaster; directing Marcus' movements. He raised his hand and Marcus' body was thrusted upwards, standing up even if he didn't want to.

_**"You are nothing. You've changed nothing. The loss of Sovereign will not damage our cohesion. Their sacrifice will be remembered when our numbers darken the sky of every world. Your resistance will crumble. Your worlds will burn. Your people will die. All those you love will be harvested and risen to perfection. Those you hold dearly will watch as their kin are reduced to foot soldiers for our bidding. Cannon fodder to be discarded when useless. You are nothing. We are everything. We are omnipotent. We are universal. And you...mean nothing."** _

Before Marcus could mouth a response, a familiar, soothing voice responded, but this time laced with fear and determination, but most of all, fury.

"He's everything to me!"

Harbinger's head turned at an unnatural angle to face his new foe. He was instead met with a combat drone that zapped at him. Harbinger dropped Marcus to the ground as he raised his rifle to eliminate the threat. Then, from the left, he was hit by an incendiary attack, taking notice and turning to face Mordin. Then he was hit by a warp from the right; Jack. More and more of his squad appeared, hammering Harbinger from all sides.

"Harvest this, bosh'tet!" Tali shouted one last time as she appeared from nowhere, cloak depleted as she thrusted her plasma shotgun into Harbinger's chest. Harbinger swatted it upwards, only for the quarian to press the trigger and unleash the round straight through it's throat. Harbinger fell to the ground, boiling green blood splattering the ground in pools as the defeated collector fell down, limp. They had defeated Harbinger's pawn.

_**"I will find you again, Shepard."** _

Before their very eyes, they watched as the dead collector's body broke down and eventually turned into ash, the wind scattering the dust along the sky. All that was left of the upgraded drone was the assault rifle it had held. He suddenly found Tali kneeling next to him, tossing Kasumi back her cloak, who nodded in appreciation as she hooked it back up to her omni-tool. Chiktika dropped at Tali's feet.

"Stupid bosh'tet," Tali chastised him, "Look at yourself. When are you going to stop running into trouble without backup?"

He allowed himself a weak smile as he pushed himself to his feet, aching shoulder and chest no longer burning with pain, "When I stop having something to fight for. Harbinger was one tough SOB."

"You can say that again," Garrus stated, "But now that we have another Reaper to fight, it doesn't sound like things are going to get easier. This just puts the nail in the coffin of the argument about how the reapers aren't involved in this. And by the way it referred to Sovereign, it seemed almost to be condescending. Shepard, what if this reaper is more powerful than Sovereign? And how did it get control over you?"

"It's quite likely," Marcus responded, picking up his pulse rifle, "But we don't have time to think that through. Right now, we've got a colony of people to save. Let's keep moving; let's just hope we don't run into Harbinger again. I don't think that was his only pawn. How he was controlling me? I'd guess it was my cybernetics. I'll have to keep an eye on them."

The team moved on ahead while Tali looked at him with concern. Noone else would be able to tell, but he could see it in her eyes. He was the only person, to his knowledge, who could. He smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I'll be okay, Tali. Really. I'll have Doctor Chakwas take a look at me when we get back to the Normandy."

"You'd better," Tali stated back, "Or I'll pull rank on you." With that, Tali moved past him and up ahead, Marcus only shaking his head at her concern. God he loved her. He cast one more glimpse at the original location of Harbinger's dead pawn before moving on.

_Army of powerful soldiers, check. Reaper mastermind, check. Now we just need a Saren to complete the mix._

**{Loading...}**

_August 22, 2185_

_1609 hours._

_Exterior Courtyard, Colony Grandeur, Northern Hemisphere, Horizon._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Professor Mordin Solus, Soldier Grunt, Subject Zero Jack._

Click. Bang. Thump. He squeezed the trigger of his claymore and let loose a shell of pure fiery tungsten, the shell ripping apart the husk mid charge. He made sure the room was clear before moving further inside, slotting a new round into the heavy shotgun's chamber, Tali quick behind him. He looked to the building on the right to see Garrus leading the rest of the team on the right flank while he took Tali, Mordin and Miranda. The collector resistance was actually getting lighter rather than heavier, with only one captain and a squad of drones coming to intercept them.

They were now converging through the exterior sector of the courtyard, trying to access the blast door blocking them from the main courtyard. After breaching the garage, they had found a colonist who had managed to survive the seeker invasion; a mechanic by the name of Delan. He explained his situation and told them about a GARDIAN anti-invasion system located in the middle of the courtyard. After having EDI break through the collector's jamming frequencies, the AI informed them that they couldn't access the cruiser and would have to stop it from escaping using the GARDIAN's to disable it. Now here they were, fighting to reach the GARDIANs.

Finally, they reached the entrance into the blast door's compound. Before they could enter it however, Garrus' voice shouted over the comm, "Shepard, we've got somekind of uber husk at the blast door. Actually...it looks like multiple husks melded together. Just keep back; it's got a heavy cannon and it almost ripped Jack apart."

"Copy that, we'll attempt to flank it," Marcus informed the turian, motioning for his team to take positions on either side of the door. As soon as they were, he opened the door and looked towards the hostile. The beast was massive; it was Wrex's size if not slightly larger and looked like an overgrown rock with legs. And he immediately saw what Garrus meant by multiple husks. The creature was, quite literally, just three husks merged together to form one entity. One husk acted as the two legs, another acted as the holder for a huge cannon pointing out of its left side while the third made up the rest of it's biomass. A chorus of cries eminated from the beast, all three husks letting out moans that were filled with death.

It's back glowed intently, it's skin transparent with a pulsing blue glow, almost like biotics. It was a hybrid. He knew what this creature was called.  _A Scion._ With complete silence, Marcus gathered a orb of biotic energy in his hand, motioning for Miranda to lift a barrier over them as they assaulted the scion from behind. Just as she did, the resulting sound caused the beast to turn around with surprising speed, it's cannon firing thrice and pounding upon the shield, all three shots like being hit with a heavy cannon. All up, those three shots made up the force of a single claymore round.

His biotic warp hit the scion, tearing the head of the top husk off, head sent flying into Kasumi, the thief squealing as she threw the head away. The last two husks on the creature groaned, firing another three shots as Tali and Mordin combined their fire on the creature. Bits of hanging flesh fell of in strands; black, oily blood secrating the ground in thick drops. By the time Miranda used her barrier to knock the scion off balanced, they had closed the distance and Marcus and Tali combined shotgun fire to finish it off.

"By the spirits, what other horrors do the collectors have at their disposal?" Garrus exclaimed, taking time for a breather as Zaeed spat on the dead creature's corpse. Tali was already at work; hacking into the blast door and opening it.

"Let's hope nothing else," Kasumi added, still wiping black oil secrations off of her hoodie. The blast door finally finished opening and Marcus took a long look of the courtyard. It was long and lengthy; grass fields and bushes littering the area. In the middle was a pedestal where a control panel was located. Marcus could see the tips of two GARDIAN towers to his left and right; all linked to that single terminal. Buildings were located on the perimeter and towering before them was the massive column that was the collector warship.

He ordered his team into defensive postures; Kasumi and Tali with him, moving up to the pedestal, Garrus and Grunt protecting the blast door, Grunt and Jack on the bridge to the left, Mordin and Zaeed to the right and Jack, Miranda and Jacob up ahead to secure the forward position. When they finally reached the pedestal, he took a defensive position next to the pedestal. Most of the colony had been abducted by now. That was half the colony. It had to stop here. That cruiser wasn't getting away.

"Bosh'tet," Tali cursed.

"What's wrong, Angel?"

"I...wait, Angel?"

Kasumi gave the quarian a snarky grin, leaning in to whisper, "I may have gone digging into your records...learnt a few nicknames from your days fighting Saren."

Tali shook her head, "Even I don't remember that. Keelah, I'm not sure even Marcus remembers that."

"Oh, I remember it," Marcus stated, smiling at the two women, "I was the one who gave you that name. How could I forget it? Besides, it's only befitting of your personality."

Tali blushed under his mask, "Oh, be quiet...Leonidas."

"Leonidas?" Kasumi piped up, "Can I get a nickname?"

Marcus groaned. Kasumi and Tali giggled in unison. Then they remembered just why Tali had cursed in the first place. They looked back to the console to find the readouts.

"Marcus, the GARDIANs can be charged up but we need some AI processing power to charge it," Tali stated.

"I think this is where my help is required," EDI piped up over the comm.

"I said AI, not VI," Tali responded.

"Your assumption that I'm a VI is incorrect. My emotional processes disproves this. I am in fact an AI."

Tali look wide eyed at Marcus, "Why wasn't I told there was an AI onboard?"

"I didn't want you to freak out," He responded sheepishly.

"I smell some friction," Kasumi mumbled. Marcus and Tali both, simultaneously, tossed glares at the thief who simply poked her tongue at them. Tali was surprised when the console lit up seemingly on its own, glowing with power as it began charging. EDI's voice came through the comm's once more, "Charging sequence has begun. However, I am afraid to inform you that I cannot mask the increased generator output. The cruiser has detected the power surge and will most likely be deploying ground forces to destroy the guns."

Marcus cursed, "Any more suggestions?"

"Yes," EDI responded, with a lace of sarcasm, "You have inbound hostile forces. I recommend fortifying your position. This process will take ten minutes."

Marcus could already here the beat of insectoid wings as the collector's advanced towards them, "Everyone, get ready! Defend the guns from the enemy! We lose those guns and the colony won't stand a chance."

It wasn't long before the collectors began their assault. They came in hordes this time, having clearly been taking pods to their ship before being redeployed to stop them. The seeker swarms were all but gone, having returned to their masters onboard the enormous vessel. Despite the enormous hordes of collectors however, they were easily repelled. All that attacked them was swarms of drones with the odd captain, which was easily cut down by Grunt's stolen particle rifle. Husks and Scions obviously couldn't fly, so they didn't encounter those either. All in all, the collector forces were easily pushed back.

_**"Assuming Direct Control."** _

Marcus felt shudders course through his body as he turned around his cover to see a drone begin to screech in pain. He continued to watch as orange energy coursed through it's body, fissures opening up in it's chitin armor and flame pouring out, orange glow appearing in it's eyes and continually increasing.

Finally, the collector's body gave a burst of orange energy, completing it's transformation into the reaper-controlled monster, orange biotics coursing through it's body.

 _ **"Your continuation to resist is becoming a frustration,"**_ Harbinger's voice echoed, taunting him.

"I'm sorry to inconvience you."

 _ **"I know of those you would die to protect,"**_ Harbinger continued,  _ **"The quarian; you hold her with extreme care. Without her, your cohesion in battle would falter. She is your weakness; the wire to the post that must be cut loose."**_

Anger boiled in him as he observed Harbinger approaching the quarian's position, the young engineer unaware, "I'll cut you loose. I cut Sovereign loose. You'll fall too."

 _ **"Sovereign's greatest weakness was exposure,"**_ Harbinger boomed, raising a biotic fist towards the quarian. This time, Marcus did react, charging at the collector,  _ **"We experience no such problem. We cannot be exposed. We see your galaxy; begging to be harvested. Begging to be saved. We are the chaos imposed on organic evolution. Your defeat is a prophecy that was determined many millenia ago when our creators were harvested."**_

"I've got a prophecy for you," Marcus roared, Harbinger turning to face him with an almost satisified look, "Go to hell."

His biotic fist impacted the side of Harbinger's jaw, doubling it over. It quickly recovered it's balance however and combated his biotic fist with it's own to his chest. He grunted in pain, trying to counter with a footsweep. But the collector was like stone; it refused to budge even as his leg hit it, the collector simply picking him up with a single talon clasped around his throat.

_**"You will witness ascension."** _

"Witness this."

Marcus' omni-bow met Harbinger's neck faster than it could react. He fired and was sent flying backwards from the blast, a gaping hole left in Harbinger's neck. It's head hung on an angle and before he knew it, it's body once again dissolved into ashes, once again defeated. Marcus now realized that Harbinger could assume control of any collector it wished. Even the captains.

 _ **"Releasing control,"**_  Harbinger's words echoed into the wind, followed by a loud screech as the remaining collector troops flew away, returning to the ship. Once gone, the screech returned. It wasn't collector. It wasn't a husk or a scion. It was something much worse. A massive, mechanical scream that sent chills down his spine.

Just as he moved into a crouch next to Tali, the creature appeared on the horizon, arriving from the ship. It was a massive beast, gliding through the air. It was covered in extremely thick, purple armor, glistening in Horizon's sun. Four legs trailed from it, along with four, purple eyes aligned vertically along it's hull. It's mouth opened, revealing a sickening sight; thirty husks, all merged together. The massive beast, a praetorian, slammed into the ground, eyes glowing before letting loose a twin beam of purple energy, slicing a few crates in half as it drifted towards Tali and himself. He crashed into the quarian, pushing her out of the way as the beam hit the crate, slicing it up.

Marcus turned over to find the praetorian looming over them, preparing to lash out. He knew there was no hope of moving in time. The praetorian's legs were like scythes; they would cut him up. He gave a glance at Tali, the quarian sharing his look as they held hands, squeezing them tightly. No amount of cybernetic reflexes could save them both from this swift attack. Even his team wouldn't be able to ward it off, especially since their shots pinged harmlessly off it's powerful barriers. Both of them just looked into their eyes; wanting the last thing they saw to be each other.

But no pain met their bodies. No blackness. No blood and screams. Only a loud thud, followed by an explosion. The praetorian screamed in vehemence and frustration, causing both himself and Tali to look up. The praetorian backed away from them, smoke trailing from it's shields. His team roared in triumph and he quickly saw why. A GARDIAN turret faced the praetorian, barrel smoking as it prepared to fire again. The praetorian roared, charging up it's twin eye beams.

"Fuck yes EDI!" Joker shouted over the comm, "Give it to that bitch!" The rest of the anti-ship turrets were firing at the enemy cruiser, shots chipping off bits of armor and sections of hull, barely scratching the massive warship. Meanwhile, this GARDIAN fired once more. The shot ripped through it's barriers, pinging off it's barriers and causing it's beams to go wide, hitting a nearby building instead. A final shot tore the praetorian in half, destroying it completely.

But their victory didn't last long. The hum of distant thrusters was heard as smoke trailed from the cruiser. He widened his eyes in horror.

The Collectors were escaping.

**"We met many of the collector's horrors on Horizon. Scions, Praetorians and of course, Harbinger. That reaper really did creep me out. He made Sovereign seem friendly. Harbinger was just...scary."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"The Leader of the Reapers usually is."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**


	25. Prejudiced Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following their semi-victory against the Collectors on Horizon, the crew enjoy their break on the Citadel. Shepard and Tali help a pilgrim in need.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:**

**PREJUDICED INTENTIONS**

_August 22, 2185_

_1628 hours._

_Interior Courtyard, Colony Grandeur, Northern Hemisphere, Horizon._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Professor Mordin Solus, Soldier Grunt, Subject Zero Jack, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

"EDI, you need to-"

He had jumped up, helping up Tali up and had gone to order EDI to focus back on the cruiser, but it was a moot effort. The collector vessel's massive rocket thrusters kicked off, propelling a massive wave of dust towards them, that sent his team tumbling over and onto the ground, Tali landing ontop of his chest. Luckily, the heat released from the cruiser didn't reach them, but he could feel the ground shaking and numerous buildings being torn from their foundations due to the force of the blast.

The GARDIANs continued to pound the cruiser's outer hull, but it was no use; the titantic warship was simply not taking any damage. Before long, the collector cruiser propelled itself upwards, flying up into Horizon's atmosphere. He could order the Normandy to engage and disable it, but then he remembered the cruiser's powerful main gun. That thing would tear the frigate in half and it would end up just like it's predecessor. There was nothing he could do as the cruiser disappeared into the clouds.

"Commander, the collector ship just left Horizon's atmosphere," Joker informed him, "It's headed for the relay. Should we pursue and disable?"

"Negative. It's too powerful," Marcus ordered, "Stand down."

Marcus sighed as Tali helped him up once more, standing to look at the spot the cruiser had originally been parked. Great. Now he had let the collectors escape with half of the colony; it was a mission failure. He was supposed to save all of them, but in the end he had lost half of them to the collectors as they escaped. To be taken beyond the Omega 4 Relay where noone could save them.

"The collectors were indeed worthy enemies," Grunt appraised, "I will enjoy fighting them again."

His team gathered around, assessing wounds and sitreps. Marcus didn't notice as numerous colonists began walking around, no longer frozen. Kasumi patted his shoulder, causing him to turn around and widen his eyes at the sight of the unfrozen colonists. He guessed that with the collectors having left, the transmitter for the poison had worn off and the colonists regained control over their bodies, allowing them to move around. He smiled weakly but dropped it when he saw Delan approaching them angrily.

"What the fuck!?" Delan roared, stopping infront of him, "You let those pieces of shit get away with half the goddamn colony!? They got Lilith and her husband! They even got my daughter! You can't let those fuckers get away with this! You have to do something; please! You have to go after them! You have to-"

Marcus placed a hand on the man's shoulder, feeling the mechanic's body stiffen, eyes welling up, "My poor little baby..."

"I'm sorry, sir," Marcus sympathsized, "But there's nothing we can do. We'd need the entire alliance fleet to fight that cruiser, let alone disable it. I'd send my frigate after it, but we just don't have the weaponry to combat it. I'm sorry for your loss; but there's nothing I can do."

Delan looked up at the man an swatted his armoured hand off, causing the spectre to groan silently in pain; it was the arm the collector had stabbed, "I don't need your sympathy, asshole! You alliance retards were meant to stop this from happening in the first place! Worthless morons, the lot of you!" Before Marcus could do anything more, Delan had stormed off, mumbling insults towards the Alliance while smashing everything in his path. Marcus could see numerous colonists weeping over lost relatives or others just being happy to be alive.

He felt a three-fingered hand grip his shoulder and he turned around, hoping to see Tali. Instead he saw Garrus, a look of concern plastered on his turian features, "You okay, Shepard?"

Marcus sighed, nodding reluctantly, "I'll be fine. I'm just so tired. The battle on Haestrom was a close victory and then...this happens."

"I'd call it a victory." Garrus stated.

"How can you say that? We lost half the colony."

"Better result than since the abductions began," Garrus replied, "Before, the colonies disappeared fully. Today, we engaged the collectors on their own terms and came out slightly victorious, having cost them half of their original bounty. It's a phyrric victory, but it's a victory nonetheless."

"I suppose you're right," Marcus stated, "You'd make a great Illusive Man."

Garrus groaned, "I think I'd rather stay a handsome turian with the sniper rifle than become a turian survivalist thank you."

Marcus chuckled as he pushed past the turian, giving him a brotherly hug on his way over to Tali, who simply stood looking over the ruined colony. Not wanting to disturb her vigil, he moved over and stood next to her, looking over the devastation as well. Several seconds were spent in silence before Tali spoke, sighing as she rested her on his shoulder and leaned in closer to him, his own hand moving around her waist.

"So much devastation," Tali said, "And what that mechanic said; about losing his daughter...I feel sorry for him. The collectors took his child away from him to do untold things to her."

Marcus nodded in agreement, "Using her as some kind of experiment for the Reapers..."

Tali cringed; he could tell, he felt her shiver transfer to his skin, "Just promise me that when we finally find the collector homeworld, we'll burn it to the ground. Thes insect bosh'tets deserve to die before they hurt anyone else."

"We will. I promise," Marcus whispered, kissing her on the forehead.

Then a familiar, friendly voice came from behind them, "Argh. Will you two ever get a room?"

Both of them turned to the source of the voice, finding none other than Kaidan Alenko, smiling his same devillish grin. He hadn't changed much from two years ago; he had the same raven black hair, all cropped up. He wore the usual alliance light combat armor. The only new thing he noticed was the mattock looking weapon on his back; one he quickly indentified as a harrier. He smiled as Tali turned around, letting his hand fall from his hand.

"Staff Commander Alenko, it's good to see you again," Marcus greeted, taking Kaidan in a brotherly hug. They slapped each other's backs before breaking away, both of them chuckling, "Didn't think I'd see you again. A matter of fact, I wasn't supposed to."

That's when Kaidan's smile died, "I...heard you were working for Cerberus. Please don't tell me that's true. I really don't want to believe it's true."

Marcus shook his head, "For and with are two different words I've become very accompanied to. No, I'm using Cerberus to defeat the collectors, who you just saw, who are abducting human colonies. They're working with the Reapers, so that's an added bonus. Cerberus just happened to be the ones who resurrected me, so I kinda owe them. But when it's all over, I'm leaving them."

Kaidan looked relieved at that, "That's good. Rumors had reached the alliance brass that you were working for Cerberus, but I'm just glad that isn't true. It's good to see that Tali is back with you; you and that quarian always were inseperable. Especially after that shore leave on Noveria after destroying Sovereign."

Marcus remembered it like it was yesterday. Saying goodbye to Wrex. Liara and the crew poking fun at him and Tali. Dancing with Tali. Talking to Pressly and Johnson for what felt like the final time. It was a night set in stone for him; the night where he danced with Tali and didn't feel as embarassed as he thought he would.

"Don't forget Garrus. Tali only recently rejoined the crew. Garrus has been 'round a while." Marcus declared, motioning for Garrus to come over to them, "Haven't run into Wrex or Liara yet. Wrex I know is on Tuchanka, but Liara just seems to have disappeared. I was surprised when TIM told me you were on Horizon too."

"TIM?" Kaidan asked, confused.

He chuckled, "A nickname I used temporarily for the Illusive Man. It kinda stuck."

Kaidan let a grin cross his face, "Of course. I'm going to assume Joker and Doctor Chakwas are back on the ship? Because apparently they went AWOL, according to alliance reports, a year ago."

"Yep. Joker is back flying the Normandy and Chakwas is our medical professional again," Marcus informed him.

"The new...Normandy?" Kaidan asked, wide-eyed.

"Yeah, Cerberus was nice enough to rebuild her too," Tali piped in, not wanting to be a third wheel, "And she's bigger and shinier than the original too. Not to mention she packs alot more firepower. We also got a new, shiny tank called the hammerhead! It's a prototype though, but it still packs alot more firepower than the Mako and Marcus can actually drive it without crashing this time."

"Hey!" Marcus objected.

"So yeah, you'll love it." Tali smiled behind her mask.

"Tali, I-" Kaidan was about to say something, but Garrus' arrival interrupted him, "Kaidan, is that you?"

Kaidan smiled, "You bet."

"Well if it isn't the big biotic boy himself," Garrus stated, taking the man's hand and shaking it firmly, "Good to see you again. Looking forward to having you back on the Normandy."

Kaidan looked visibly distraught, "I'm sorry, but that ain't happening."

The three of them looked shocked, "Why not?" Tali asked.

Kaidan sighed heavily, leaning against a crate, "I'd love to join you guys again, but you know alliance views on Cerberus are clear. I could be labelled a traitor. Not to mention that I'd be listed as AWOL if I abandoned my post."

"That's it?" Marcus asked.

Kaidan was surprised that Shepard wasn't more disappointed, "Yeah, pretty much."

"Good. I'll send Anderson a message asking for your transfer to the Normandy. I'll also make sure you're listed as on temporary discharge until reenlisted."

Kaidan looked flabbergasted, "How the hell...you can't transfer an alliance marine to a ship labelled as an enemy vessel."

"Oh, but it isn't," Marcus added, "You see, I called in a favor with Anderson before leaving the Citadel to have him register the Normandy as alliance property. On alliance records, you'll be listed as being transfered to the SSV Normandy SR-2, not the CAW Normandy SR-2. Besides, I'm pretty sure I've earned a few favors from Hackett and Garrong. They won't mind if one marine goes missing."

Kaidan smiled, "I guess that's settled then. I'll go get my belongings."

Marcus nodded, slapping the man on his armoured shoulder, "Meet us at the shuttle. It'll be just in this courtyard." As he said this, he motioned for Miranda to have the shuttle pick them up in the courtyard. Kaidan snapped a crisp salute, which Marcus returned out of his friend's wishes, and the sentinel walked away, heading into the colony as he turned back to his dextro companions, smiling.

"That went better than I thought it would," Tali stated.

"An unexpected recruit, too." Garrus added in.

Marcus chuckled, "A pleasant one, regardless. It'll be good to have Kaidan back. But don't worry, I'm still relying on you two to watch my back. We're the dextro force, remember?"

Garrus groaned, "My god, you still remember that? And besides, we already stated that Johnson's little name for us was too cliche. However, I do think the Dextro League sounds pretty nice," he then looked at Tali and grinned, "Or maybe the Dextro Bosh'tets."

Tali slapped the turian on his shoulder, shaking her head.

Marcus nodded in approval, "Actually, that doesn't sound bad. The Dextro Bosh'tets. I like it."

"Spirits, what have I created."

"It's like the saying goes: Be careful what you wish for."

"But I didn't even-"

Miranda's voice halted their banter, "The shuttle is inbound. ETA 30 seconds."

Marcus nodded to Miranda, motioning for his two friends to follow him to the extraction point. Kaidan joined them a few seconds later, followed by the shuttle. When they finally left Horizon behind, he sighed. They had fought the collectors on the ground and learnt that they certainly were a tough enemy.

But so were the geth. And soon, the collectors wouldn't just be pushed back behind the relay. No, if he had anything to say about it...

They'd be wiped off the galactic map.

**{Loading...}**

_August 22, 2185_

_1652 hours._

_Mess Hall, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for the Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema._

The five of them talked wildly, throwing out questions at rapidfire. It was good to see another friendly face and it had been a long time since he had even talked to Kaidan. He idly sipped his creamy soda, savoring the delicious taste of the ice cold liquid sizzling in his throat. It hadn't been long since the events of Horizon, and the effects of it still hung over the Normandy's crew like a enveloping fog.

Upon the shuttle's return, Tali had nagged him into going to the med bay, to which he finally relented. Chakwas hadn't been happy, seeing as Marcus' wounds were quite severe and there was alot of dried blood, but she had quickly gotten over her anger and patched him up, stating that his arm would be sore for a day or two. He had also had his armor taken to the armoury for Jacob to repair, as it had taken alot of damage from the battle. The Normandy was now enroute to the Citadel to do some shopping; they needed food and supplies, whilst Marcus wanted to buy a new SMG and get better clothing than his cerberus uniform; or at least something to hide it.

He'd also made a personal obligation to thank EDI upon his return. The AI had saved his life and the life of Tali, which mattered to him above all else. The AI had stated that she had been merely following her programming and would never let any harm come to the crew if it could be helped, but he could tell that what she did went above her programming. He had then quickly evacuated the premises when he sensed an argument between Joker and EDI ensuing.

And now they had just given Kaidan a tour of the ship. Kaidan was impressed by the overall setup of the ship and had asked if he could be stationed in the armoury with Jacob, to which Marcus had quickly agreed to. With Kaidan settled in, they had taken to the mess hall, where the five of them now sat. Originally it had been just old comrades; but Kasumi had eventually decided to join in as well.

"It feels like old times now that the everyone's back together," Kaidan stated, taking a sip of his own drink, "Just a pity you haven't found Liara yet. I know Wrex would drop everything to serve on this frigate again."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Garrus piped up, "You remember why Wrex left last time. I doubt he's going to drop everything he's doing now. He's got his own race to keep together. Still, wouldn't mind visiting him."

"Agreed," Tali added, "I haven't seen Wrex since I dropped in on him on Tuchanka a year ago. Helped beat the crap out of a krogan named Wreav."

Marcus smirked, "You fought Wrex's brother?"

Tali felt quite proud of herself as she leaned back, grinning away behind her mask, "And won. Big bosh'tet had size, but I had nimbility."

"I'll bet. You must use it quite alot up in the captain's cabin," Garrus remarked, earning an elbow to his ribs from the quarian in question.

Tali snorted, "I least I have it to begin with."

"You wound me, Tali!"

Kaidan chuckled, "I see the humor hasn't died, at least."

"It's still the same old banter," Marcus returned, "It'd be better if Liara and Wrex were here though. And..." he then trailed off, not wanting to mention Ashley's name incase it brought up unpleasant memories. It didn't work though; he could see Kaidan's smile evaporating as it turned from a expression of bliss to grimness in a second, his face taking a less pleasant feature. Before Marcus could say anything, Tali placed a hand on Kaidan's shoulder.

"You miss her alot, don't you?" Tali asked.

Kaidan nodded, letting out a loud sigh, "I think about her every night I sleep. Everytime I close my eyes, I can see her condemning me. I can see her condemning me as she set off that bomb on Virmire, and watched as she died. I just keep thinking of what might have happened if we were never put into that position. If she wasn't pinned down by that geth dropship. If  _I_ was the one to be left behind. She might be here instead of me."

"Ashley did what she knew she had to," Marcus replied, "She gave her life so we could escape and so that Saren would be stopped. She didn't die in vain. The Reapers will be stopped. We all owe it to her to see this through."

Kaidan smiled grimly, "I know that much. Ash wouldn't want me to moping around here," He then raised his glass, "I propose a toast. To fallen marines who have died in the defense of our ideals and so that we may continue to live in prosperity and peace; turian, quarian and human. To Ashley Williams."

"Amen."

"Keelah Se'lai."

"Spirits guide her."

" _Yasuraka ni nemuru._ "

Five glasses clinged together, all of them taking deep sips of their drinks as they sat there in contemplation. Kasumi didn't know Ashley and hadn't been present when she died, so she decided to let old comrades mourn. Kasumi her own special someone to mourn and she let a tear streak down her cheek as she thought about him.

Suddenly, Tali's voice broke their thoughts, "Well, sorry to cut this short, but I really should get back down to engineering. It's not fair for me to be leaving all the work on Ken and Gabby." With that, the quarian moved to stand up, Marcus smiling up at her.

"Catch you later?"

Tali merely nodded, waving back at him as she left, entering the elevator.

Garrus nodded, skulking the rest of his drink, "I've got some calibrations to run on the main guns. Also want to read through the schematics on those thanix cannons. We have one of those installed in this ship and any collector ships we come across are going to be sitting ducks. I'll catch up later." Garrus then left the scene, with Kasumi not far behind, activating her cloak and disappearing. With a look at Kaidan, the both of them laughed. It didn't take them long for the whole group to leave. In the end, he finished his drink and went with Kaidan to the CIC. He wanted to see how Mordin was doing anyway.

The elevator was short and the two soldiers went their seperate ways; Kaidan to the armoury while Marcus moved into the tech lab, greeting Kelly as he went past. Just as he entered the empty box to the tech lab, he thought he could hear...singing? He decided he needed to investigate. Palming the interface, he went inside to what was definitely Mordin, pacing the room while singing loudly.

"I am the very model of a scientist salarian. I've studied species turian, asari and batarian!" Mordin sung, all the while Marcus just smiled as he stayed in the corner. He knew the words; although modified, the song Mordin sung was by the composers known as Gilbert and Sullivan; famous human music composers.

"I'm quite at genetics, as a subset of biology, because I am an expert which I know is a tautology. My xenoscience studies range from urban to agrarian, I am the very model of a scientist salarian." Mordin's song finished, the salarian continuing to hum the rest of the song as he hummed. Marcus decided to break the silence.

"I didn't know you sung Gilbert and Sullivan," He complimented.

Mordin, apparently unphased by Marcus' surprise visit, stood up, smiling as he took a sample of something back behind his desk, "Yes, performed on Sur'Kesh infront of large crowd during shore leave. Very fun. Kirrahe liked it. Said it was personal favourite. Singing good for personal optimism. Apologize if singing disrupted crew."

The spectre immediately held up his hands, "No, nothing like that. I just noticed you singing when I came to talk with you. It appears biology and physiology aren't the only things you have specialities in."

Mordin nodded, rapidly typing at his terminal, "Have many specialities. Many not pleasant. Others, more so. Singing not a mission parameter though. Defeat of collectors remains number one priority. Cannot delay. Much data. Must contemplate."

"Of course Mordin, I'll let you work," The N7 complied, moving to leave before stopping himself and turning around, "Just out of curiosity; what are you working on?"

Without looking up from his terminal, the salarian answered, "Working on collector data. Have ruled out artificially intelligent virus...unless it's very intelligent...and toying with me! Hmmm..." Marcus chuckled lightly as he left the room. The salarian was a nice addition to the crew and he liked him. Mordin was one of crew members who didn't scream in your face or demand attention. When he found himself standing in the elevator without anything to do, he decided he'd talk with Jack again. Zaeed wasn't exactly going to open up anytime soon and Grunt was...a baby. Tali would be hording the engineers around, so Jack was the last option.

After reaching the engineering deck, he quickly paced through the door and ran down the stairs, moving into the maintenance area. Without fail, Jack was sitting on her bunk, reading through a datapad while eating a sandwich that looked like it contained bacon, salad and mayonaise. When she saw Marcus enter, she finished chewing and swallowed, before taking another bite.

With food still in her mouth, she spoke, "What do you want?"

"Came to see what you were up to."

Jack simply rolled her eyes, "Still checking out your ship and reading up on Cerberus. Decided to put her through the paces when you're not around."

Marcus felt a grin cross his face as he leaned against a steel support strut, "I don't think Joker would appreciate that. At least not when he's working."

Jack decided she was done with her sandwich and placed it on a nearby container, the PDA quickly following it. She then stood up, moving to lean against a bulkhead strut opposite the spectre's, "Relax. Joyriding doesn't have the thrill it used to. Besides, if I wanted this ship, I'd take it."

Marcus raised a brow at that statement, "I think you'd have to go through a mercenary veteran, a krogan supersoldier, me, a quarian brigadier general cross professional engineer, expert sniper, AI that watches everything and many other things. As powerful as you are Jack, I don't think you'll be able to take the ship from us."

Jack scoffed, "Maybe you're right; would be fun to try though. I've been around. Joined some gangs. Wiped out some gangs. Joined a cult. Kept the haircut. Apparently being bald is a cult compulsory. Essentially, I learned how to survive and not be a victim. You say my chances of taking the ship are low? Well, I think they're low too; doesn't mean it won't be a thrill to try."

The spectre didn't exactly agree with the convict's attitude, but he decided to go with it anyways in case of provoking the woman. He then remembered the mention of a cult, "Hard to imagine you in a cult."

Jack snorted lightly while letting a half-grin cross her face for a moment, "I was looking for some answers. Drugs, and sex, and going to a better place? Hmph. Better place. Fan-fucking-tastic. But all they cared about was money. They wanted to take a colony, shake the suckers down to fund their spread and guess who was their ace in the hole? They were just like the rest. Didn't give one fuck about me."

Marcus felt himself feeling sympathetic for the convict. She wasn't a mass murderer, she only killed people because of how they used her. It reminded him of his days in school; where people would be friends with the 'smart kid' only to backstab him when he wasn't looking. But he couldn't help but wonder, in a sick way, what happened to said cult...

"What did you when you...found out?" Marcus asked curiously.

Jack's eyes met his, and he could see anger in them, "What, do you want a hint or for me to state the obvious? I flayed them alive, every last one of them. Fuckers deserved it."

"You must have met some good people in your life."

Jack leaned her head back on the bulkhead, crossing her arms and letting out a little giggle. Considering her reputation, it was hard to picture her as the giggling type. But here she was, giggling, "Everybody wants something. And because of that...everything is fair game. You want to know my crimes to? Well, let's see, uh...murder, assault, kidnapping...drugs dealing, arson. Done it all. Have no regrets. And hey...that's just the boring shit!"

Marcus sighed, "And the, dare I say it,  _thrilling_ stuff?" The word came out of his mouth tasting like soap.

"Piracy, Theft of military aircraft, destruction of a space station and vandalism. That one though...that was a good one. Personal...favourite, of mine."

Marcus shook his head at that, "I'm surprised vandalism even came into the equation when you were with that cult. And destruction of a space station? Seems excessive."

Jack let a wicked grin cross from cheek to cheek, "Vandalism? That's what the hanar call it when you crash that space station I mentioned into one of their moons and make a new crater. Ha! They really liked that moon."

"Ever wonder if you could've done things differently?"

"Fuck no."

"Shoudn't you?" Marcus asked, confusedly.

Jack shook her head, breaking eye contact and looking at the ground, "There isn't any reason that I should be alive. But I am. You know why? Instinct. It's worked for me so far and I'm not going to change."

Thinking he had heard enough, he turned to leave, but Jack had left her strut and returned to her bed to sit on it, speaking, "Hey Shepard...nobody's ever asked me about this shit," he turned around to face her, eyebrows raised, "It's strange to talk about. So...fuck you. And...thanks for asking."

Marcus allowed a half smile to cover half his face, "Anytime, Jack. You never told me your actual name though. I doubt it's Jack and only Jack."

Jack grabbed her sandwich and took another bite, looking at her PDA, "I...don't know my real name. I can't remember it. Cerberus called me Subject Zero and still does. I got the name Jack when some pirates offered to take me onboard; it stuck. My old name is nothing but a forgotten memory now. Of course, those pirates only took me in so they could rape me. They met a...painful end when they tried. Anyway, I've got files to read up on. So please...could you...fuck off?"

The spectre nodded as he left the maintenance area, running past Tali who was leading Ken downstairs to work on something. He smiled at her as he walked past, the quarian giving him a short nod as she went past, arms brushing each other. No matter what they did, staying seperate was almost impossible for them.

He just smiled.

**{Loading...}**

_August 23, 2185_

_1245 hours._

_Main Dock, Level 27, Zakera Ward, The Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Yeoman Kelly Chambers, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Master Thief Kasumi Goto._

The skycar door, was usual, was quick to slide open, the crimson door glistening in the Citadel's lighting. He stepped out of the vehicle, seeing as he wasn't the one who was driving, and moved to open the back door, letting Tali, Kasumi and Kelly out of the back. Garrus had been driving and Jacob had taken another car, landing nearby. He wore the basic N7 armor that he had worn on Lazarus Station and Freedom's Progress, as his blood dragon armor was still under repairs due to the beating it took on Horizon.

Tali's hand quickly found his, his five fingers interwining with her three, squeezing tightly. Kasumi examined the gesture with a grin as she walked by them, Jacob quickly joining the group, taking position next to Kelly and Garrus as they walked into the C-Sec security checkpoint. This time, the turian simply let them through, deciding that it wasn't worth the time arguing with a spectre. After a quick greeting to Bailey, they stepped out into the large crowd of the Zakera Wards.

He quickly turned towards the group, "And this is where we split. Make sure to meet back here when you're all done. And try not to spend all your credits."

Garrus raised his eyebrow, "What credits? I don't have that much. None of us do."

Tali nodded her head, "Agreed. I didn't have much to spend on the flotilla. Most of the credits I earned while fighting Saren is gone now. All I have is fifty credits."

Marcus grinned, glancing at Jacob, "Just like when we were fighting Saren, we are getting funded, just not by the Alliance. I think you'll be happy to see how many credits you have."

Garrus have him a skeptical look and Tali would have to if she didn't have a mask, but both of them immediately checked their omni-tools. Seeing the amount they had, they widened their eyes, "See?" Marcus spoke.

Skepticism placated, the group split up to go to different stores, while Marcus attempted to pull away Tali to some of the shops, but she was quick to object, "Marcus, I'm going to go shop with Kasumi for alittle bit. Where do you want to meet?"

He stopped trying to drag her off and looked at a nearby resturant. It was called the 'Thessian Moonlight' and catered to both dextros and levos. He thought it would be a good place to go on a date with his quarian girlfriend, "Meet me at that resturant. It's time I took you on a date, Miss Zorah."

Tali laughed, "I'm sure. I'm looking forward to it. See you later." She then slowly let go of his hand, nudging his forehead with her visor. Noticing the spectre's confused look, she explained, "Quarians can't kiss because of our masks. That's as close as you're going to get as a kiss from me. Well...at least until I find another way..."

Marcus felt butterflies fill his stomach at the way she said that. It was exotic, sexy and adorable, all in one. It made him love her even more. With a smile, he returned the gesture before letting go of her hand, heading over to a stairway leading up to Level 26. He ran into a few volus and hanar trying to sell him stuff. Upon reaching Level 26, he instantly spotted what he was looking for. A store called 'Sirta Foundation.' Technically it was a store part of a company named the Sirta Foundation that specialized in medical...stuff. Sirta was asari for 'medical' so it was obviously an asari owned store.

He walked inside and went up to the counter, a youthful looking asari, most likely only sixty, greeted him with a large, warm smile, "Good afternoon, citizen. How may the Sirta Foundation help you today?" The asari motioned towards a terminal displaying numerous items ready for purchase.

At first, he found nothing of value; nothing but medi-gel packs or basic injectors. Eventually though, he came across what was only known as a medi-gel pro bundle for 900 credits. It was a top of the range, cutting-edge medi-gel injection system that could hold a large amount of medi-gel in one cylinder, which could come in useful in battle. He decided to purchase three; one for himself and two for his best friends and comrades; Tali and Garrus.

The asari looked at her own console as she calculated the costs. A few moments later, she looked up, her smile still present, "That will be 2,700 credits."

Marcus wasn't willing to pay that much, but he had a backup plan, "Could we arrange a discount? Say I give an endorsement in exchange for said reduction in price?"

The asari's look was skeptical, "And what makes you think you're important enough for an endorsement? Just who are you?"

He felt like he was a braggart with what he was doing, but he really wanted that discount and couldn't help but smirk as he spoke, "Commander Shepard."

The asari's widened in shock, " _The_ Commander Shepard? As in the Hero of the Citadel!?"

He nodded, "That's me."

The asari literally squealed. He would keep telling people how he hated the attention, how he despised the fact that people worshipped him as some kind of invincible soldier when he knew himself as a simple man doing his job. But the way the asari squealed in excitement; the way people melted at his mere presence, it made him feel mirth inside.

"Then a discount you shall get!" The asari cried, "Just speak into this terminal."

Marcus leaned over the counter, still grinning as the words came out of his mouth, "I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favourite store on the Citadel."

"Thank you!" The asari squealed once more, switching off her terminal, "Please, take all three of those items and consider them free of charge. The Hero of the Citadel deserves to have his items free, not costly like those damn weapons they sell spectres down at the academy. Thank you so much for this endorsement."

Marcus nodded, purchasing the items before taking them from the bench and putting them in a provided, plastic bag. As he walked out of the store, he couldn't help but let out a brief chuckle at what had just passed. The first store he had entered and already he had endorsed a shop. By the time he had finished dating Tali, he probably would have endorsed every store on the Zakera Ward. Hell, maybe even the Dark Star Lounge.

After visiting a few more stores, he had headed back downstairs and immediately headed back downstairs and to the asari resturant, checking his chrono as he approached.  _Two hours spent on shopping. Damn._ He waited outside the resturant for Tali, who still hadn't turned up. After another ten minutes, he began to worry.  _What if some racist asshole has held her up?_

Suddenly, his omni-tool began to beep. Checking his contacts, he found it was from Kasumi. Selecting 'Accept', he held up his omni-tool so he could see Kasumi, "Kasumi, what seems to be the problem? Where's Tali?"

Kasumi gulped, "That's just the problem Shep," her eyes darted to the side nervously, "We were up on Level 26 when we saw this volus walk up to this quarian gal, who was minding her own business mind you, and the volus starts spewing crap about how she stole his credit chit. Tali saw that the officer was going to arrest the poor girl and she intervened. You better get here quick. She looks about ready to kill that volus."

With a shake of his head, he nodded, ending the call and deactivating his omni-tool, running towards the stairs leading up to level 26. When he got to the top, he instantly spotted the source of the commotion; Tali's easily recognizable, purple-suited form was located next to a information terminal, squatting next to a volus and arguing with him while a C-Sec officer held Kasumi against a wall and checked her for weapons, the quarian in question standing aside and watching helplessly. He made best speed towards the group as best he could.

Upon arrival, his hand landed on the officer's shoulder, "Officer, this search is over."

The C-Sec didn't even bother turning to look at him, continuing his search, "And who the hell do you think you are to interfere with police law enforcement?"

"Commander Shepard, Special Tactics and Recon, that's who."

The officer suddenly whirled around to face him, eyes open in shock, "Sir! I... I didn't realize it was-" The man snapped a pathetic salute, but Marcus simply ignored it in favor of pushing past him. The man was shocked to be treated in such a way by him and tried to regain some of his dignity by backing away. Marcus quickly used his omni-tool to undo the omni-cuffs around Kasumi's wrists, allowing her to move. The officer had only just started looking for her weapons it seemed, as all her weapons were still there. He turned to the volus and Tali.

Who was still threatening the idiot. Volus tried to interrupt her, "You clanless are all the same! Leave-"

The response was Tali shoving him, "Quarians are only forced to steal when people like you won't give them real jobs."

The volus was confident and brave; that was amendable, "And to think my taxes pay to support you here. Go back to your fleet, clanless."

Marcus was about to step in but once again, Tali beat him to it, "I am Clan Zorah, crew of the starship Neema, and you  _sir_ are an idiot. Stupid bosh'tet." Finally, Marcus stepped in, only for Tali to get one final threat in, "I should jack your suit's olfactory filters so that everything smells like refuse. Not that your body doesn't produce enough of that anyway."

Kasumi let out a low whistle, "Damn girl! Give me five!" Kasumi held up her hand, only for Tali to stare at it weirdly. Kasumi, hanging there awkwardly, just grinned broadly. Finally, ableit awkwardly, Tali moved forward and slapped her hand against the thief's, the latter laughing under her breath at the volus' pouting.

"I see the Earth-clan seeks to assist the clanless," the volus puffed, "Just shows their true colors."

Marcus crossed his arms as he heard Kasumi mumble, "Funny that he got that from us earthlings in the first place..." Marcus ignored this to look at the quarian, who he finally got to get a decent look at. She was female, with a aqua blue visor that was so dark it almost made it impossible to see the glowing orbs of her eyes beneath it. Her long, flowing veil was a light green. She was slightly shorter than Tali, who was basically his height and she carried herself with a less than respectable posture. It reminded him of Kenn on Omega. He wouldn't stand up for this anymore. He moved closer so he could speak to the quarian.

"Excuse me, but your name miss?" Marcus asked.

The quarian was too surprised by his respectful tone to answer, allowing Tali to say it for her, "Lia'Vael nar Ulnay. She's a pilgrim."

Marcus nodded, "Well, Miss nar Ulnay, please explain the situation to me from your perspective. Why is this...volus, harassing you?" He almost called the volus out on his racist bullshit. Called him a self-righteous prick. But he had to be professional.

Lia begin fiddling with her fingers, a gesture that reminded him of Tali once more.  _Definitely a quarian thing,_ "Well...I left the flotilla a few months ago looking to get some decent work on the Citadel. You see, I'm not an engineer like most quarians and Miss Zorah. I specialize in science; mostly biology, chemistry, physiology, that sort of thing. Top of my line in school. I came here looking for work, but all the signs said they weren't hiring."

"Then, in the middle of the night, some must have stolen my credit chits and shuttle, because when I woke up, both were missing. I had no choice but to seek refuge in a turian shelter on Level 31. I get fed well, but I still couldn't find a job. All the signs said 'no hiring' or 'not hiring vagrants.'"

Marcus felt a pang of sympathy for her. Tali just felt empathy. Tali had been through the same situation, except with people trying to kill her and losing a friend. But at least someone helped her and she ended up becoming a hero. Lia was just...trapped. Nowhere to go.

"So what happened to get this volus upset?" Marcus asked.

"Well, I was going over to the used ships dealer," Lia explained, "You see, he sells used ships at low prices and I thought I could get a bargain, but I was rejected. So on the way back to the shelter, this volus bumped into me. I said sorry and moved on but when I pop up here later on, that volus appeared along with some officer and started accussing of stealing his damn credit chit. Few minutes later, fleet-sister and your hooded friend came to help me out. It looked like the officer would arrest them too until you showed up."

"I see."

Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind them, "Excuse me! Sir!" All of them turned to see a salarian clerk running towards them, holding a chit in his hand, "You forgot your chit!"

Tali shot a glare at the volus and Lia reciprocated the gesture. Kasumi typed on her omni-tool while Marcus followed the other two ladies in glaring at the volus. Unlike Tali and Lia however, he acted, taking the chit and thanking the salarian, saying he could leave, before throwing the chit at the volus' feet.

"You big, fat, round liar," Marcus growled.

"Well..." the volus tried to object, "Well...she  _could_ have stolen it!"

Tali looked about ready to unload a shotgun shell into the volus, but Marcus' words stalled her, "Enough of this bullshit. If anything, you should be arrested for attempted framery and forgery of justified complaint. A matter of fact, Bailey might like to hear about that." Just the mere thought apparently told the volus it was time to run, the fat thing waddling away like a penguin. The C-Sec officer tried to melt away, but quickly found the spectre's hand clasped around his throat, Marcus' face in his.

He growled, "What's your name?"

"O...offi-cer...G...host..." he stuttered.

"Well, Officer Ghost, if something like this happens again, you'll be out on your ass. And I'll make sure Bailey knows about it. So if you don't want to lose your job, get out of here and never pull that crap again."

With that, he dropped the officer and he immediately ran away, not looking back. With a satisfied expression, he turned back to the trio, Tali reassuring Lia while Kasumi crossed her arms and watched on. Finally, Marcus nodded for Tali to break away so he could speak to Lia.

Lia spoke first however, "Commander Shepard, I just wanted to thank you for what you did. Noone's ever shown me such kindness. I wish I could repay you with more than words."

He shook his head, "I don't do this for the reward; I do it because you don't deserve that crap. I certain quarian showed me that." He gave a wink in Tali's direction and even without seeing her face, he could tell she was blushing while smiling.

"But if there's anyway..."

"No. No repayments. This was free of charge."

"Thank you." Lia said at last, "Well, I'd better get going. I need to get some rest and think of what to do next for my pilgrimage. I just hope it turns out better than last time." With that, Lia turned on the spot and left. Marcus smiled grimly, wishing the quarian luck. He wanted to give the quarian credits, but she had left faster than he could say 'hang on.' Suddenly, he found Tali at his side.

"Marcus, I was thinking..."

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I...wait, sweetheart?"

"It's a term of endearment to a person we love," Marcus responded.

"Okay then...sweetheart, I was thinking...could we...maybe...well I don't know if we could but...could we...please...oh how do I word this..."

He turned to face the quarian, smiling, "You can tell me anything Tali. I won't redicule or scold you."

Her blurting it out wasn't what he expected, "Could we let Lia join the crew?"

Marcus felt himself stiffen up, "I don't know Tali...our mission against the collectors is extremely dangerous."

"You recruited me to fight Saren and the geth."

"Yeah, but you had a shotgun."

"I'm not saying she has to come with us on ground missions. You heard what she said. She works on biology and physiology. She's a scientist! She could work with Mordin in the lab."

Marcus seemed to think about this for a bit. Eventually, he came to the decision that it would be a good idea. Not only would Lia get good pay and be surrounded by friendly people (generally) but she would have a fellow quarian to talk to, which would do good to increase her self-esteem. It would be good for her in the long term.

"Okay," Marcus stated, before turning to the thief nearby, "Kasumi, go ask Lia if she would like to join the Normandy. Ninety-Seven percent chance she'll agree after some persuasion, so we don't have to worry. Right now..." he turned to Tali, "You and me have a date."

Taking the engineer's hand, he lead her downstairs and to the moonlight resturant. They continued to hold hands even as they walked inside. Tali found herself worried by the lingering looks of a few people around them, but Marcus didn't seem to care; he treated her like a equal. She loved that. She found herself not wanting to ever let go. Finally, they reached the counter of the resturant, a salarian clerk looking at them with piercing eyes behind the desk.

"Names?" He asked curtly.

"I'm Marcus Shepard," The spectre stated, dropping his rank. He motioned for Tali, the salarian waiting for her to say her name.

"Tali'Zorah," She finally said, shortening her name. The salarian nodded and typed their names into a terminal before standing up, "Please, follow me this way and I'll show you to your table." Marcus and Tali did just that, following the salarian inside.

The resturant was quite beautiful, with large windows to the right allowing a fantastic view of the Citadel central ring itself and the numerous alliance, hierarchy, union and republic warships orbitting it. The carpet was a light blue with many of the tables being made of polished marble. Tali cringed at the overly exaggerated focus on looks in the place, seeing it as a waste of resources. Old habits died hard it seemed.

Finally, they found their table. Marcus had made sure it was right at the edge of the windows so they could see the Citadel below as they ate. The salarian showed them to their seats before promising that a waiter would see to them soon. He smiled over at Tali from across the table, just watching her beautiful, glowing eyes.

"Feel...extravagant yet, Tali?" Marcus asked teasingly.

Tali giggled in response, "A little too extravagant. Still, it's nice to be people to sit down and talk with you. Not on a warship or on a battlefield with people trying to kill us, but in a resturant where we can talk with noone to distract us."

"Couldn't agree more," He returned, taking the default glass bottle of water and pouring them both a drink, "It's been a while since we had a proper conversation actually. Last time I remember was on Noveria when we booked out that apartment building."

Tali hummed in reverie as she placed a straw in her drink so she could drink it through her vocalizer, "That was fun. Two weeks to ourselves and noone to annoy us. Well, maybe except Garrus and Liara."

Marcus chuckled, "Oh yeah,  _they_ were annoying."

For a moment, both of them went silent, looking through the many things to eat and drink. Finally, Tali spoke up again, "You know...I've already met your mother, but you still haven't met any of my family yet."

Marcus groaned, "That means I have to meet your father, doesn't it?"

Tali sighed, "Indeed it does. Also, be prepared to block a few punches, he'll be very hostile. He's already lectured me once over it. As for Auntie Raan...she'll still be pretty angry about it, but I can't say she won't get over it quickly. Especially seeing as how you treat me."

An idea formed in his head, "You know what? What we should do is book a reservation at a resturant and invite your father, my mother and your auntie. That way we can all meet and discuss these things in a civil matter."

Tali hummed at the thought of the idea, but any reply was cut short by her short squeal, "Yes! Deas'tuu!"

"Sure wish I could have it. I would have a whole stockpile of it just so you could do that again. You're cute when you do."

Their playful banter continued for much of that morning. They ordered their food and enjoyed it as they talked, one on one. No colonies to save. No collectors to stop. No Illusive Man sending them on random errands. It just them. Together. Talking. Enjoying each other's company. Marcus knew the likelihood of ever seeing the woman behind the mask was nill; but he simply didn't care.

A matter of fact, he couldn't care less. All he cared about was that she was there for him. And he was there for her. And no amount of collectors or reapers could stop that.

**{Loading...}**

_August 23, 2185_

_1936 hours._

_Tech Lab, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In Dock with Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Professor Mordin Solus, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Junior Assitant Lia'Vael nar Ulnay._

"You've got to be kidding me. How many more random, out of the blue recruits are we going to pick up? This isn't a fetish, is it Shepard?" Garrus asked. Marcus hadn't been surprised when he found Lia was ecstatic to be part of his crew. After returning from his wonderful date with Tali, the quarian had retreated to his cabin to move her stuff up there before working in engineering for a couple of hours. During this time, he had taken Lia over to the tech lab to introduce her to Mordin. Garrus, somewhere inbetween, had decided to join up.

"I wouldn't call it a fetish, Garrus," Marcus replied, "Just...last minute volunteering."

"This place is amazing!" Lia exclaimed as she checked the lab, Mordin watching idly from behind his desk as the quarian explored the lab, smiling away. When he had told the salarian about his new assitant, he had expected the former STG agent to be angry. But instead, he was actually quite happy about having an accomplice. He seemed even happier at the prospect of her being quarian. If not more ecstatic.

Finally, the quarian turned back to Marcus, bowing, "Thank you so much for this oppurtunity Mister Shepard! I promise I won't waste it!" She then turned to Mordin, "Or you Professor Solus. I will make absolutely sure that I am not a liability. I-" Lia continued to drone on as Garrus remarked under his breath, "Hehehe. Liability. Get it?  _Lia_ bility?" Marcus simply elbowed the turian in the ribs, causing him to give off a exaggerated grunt. He rolled his eyes.

Finally, Lia finished, "-so, um...where do I begin? Where do you want me to work? Anywhere in particular...?"

Seeing that this was now getting boring, Garrus took his leave, leaving through the CIC entrance. Marcus smiled at Lia, who was now getting shown where to work by Mordin. He knew Lia would prove to be an asset to the team and immediately knew it had been the right decision to listen to Tali beforehand, even if he had done it just to appease her to start with. He was about to enter the CIC when EDI's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Commander," EDI stated with urgency, "The Illusive Man is trying to contact you through the QEC. The transmission is marked priority alpha one."

Seeing it was serious, he acknowledged the AI by a curt nod, moving back into the tech lab and towards the debriefing room. Once inside, he waited for the transmission to clear up and for the Illusive Man to appear. When he had, the spectre spoke first.

"What's going on? EDI tells me you had something urgent to tell me. This isn't another collector attack is it?"

The Illusive Man immediately dropped his whiskey cup back into a position on the arm of his chair, standing up as he moved towards Marcus' hologram, "No, completely the opposite in fact. This has nothing to do with the collectors but requires immediate attention."

He was skeptical, but after crossing his arms, he obliged, "Okay then. Shoot."

Stopping his approach right infront of Marcus, he circled his holographic position, "We've recently lost contact with one of our research bases on the planet Aite, in the Typhon System, the Phoenix Massing Cluster. All communications have gone dark. This is extremely worrying. I need you to go in there and find out why they went offline."

He raised his eyebrow almost immediately, "Wait, why are you sending me and why is this so worrying? Can't you send your own commando teams to investigate this?"

TIM shook his head, "Too risky considering the secrets that base holds. I'll give you the short story. Some scientists lead by lead scientist doctor Gavin Archer were working on a secret program called Project: Overlord. We fear that overlord may have gone rogue."

"Wait...gone rogue? Just what is Project: Overlord?"

"A backup plan...incase resurrecting you didn't work."

"Illusive Man, what is Overlord?"

"You want the full story or short summary?"

"I want to know what the fuck I'm dealing with before I jump onto Aite blindfolded." Marcus demanded.

TIM finally sat back in his seat, conceding to his point, "Very well, I guess you should know. Overlord is Cerberus' operation to construct the ultimate VI/AI hybrid. If resurrecting you failed, we would use Overlord to destroy the geth and stop the Reapers. Many of Overlord's base processes are based off of the wreckage of Sovereign, making it just as intelligent. Archer told me it would work. But if Overlord has gone rogue...then we are in a whole lot of trouble. Overlord possesses five times the processing power of EDI and theoritically would end up smarter than the average geth. But that's where a second problem comes in..."

"Something tells me I won't like this."

"Quite," TIM stated simply, "We managed to capture many geth platforms to help with our work. The problem is, Overlord was also built to communicate with the geth; to speak in their language. To control them. This means that if Overlord has gone rogue, it will have geth at it's disposal. So go in heavy when you land."

Marcus rolled his eyes, "And here I thought I'd be dropping in with my omni-tool playing 'kumbaya' while holding hands with the geth and singing merrily. We'll deal with Overlord."

Before he could leave though, TIM spoke once more, "Shepard, if you can, try and preserve as much as Overlord as you can. Or at least enough to have basis to build up on again. Overlord could prove a valuable ally in the fight against the Reapers."

"If that thing is insane, I'm destroying it," Marcus growled, "I'm not going to let a angry grizzly bear slaughter people." With that, he ended the connection, giving Joker the coordinates. He had barely finished arriving back at the Normandy before moving to deal with more problems. Still, it would do good to put a stop to Overlord. If what TIM said was true, that thing was lethal.

And he would bomb it if the need came to pass.

**"Overlord...I..."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"I know. It's one of the most disturbing missions I've ever been on."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"And why is this?"**

**\- Commander Reia'Inas pav Earth.**

**"Because the things they did in there...it was horrific...terrible. Inhumane. Unethical. And it turned out that most of it wasn't even Overlord's fault. A matter of fact, Overlord was as much a victim as any one else."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**


	26. Victim of the Victim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Cerberus experiment on Aite turns into a nightmare factory. Shepard and the crew try to stop a technological apocalypse.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE:**

**VICTIM OF THE VICTIM**

_August 25, 2185_

_1444 hours._

_Landing Platform, Hermes Station, Cerberus Controlled Sector, Aite._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Soldier Grunt._

The heavy bulk of the cerberus hammerhead-model assault tank fell through the clouds of Aite, the Normandy souring out of the atmosphere as the sizable vehicle descended upon the Hermes facility. According to the Illusive Man's data, it was where Gavin Archer was stationed and was the last station on the planet to go silent. It was also the least likely to be packed with hacked geth or security mechs.

Due to Aite's extremely low atmospheric conditions, they impacted the landing platform much faster than previously predicted. The hammerhead's landing thrusters kicked in, allowing them for a soft landing as Marcus disengaged the hoverpods and opened the hatch, grabbing his weapon and stepping out, followed by the rest of his makeshift squad.

As he stepped out and his team moved about, he took a brief look of his surroundings. Obviously, Cerberus had taken precautions against outside hostile lifeforms; a large, thirty feet high wall acting as the perimeter for the large base, all colored the same dull, grey, white and gold color of Cerberus, followed by the insignias themselves. The walls were thick and reinforced by support struts. Ontop of the walls were what looked to be automated heavy turrets, but they were offline. A large, titantium blast door, probably half as thick as the wall itself, stood vigil in the center of the wall; the gate to the outside world. Luckily, it was sealed shut.

To his right, was the main facility. Large glass panels allowed a close, unique view of an abandoned lab and a door, green interface still operational, stood opposite it. Looming in the distance was a monolithic satellite dish, standing as tall as some of the biggest skyscrapers in existence; the dish being roughly the size of an alliance light cruiser. As he motioned for his team to move towards the door, a voice came over the PA system.

"Thank god you came!" The voice stated, "My name is Doctor Gavin Archer. The situation is urgent; we're facing a catastrophic VI breakout. Look, I'll explain the details later but you must retract the transmission dish! If you don't, Overlord will use it to transmit offworld! Please hurry! I'll guide you through it! And be careful, Overlord took control of the mechs."

With a nod, he turned to his team, "Kaidan, Grunt, you've got the honor of taking point. Tali, Kasumi, you're with me at the center. Garrus, Zaeed, I want you covering the rear and to provide sniper support when the time comes. Let's move out people; we're oscar mike."

Opening the door, they immediately cleared a stairway leading down into a quarantine, 'arrivals greeting' sort of area. Well, it had been, until Overlord rebelled. Now the place was completely trashed, with large fires being seen raging behind glass observation windows, dead bodies of both mechs, scientists and guards alike, along with numerous scorch marks on the walls from explosions. A battle had raged here.

Just as they passed through the area, one of the large holographic screens on a terminal above lit up, the face of a cerberus scientist popping up on the screen. The man wore a casual cerberus uniform with the nametag of chief scientist on his left breast. He wore red hair that was trimmed to the back of his head, with the outline of a growing beard forming around his mouth. His irises were a aqua blue color, and his ears slightly oriented outward. This was Gavin Archer.

"Ah, there you are," he greeted with his thick canadian accent, "I've locked myself in a computer room on the far side of the base. All the security mechs are running rampant under Overlord's subjugation. I think I'm the only survivor."

Marcus nodded, drinking the man's words in. Meanwhile, his team was busy cleaning shop, checking doors, moving desks and cleaning up bodies. Tali was busy hacking into a terminal to find anything of use while Kasumi watched the stairway.

"I must warn you that Overlord is extremely intelligent, angry and very powerful," Archer warned him, "It has complete control of all stations and won't hesitate in trying to kill you. I've already lost alot of friends to it...I'd hate to see you join them. If you can retract the dish, it should not only stop Overlord from transmitting offsite, but it should lose connection to Hermes and make it safe for me to leave. I'll explain everything then. Just please...take down that dish!"

The terminal switched off and Marcus approached Tali, the quarian shaking her head, "I gather we've found nothing?"

"Nothing. Not a single byte of data. Overlord's purged most systems," The engineer explained before facing him, "Only way to find out is from this Archer person. We have to hope he has the answers we need."

The spectre simply nodded, motioning for everyone to hit the door, "Agreed. We take out the dish and find this Archer. Overlord has to be stopped."

They continued down a short corridor, coming across more bodies and signs of battle. Still no hostiles. After crossing the hall, they reached what looked to be the control room for the facility. Or at least, that's what the huge, bold words said. And gather from the multiple computer screens and consoles that occupied the room, he'd have to guess so. He asked Kasumi to look around for the switch and when the thief did, she hit it, causing a loud screeching sound. The dish, as seen in the distance, began to retract, but before it fully disappeared, it came to a screeching halt. What came next was completely unexpected.

All the terminals flickered on, the image of a almost human looking face appearing on the screen. But it wasn't a normal human; no, this was an AI. It's human looking face was pixelated by small cubes, all a light lime color with two, piercing green eyes. It spoke, mouth unmoving, the sound carrying from it's throat like a thousand geth screaming at the same time, words unintelligble. The noise was so defeaning, his team had to cover their ears to block it out, Tali switching off her auditory emulators. Grunt seemed unbothered by it. When it was finished, the screens returned to normal. It was obvious who stopped them and who that was.

Overlord.

Gavin's face replaced Overlord's quickly, "Damn it! That damn AI has overriden the controls and locked you out of the mainframe. The only way you can take down that satellite now is the old fashioned way; you'll have to blow it up. Make your way over to the dish. I wish you luck; the mechs are thickest in that area."

Marcus rolled his eyes as Archer's face disappeared once more, "We haven't encountered any yet. Come on, we'll take the skytram to the other side of the facility. Move."

As they moved further inside and towards the tram station, the more Overlord decided to pop up. Every terminal held Overlord's sickly green pixelated face, either blankly staring at them or making odd noises. But if one listened closely, words could be heard. Although hard, the words were there. And it didn't make sense to him at all.

Finally, they reached the tram station. Just as they were about to board it however, they were suddenly swarmed by a squad of LOKI mechs and a couple of FENRISes, all swarming from above stairways and from the tram itself. Unlike normal mechs of their design however, their optics weren't a dull red, but a pulsing green. Seemed to be Overlord's signature color. If it was green, the AI did it.

The fight was pathetic at best. Even with the AI controlling them, the mechs weren't much better at combat. Compared to the elitism of his squad, the mechs stood no chance at were ripped apart at leisure. It was a delaying action at best; and even then they weren't delayed much. Reaching the tram, they began their journey across the bridge of the mountain.

The ride was short but long. When they arrived at the dish access base, they found it in a even worser looking state than the other half of the base. Fires everywhere, dead bodies all over, slaughtered guards and walls full of holes from explosions. Thickest was right. When they stepped outside, they found a catwalk of pathways leading to the monolithic satellite dish. It was absolutely massive; fitting his criteria of being as large as a light cruiser. On the catwalks were the completely clueless forms of numerous LOKI and FENRIS mechs. It was a good thing this place didn't employ YMIRs.

Apart from slight hitches in progress due to a damaged part of the catwalk, mowing through the enemy forces their was laughable at best. It was more a practise session than an actual battle. He could only imagine the geth at the other stations...all under Overlord's control...Most of the time he didn't even bother using his pulse rifle; just opting to use his SMG or pistol to pick them off.

Finally, they reached the satellite dish itself. It had been a simple matter of extending the bridge to access it, quickly moving inside the large structure. Once again, the mechanized resistance was pathetic and ascending to the top of the dish was just  _too_ easy.  _I'll never understand the dependence on these useless pieces of scrap._

The top was an entirely different business. Although there were no mechs, he did have to destroy the main antenna. Which was a one way trip. Instead, he knew just what to do as he grabbed his missile launcher. He turned to his team, grinning all the way, "All of you, get off the dish. I'm going to take down this bastard myself."

Garrus was skeptical, "And you?"

"I'll make my daring escape. Don't worry, it'll be spectacular."

Tali wasn't as convinced, "And if it isn't and you plunge to your death?"

Marcus shrugged, "Well...that'll suck."

The quarian was quick to swat his arm, "Don't joke about that!"

He shared a grin with the engineer, "You really think I'm going to let a satellite dish kill me Tali? Don't worry, I'll be fine! Now get your fine ass at of here!" He barked, making a poor imitation of Ken's accent in his last line. Tali merely giggled at his attempt before following Garrus and the others off of the dish. When Garrus contacted him to tell the spectre that everyone was off safely, he aimed the launcher at the center of the antenna and fired a steady stream of three missiles before running towards the edge with all his strength.

His cybernetics surprised him once more, managing to carry him to the edge just as the last missile impacted the antenna, exploding in a great flurry of light as the entire dish spontaneously combusted from the pressure. He leapt off the edge, landing hard on his front on one of the catwalks, narrowly escaping the destroyed satellite.

As he got to his feet, Garrus was at his side, helping him up as they examined their work. There was nothing left of the dish except the small arm, which was now severed of it's perch. They had stopped Overlord from escaping, but the AI was still on the loose. He thanked Garrus before straightening up, ignoring the dull ache of his bones from the impact of jumping so far. His thoughts of victory were jolted away when Archer ran up to them, "Over here!"

Marcus placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head, "Willing to explain just what the hell is going on around here?"

Archer seemed to think this through for a couple of seconds before looking back up, "Man's reach exceeding it's grasp. Follow me, I'll explain everything."

And so they did, moving back into the depths of Hermes Station. Whatever answers there were to this calamity, he'd find them here. He knew Overlord's purpose, but he couldn't understand how Overlord rebelled. But just as before, the AI's words rung in his head, still waiting to be explained.

_Please, make it stop._

**{Loading...}**

_August 25, 2185_

_1613 hours._

_Crash Zone, Prometheus Station, Cerberus Controlled Sector, Aite._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Soldier Grunt._

"Hold onto something!" Marcus barked as he braced his arms against the forward control console, while everyone else assumed similiar postures. Tali sat behind him and immediately gripped the chair hard. This action was followed by a tremendous explosion outside, causing the hammerhead to shake violently as they narrowly escaped the destruction of the crashed ship. Marcus immediately brought the vehicle around, skidding to a stop and allowing them a view of their work.

After destroying the satellite at Hermes Station, Archer had explained what was happening with Overlord, or as best he could. Apparently Overlord hadn't always been a backup plan for Shepard's possible failed resurrection; it had originally been a weapon to influence the geth using a VI/AI hybrid that was to be deployed during the Eden Prime War. They continued the project over the fears of a second galactic war with the geth.

And as was obvious, that didn't work. However, Archer was convinced the project was a success, if only partially. He explained that another scientist, one that happened to be his brother, David Archer, volunteered as a test subject, but unfortunately, his mind couldn't handle the data required to interface with even just a VI. It was too much for an organic mind. David was autistic, a sevant, according to Gavin, who said that David had the remarkable ability to actually communicate to the geth using their language. So David wasn't just a test subject for Overlord now...

David  _was_ Overlord.

Ever since Overlord's breakout, he had been seizing control of the entire facility and all technology it found. Every geth, automated turret and security mech was now under Overlord's control. He described the AI as a being of quantity in which he had never encountered before; he didn't know where the man ends and the machine begins. The organic and synthetic were literally  _one._ The ultimate hybrid.

The consequences of Overlord escaping Aite would end in what Gavin described as a 'technological apocalypse.' It would take control of everything technological and turn it against them. Even the Reapers would probably succumb to Overlord. Hell, David could probably kill off the entire galaxy before the genocidal starships even arrived. So it was obvious what the next question was...how to stop Overlord.

He continued to explain that Overlord was situated in Atlas Station, the heart of the cerberus operation and essentially a fortress; it was where most of the geth and guards were kept, along with Overlord himself. Unfortunately, the AI hybrid had the station in complete lockdown. The only way to override the lockdowns would be to manually do it at Vulcan and Prometheus stations. So, as expected, they went to Vulcan before heading to Prometheus. Gavin had already done the override at Hermes, so it was up to them to do the ones at Vulcan and Prometheus. This proved to be less than easy.

It was now the geth showed up. After arriving at Vulcan station, which was surrounded by volcanic formations, they encountered pockets of geth and mechanized forces. After a long battle, they finally infiltrated Vulcan Station, hit the override, and left. And now they had just finished off at Prometheus. It wasn't a station, per se, but more a conglemoration of labs set up in the ruins of a crashed geth destroyer. The geth had been dormant, but that was until they hit the override. With no other alternative, they destroyed the destroyer's reactor and escaped just in time. The explosion had been the destroyer's reactor going critical, vaporizing the wreckage of the once fearsome geth warship.

Marcus let out a low chuckle at their work, "Everyone okay?"

He could hear Zaeed grown behind him, "No thanks to your driving..."

Grunt joined in, "A battlemaster is good at fighting, but he is not a good driver."

Marcus rolled his eyes as he brought the tank on a course to take them out of the area and towards the now open Atlas Station, "Trust me, I know you guys would be begging to have my kind of driving skills."

Everyone simply rolled their eyes at his boasting as he drove the hammerhead towards the coordinates provided by Gavin to get to the Atlas facility. After traversing more grass plains and mountain peaks, they had finally reached the cerberus base; Atlas' entrance being a large, fortified blast door leading into a mountain side. Blowing open the door was a simple matter with the lockdown overriden, so he simply drove inside.

The interior of the facility looked far worse than the other three facilities combined. This was just a complete mess. The landing platform was a lonely platform surrounded by the exterior walls of a 'pillar' like structure, labs and rooms surrounding them like looming ships. The hammerhead came to rest on the landing platform, engines deactivating and hatch opening to allow his team admittance.

The path ahead was dark and dim, with lighting being minimal. It was eerily silent. Noone spoke; no banter traded. Just silence. The only sounds was the pitter patter of leaking water and their feet rubbing against the marble floor. Eventually, they came across a corridor that did have lighting, but it lead in two directions, both open. Deciding to check both locations, he knew he had to split up.

"Kaidan, Tali and Kasumi, you're with me," Marcus ordered, "The rest of you follow Garrus. You take the right corridor, we'll take the left. Radio the other team if you find something worth of note and if you find Overlord. Do not engage enemy targets unless absolutely nessacary." With that, the groups split up, going their seperate ways as they covered different parts of the station.

Meanwhile, Marcus' group continued to move further inside silently, weapons raised. The few geth they came across were dormant, not moving or simply not active. The silence was unnerving. It was like Overlord was watching them; their every move being tracked silently, the virtual hybrid just waiting for it's moment to strike. This was it's domain; they were under it's...his, mercy.

Then it came. After crossing the threshold of what looked like a room containing a elevator leading deeper into the facility, they were spotted by a active geth juggernaut. But this geth wasn't alone; it had friends; mostly older model shock troopers, along with two LOKI mechs.

Marcus was quick to react, thrusting a biotic shockwave towards the juggernaut and staggering it as his team focused on suppressing it's allies. The juggernaut was possibly the heaviest geth unit they had come across, encountering no colossi, armatures or primes. Not even any drones. Lucky day, he surmised.

Taking advantage of the stunned geth's position, he let loose a wave of pulse rifle rounds into the behemoth's chest, riddling it with holes. It didn't cripple the beast, but it at least gave him time to prime a grenade. Before the juggernaut could do much else, he had thrusted the incendiary grenade inbetween a crack in the juggernaut's armor chasing, before using his biotics to throw it at two approaching shock troopers, the resulting explosions taking all three of them.

He quickly joined his companions, activating his omni-blade and slamming it into the approaching optics of another shock trooper, the forcing shattering the glass chasing over the geth's 'eye' and making it go dark. Unable to see, the geth fired wildly, unsure of what to do. Switching to a omni-bow, he fired a shot through it's left leg, but only impacting it's kinetic barriers. Tali finished the trooper quickly however, her plasma shotgun tearing it's head clean off with a single blast.

Mopping up the final pockets of geth resistance, they moved up ahead, ableit faster. Taking the elevator down, they made sure to watch for hostiles. Just as it was about to reach the bottom level however, the elevator suddenly stopped, instead rising.

"What the fuck?" Marcus cursed as he hit the button on the elevator for the bottom floor. The elevator ignored the command, not responding. Before long, they were back where they started.

"What the hell is going on?" Kaidan asked, lowering his rifle at the door. Tali and Kasumi looked just as confused. Before they could say much more, the elevator suddenly jolted downwards, sending the whole team tumbling as the box plummeted downwards at incredible speed. Seeing as Tali was the most vulnerable out of the ship, Marcus used his body to cover hers and lessen the impact just as the elevator hit point zero, everything going black.

**{Loading...}**

_August 25, 2185_

_1652 hours._

_Lower Levels, Atlas Station, Cerberus Controlled Sector, Aite._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Master Thief Kasumi Goto._

The spectre had to force his eyes open upon hearing his radio crackle with comm chatter. Garrus' voice tried to contact him desperately. With a groan, he raised a hand from under Tali's cradled and still unconscious form, comming his earpiece. Nothing. He checked again, only to rip the piece away and find it to be destroyed. He cursed as he threw it away, moving to stand up.

Only to crouch down again as sudden pain shot up his leg. His ankle was sprained most likely. The elevator itself was a mess; and he wouldn't be using it again at any point. They'd have to find another way out. Kneeling next to Tali's form, he squeezed her shoulder, shaking it steadily. He watched as the two bright orbs of her eyes appeared behind the mask, instantly locking with his as he stroked her veil.

"You okay?" Marcus asked.

Tali gave a weak nod, "Yeah, I'm fine. Aside from a pounding headache and a neck that needs stretching, I'm fine."

Marcus smiled as he helped the engineer up, moving to do find Kasumi and Kaidan. Apparently however, he didn't need to as the two of them were already stirring, moving to stand up and collect their weapons. He could hear an audible crack and the three turned to Tali, to see her rolling her neck. She suddenly stopped upon seeing their eyes on her though, "Sorry." She whispered, picking up her plasma shotgun and moving out of the elevator.

Apparently, apart from his sprained ankle, everyone was fine. Kasumi had a tiny scratch on her face while Kaidan was just covered in soot. The four of them trudged on, finally coming upon a small room that Kasumi guessed acted as the main control hub for Overlord.

They entered the room, Marcus leaning back against the door to check for hostiles as Tali, Kasumi and Kaidan rolled into the room, the former locking the door behind them. Slowly, but steadily, Marcus approached the sole console in the room, gazing at it. A single press of a button and he could shutdown Overlord. It almost seemed too easy. Like there was a catch. He didn't like it, but he knew he had to. He chuckled.

"Be careful," He joked, "I wouldn't be surprised if this button releases a Reaper."

And then he did. He pressed the button. Everything went silent for a couple of seconds. Then Marcus began to worry. Nothing happened. All the consoles still displayed Overlord's face, David's face, on all their screens. Had he done something wrong? Was there something else needed to be done? Did he...?

He was temporarily blinded as the console flashed a bright green, just as bright as a flashbang. The flash blinded him, as it did his comrades, giving Overlord enough time to do what he needed to do. Marcus was helpless to stop Overlord as green energy surged into his omni-tool and then seeped into his body, ceasing control of his cybernetics. He tried to resist, but Overlord was too strong.

Tali, already recovering from Overlord's stun attack, turned to see Marcus hunched over, reeling as Overlord surged through his body. She ran up to help him, turning him to face her. What she saw wasn't Marcus; but something possessing his body. His eyes shone a brilliant green, green energy surging through his body. But he still had control. A matter of fact, Overlord didn't seem to be controlling Marcus at all. Only inhabiting his body.

"Tali...I...Overlord...inside me...I can feel his presence...," Marcus got out, "He...wants to show...me...things...wants...help...have to...cannot...let you...follow..."

Before the quarian could fully realize what he had just said, Marcus was gone, rushing towards the door, green data continuing to flow out of him. Tali rushed forward to stop him, but before she could reach him, the door had already closed, locking behind the spectre as she banged her fists hopelessly against the door. She opened her omni-tool and tried to hack it, but she knew it was no use. If EDI couldn't hack it, neither could she. Overlord had hijacked Marcus and taken him somewhere else.

And she was unable to help.

Marcus let Overlord guide him. Control him. To show him the path. The spectre saw everything from the AI's point of view. Everything was green; the walls, the crates, the windows, even his enemies. Overlord guided his hands, allowing him to react with speed currently impossible, even with his current cybernetics. He slaughtered geth after geth, confused as to just what Overlord was doing with him. Where was the hybrid taking him?

He felt new sensations conquer his body; every nerve rejoicing in being relieved of organic pressure, being liberated by the hybrid's control of the N7 marine. Before long, Overlord had taken him through much of the area and into the main laboratory, where Overlord's memories flooded his mind. David's recruitment. How Gavin had pressured him into joining the project. How they learned of his ability to talk with the geth. How they forced David to become Overlord. How...how they hooked him up to the torture device he now occupied.

And when Overlord released control of him, allowing the spectre to regain his senses, he looked up at David's cage, and felt a pang of empathy. Overlord wasn't a murderer; he was just a scared kid looking to end his own torment; a torture forced upon him by his brother.

Overlord's prison was a torture device in his eyes. David hung in the middle of the room, numerous devices hooking up to the station mainframe and network while others checked vital signs. However, it was the head pieces that were the true, sickening horror. Large appendages held David's eyelids open, causing him unimaginable pain. Two, large pipes lead down into his mouth, making it hard to breathe. Tears streamed down David's face, the man unable to fathom what his brother had done to him. And now, for the first time ever, he heard Overlord's words clearly.

"Quiet...please...make it stop!" David pleaded, crying out. Marcus felt furious at Gavin for the atrocity commited on his own brother but knew he would deal with the scientist later. First, he had to free David. It made sense now. David wasn't Overlord; Overlord was merely the AI that David had become part of. Marcus needed to destroy Overlord to sever the connection. The datastream had to be cut. Marcus knew what he had to do.

He raised his pulse rifle and aimed directly at the glowing core of Overlord's 'brain.' David let out a cry of defiance. But it wasn't his own; it was Overlord's. Marcus ignored it and fired a steady stream, not letting up. After what felt like an eternity, the core exploded, causing a massive screech of noise to fill the spectre's ears.

Then it ended. The core was destroyed and fell to the ground, the horrible contraption deactivating and disengaging; dropping David to the ground and on his knees, coughing up bits of fluid and blinking rapidly. That was it; Overlord was destroyed. It had been stopped. Marcus quickly holstered his weapon and ran up to David's rolling form, making sure to be careful with him. He had been through a traumatic experience.

He put a hand on David's shoulder and the young man immediately turned to face him, eyes wide in fear. He was basically naked apart from a pair of boxers. Before Marcus could help him up however, Gavin had apparently entered and started speaking.

"David? You're alive!" Gavin stated in happiness, but then noticed the spectre steadily approaching him, anger covering his face, "Commander, please! Don't do anything rash!" The spectre stopped his charge and simply glared daggers with the scientist.

"You told me David volunteered, you lying scumbag!" Marcus scolded, "He was forced! And don't lie to me! When he was guiding me, he showed me his memories! I watched you force him into that torture device! He begged you to stop and you didn't listen!"

Gavin wasn't angry, but desperate, "He volunteered by necessity! If I'd told you the truth, you would have shut me down and not him! It's not...It's not like I planned this! It was an accident. Seeing David communicate with the geth...it all seemed harmless."

Marcus sighed, shaking his head, "And before you knew it you were running your own private hell...and you were in charge! Chief Scientist Satan!"

This time Gavin, reacted with alittle more anger, "I had no choice! The demands were incredible! The Illusive Man doesn't reward failure! Any war with the geth will be bloody. I was asked to find a way to avoid that."

Marcus stared at the man, seeing the regret laced on his face as both he and David shared looks. But David quickly pulled away, not wanting to look at the monster that had forced this pain upon him. Gavin's gaze lingered; tear streaming down his cheek at what he had done. The spectre shook his head.

"And who gave you the right to play god?," Marcus barked, "And to inflict this on your own brother? You should be fucking disgusted with yourself."

Gavin didn't react with fury, but simple facts, not even facing Marcus as he continued to watch his brother, the autistic young man observing his surroundings. Marcus didn't turn as Tali, followed by Kasumi and Kaidan, entered the room, "People who were unwilling to make difficult decisions themselves. Doing this to David...it's not something I take personal pride in. It's resourceful necessity. Something that had to be done. When people pray for a miracle, they're really praying for men like me to make tough choices."

"If my work spares a million mothers mourning the loss of a million sons...," Gavin wondered off, before looking back at Marcus, who now had Tali at his side, sidearm at her hip. Kasumi was helping David up while Kaidan checked up on him, "Well, my conscience will rest easy."

Once again, fury spiked his posture, "Look at him! You're brother will never be the same! I hope your conscience rests easy knowing you're responsible for his torture."

Gavin shook his head, "The damage isn't permanent. He might regain some semblance of his mind."

Tali was quick to join in, "Cerberus will never leave your brother alone. He will always be a lab rat; someone they run to, to run experiments on." He nodded to the engineer, motioning for her to secure the doorway. If he was going to kill Gavin, which he felt the will to do, he didn't want the love of his life to see it. She nodded, walking away.

Gavin watched the quarian leave, directing his answer towards the spectre, "But a well-cared for lab-rat. At least he'd still be alive."

Marcus shook his head, biotics flaring through his body, "So you'll sacrifice your brother's happiness for your own ambition? You selfish bastard."

Gavin, for once, didn't have an answer to that. He simply turned to David, who was being pulled away by Kasumi and Kaidan, mumbling under his breath, but loud enough for them to hear. Marcus remembered the words from the memory David shared with him.

"Square root of 906.01 equals..." David trailed off, but Gavin was quick to pick up on it.

"...30.1." Gavin responded softly, looking down upon the ground in deep regret and sorrow. Shame maybe? He didn't know. Before long though, Gavin continued, "What I've done to David is unethical. If he dies, it's unforgivable," he then turned to Marcus, a pleading look on his face, "Let me take care of him. Please."

Kasumi and Kaidan stopped at this. The door opened to allow entry for second squad, who raised their weapons immediately. Marcus raised his hand, motioning for them to lower their weapons before looking at Tali. The quarian always knew what to say to him. She was the ethical sort. The quarian seemed to ponder for a moment before looking up at him, her eyes meeting his. Her answer was expected.

She shook her head.

He looked to Kasumi and Kaidan. Kaidan was shaking his head while Kasumi just gave him a blank stare, unsure of what to do. Immediately, Marcus ran the options through his head.  _I can't leave David here. Gavin could have good intentions, but what if his loyalty to the Illusive Man overrides his loyalty to his own brother? Is Gavin a nepotist? Yet again, does Gavin deserve redemption? It's not a matter of redemption however; it's a matter of what's best for David. The things he's seen...there's only one place in the galaxy where David would be truly safe and able to recover..._

He looked back up to look into Gavin's awaiting eyes, having made his decision.

"I'm sorry Gavin, but this isn't about redemption, it's about what's best for David," Marcus stated, moving towards his squad, back turned to Gavin, "I'm taking your brother to Grissom Academy. He'll be safe from Cerberus' grasp and be able to live in an environment with friendly people. People who aren't going to place him in torture devices. The Alliance will look after him. As for Overlord, it's finished. I find that this place is reactivated, I'll have Joker bomb it from orbit myself. A matter of fact, I think I'll do that."

Gavin's voice was desperate, "No! Leave him! He's too valuable!"

Marcus could hear the sounds of a pistol being extended and as he turned around, he saw Gavin, pistol raised to the spectre's head. He moved to unholster his own pistol, but found no need to do so. A shot echoed through the room, the sidearm flying from Gavin's grip as he cradled his bloodied hand, screaming in pain. Marcus turned to see Tali, pistol still raised, barrel smoking as she lowered it, nodding to the spectre.

Marcus followed this by uppercutting Gavin in the face, giving him a bloodied nose, "If you even try to come after David, I'll have a bullet waiting for you. Then we'll see who's valuable," he turned to Kasumi, "Radio the Normandy, tell him to load the javelin torpedo bays and then lock in coordinates for Grissom Academy."

Kasumi nodded, keying her comm as Garrus walked up to him, "What should we do about Archer? We can't just leave him here."

Marcus shrugged, looking down upon the broken man, "He got here pretty fast; must have a vehicle. He can use that to get out of here. If he's not gone by the time the torpedoes drop, then that's his fault. Come on, let's get out of here. I've had enough of this place." With that, they turned and left, leaving Atlas Station behind.

Gavin did escape, radioing the Illusive Man for pickup, calling Overlord a failure. Marcus and the crew took David and evaced to the Normandy. After destroying Atlas Station with a orbital bombardment, the frigate entered FTL, inbound for Grissom Academy, located in orbit over Elysium, in the Vetus System, Petra Nebula. David Archer would be safe there; from his brother, and from Cerberus.

And right now, he was going to have nice chat with the Illusive Man.

**{Loading...}**

_August 27, 2185_

_1826 hours._

_Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Illium._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema._

Talking. That's what Marcus Shepard and Tali'Zorah were doing. Talking. Right. It had been a few hours ago since they had dropped David off at Grissom Academy and now they were heading to Illium, where their last two recruits were located. Afterwards, they'd head to a specified Cerberus drydock and have the Thanix Cannon added to the ship's arsenal. It'd keep Garrus happy at least.

He had talked with the Illusive Man, who had admitted to authorizing Gavin's movement with using David as a test subject. He didn't budge, stating that it was a nessacary risk to conduct. Their alliance was unchanged however; stopping the collectors was more important, and he still needed Cerberus' resources.

Still, what had been talking between the couple had quickly escalated into something else. Marcus remembered how Tali had...treated a couple of days ago and he hadn't forgotten his promise to reciprocate the gesture. It had started with Marcus kissing sensitive areas on her suit; areas thin enough that it could be mildly felt by the quarian. Even if she didn't, she added cooes and humming sounds just to please him. Eventually, their actions had them moving onto the bed, where their actions quickly rose.

Now the treating was going both ways. Marcus lay on the bed, on his back, with his pants and boxers pulled completely back. Tali lay ontop of him, her elbows placed on his chest. His erect organ was placed firmly between her own legs, prodding against her concealed and protected, but wet core. She hummed in delight as she rubbed her body up and down against his organ, pleasuring both parties with her dry humping.

Marcus for one was feeling immense pleasure. No girl had made him feel this way before, not even the schoolies back during graduation night in secondary school. Tali was special; so the...sex, if you could call it that at the moment, was extra special and pleasurable with her. His hands gripped her hips, squeezing them tightly as she increased her motions, the engineer's moans easily heard as they increased in volume, both of them reaching climax soon.

During their lovemaking of sorts, they both held their foreheads (or Tali's visor) together in a symbolic form of kissing. They mostly did it however to ensure the other that they were there. It made the experience that much better.

Marcus groaned as he felt about ready to climax, with Tali's moans becoming much more paramount. Without warning, Marcus hit his climax first, unleashing his load. Due to Tali's positioning, only some of his seed hit his body, with the rest coating her lower veil section. Despite already finishing his load, Tali continued to dry hump, having not reached her own. Just as she hit her own, she turned off her vocalizer, not wanting the people below to here her scream of pleasure and lust.

She climaxed, her suit's waste disposal system rapidly taking care of her own load. Even through her vocalizer her cry could be heard, echoing through the silence of the cabin. She reared up, drinking it all in. This was technically the first time Tali had actually ejaculated and it was a whole new experience for her. It was the best euphoric feeling she'd ever had.  _Just imagine this without the suit. You wouldn't be rubbing against him...he'd be inside me..._

Tali shook that thought away as she collapsed ontop of him, letting her climax filter itself out as Marcus pulled his boxers, followed by his pants, up and zipped them sighing at her touch. There was stil a bulge in his pants, but he ignored it. Just reminded him of the kind of woman lying next to him.

The quarian in question wrapped her arms around her lover, holding him tightly, not wanting to let go, just enjoying the warmth radiating from his body and into hers. Despite the suit, she could still feel the heat eminating from him and it made her feel good inside.  _At least I can do one thing with this suit to pleasure him. But will it last? You know what males are like. Quickly he'll want more. What if I can't give him more? Will he...abandon me for someone else?_

Keelah, how could she think that? Marcus wasn't in this relationship for sex, he was here for her. He said so.  _What if he said that to placate you?_ That gave her pause.  _Would Marcus do that to me? Is this relationship forged simply out of sympathy for my race? I know I love him, but does he love me? Is it unconditional or forfeit?_

Marcus could feel the sudden hesitation in Tali's posture. The signs were there; her loosened grip on his chest, her drooped head and shoulders along with her seperated position. He knew something was wrong and was quick to act. He wasn't really willing to lift her up so he could sit up; his ankle still throbbing from the unwanted elevator crash back on Aite. Instead, he was content with leaning down and kissing her on the forehead.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly. This caused Tali to stiffen abit; this confirmed his suspicions. The quarian hesitated for a second, trying to think of what to say. In the end, she decided she'd rather not ruin the moment by voicing her concerns.

"It's nothing."

He sighed heavily, shifting his head so it was raised and looking into her eyes; the fabric of her veil brushing against his skin as he moved, "Don't give me that. You may wear a suit, but I can see when you're worried or troubled by something. You can tell me anything, you know."

"I know," Tali sighed heavily, "I just don't if I  _want_ to. I don't want to ruin this moment."

"Anything that troubles you is worth ruining any moment," Marcus stated firmly, "Tell me what's wrong. Are you still affected by the tossle with Overlord?"

She wanted to shake her head, but found that she couldn't, "No, of course not. The things done to David were horrific, sure, and I might have recurring nightmares about it, but I'm not weak, Marcus. If I could overcome your death, although temporary, then I can overcome that. No, I'm just...concerned."

The spectre frowned. It was times like this that he wished his judgment of character was more profound. He was used to judging people based on their facial features; with a quarian, that was obviously impossible. Although he had gotten used to Tali's physical features, it was a whole different world in terms of her face. It was like trying to dissect the emotions off a spider's face; not that he thought Tali was that ugly.  _ **That**_ _ugly, huh? You think Tali's going to be ugly? That's not what repulses me; what disgusts me is the fact that you'd be bothered by that. You fell in love with her, not her body._

"Concerned? Is Jacob making more comments about EDI? Or is Miranda bothering you? If any of the Cerberus crew is-"

"It's not that at all!" Tali responded, trying to quell his ramblings, "It's...about us. I feel like I'm dragging you down."

He rolled his eyes and groaned. He knew this conversation would return; that was the price for having such a selfless woman for his girlfriend. Tali had always been selfless; and she hadn't given into their relationship, as much as she wanted it, immediately. It was a slow process because Tali would constantly declare she wasn't good enough for him and that he deserved to be with someone else like Ashley or Liara, none of who he was remotely interested in. She, of course, used her suit as the basis of her argument. This indecision died off a while ago, but he knew it would return.

"Tali, we've talked about this-"

"And we're talking about it again. Marcus, I need to know, do you really care for me or are you simply doing this out of sympathy? I'm not going to be made for a fool."

Marcus, for a second, had no idea what to say.  _I didn't expect that._ Marcus had expected many things; that wasn't one of them. He thought, that after all they'd been through, that a question like that would have been destroyed before it could even sprout.

"Tali," he started softly, "This was never about sympathy. You think I'm  _that_ low? I would never use you like that. I'm only doing this because I genuinely care for you; not out of empathy, but love. Let people think what they think; I want you, only you and noone else. Noone else shares this cabin with me but you. And before you go on about how I deserve someone else, I don't want to hear it. I chose you, and not once have I ever regretted it. Not once have I wished something better could happen. Not once."

Any objection Tali had prepared was flushed down the toilet by that point. In a single speech, all her fears were washed away. Her arms gripped his chest more tightly, her masked head nudging his head as she lay it under his jaw, holding him. He was hers, and only hers. Noone could take him away from her. This was why Marcus was so compelling. This was why so many followed him into battle without question. Loyalty built upon trust born from moral judgment. It was she came to love him; that same indifference to everyone attracted her. How he treated her as an equal. Damn what her father thought of it.

They couldn't to hold each other until sleep took them. The battle on Aite had been tiring; it made Horizon seem like a one hundred meter sprint back in boot camp. So they fell asleep; not under covers, but in each other's shared warmth. Not seperate, but interwined. No interruption came; no important meeting. They just slept.

It was the best slept they had for a whole month.

**{Loading...}**

_August 27, 2185_

_2400 hours._

_Arena, Liveship Rayya, Migrant Fleet, Decoris System, Sigurd's Cradle Cluster._

_Veetor'Nara vas Rayya._

Veetor sat alone in the middle of the liveship's arena; the meeting place for people on the ship during important meetings or what not. He just sat in silence. It was midnight and the crew was asleep, except for those on night shift. Luckily for him, noone worked near this area on that shift, so he had the area all to himself. Peace; that's all he wanted right now.

The Arena was the closest thing to an actual world the migrant fleet had and only three of these existed; one on each of the three liveships. The room was quite large; the ceiling stood fifty feet tall and the room was forty-five meters wide. In the middle of the room was the meeting area itself; two stands flanked the sides with rows of seats for quarians to sit on. The front of the room and in the center was two pedestals, one higher than the other, with a birail. These were reserved for ranking officials, like Captain Kar'Danna or the full admiralty board.

The rest of the room was why the place was so impressive; life. The floor had numerous different plants and even a tree flourished in the middle; the ground underneath coated with dirt to allow the roots to grow and flourish. Plants. Growing. On the fleet.  _That's_ why it was so impressive. The tranquility of the room was peaceful that way. Two doors flanked either side of the room, allowing further access to the ship while a door at the back lead to the docking cradle section of the ship. The liveship's docking ring, many called it.

Veetor sat, legs crossed, on the floor, simply looking at the pedestals. His ultimate goal was to become an ambassador someday; noone took him seriously about it, but he knew what he wanted. To be an ambassador to his people. People would laugh him down, but he never stopped dreaming. The only person who cared was his parents and...

He stopped and looked at the ground, eyes knit together and deep in thought. The thought of Elan forestalled any further thought he attempted to continue. Elan; he realized, many days ago since the beginning of their blussoming relationship, that he loved her. Love was a strange concept to the quarian. Not many had shown it to him except his parents. They pretended to; but only out of empathy for his position as a fleet 'idiot' and 'psycho.' But Elan was the first woman he cared for and had cared for him back. He planned to hold onto her.

It was times like these that quarians really came to despise their suits while simultaneously holding them in high regard. Other species, like the asari or the humans, could show their affection, touch their mates or pleasure them whenever they wished. With quarians, doing so would result in infection and possibly death. They'd need a clean room to engage in the simple act of kissing. Something he felt he wasn't ready for. Then again, it showed that their time together was precious, forcing the virtue of patience upon quarians as well.

It was now Veetor wondered what Elan tasted like. What her skin felt like, how her lips tasted...

As if summoned by his thoughts, the door behind him opened and he heard padded feet cross the room. They suddenly stopped, followed by a soft sigh of relief, along with a familiar, kind voice, "There you are Veetor. I've been looking for you."

Veetor sighed, smiling behind his helmet, knowing it could not be seen. He swerved round in his seated position on the floor to face the doctor, who didn't seem to be scolding him in any fashion. Instead, she simply stood there, hands on her hips and looking down at him, eyes wide; she was amused.

"W-were my parents?" Veetor couldn't help stuttering. Of course he didn't mean it, but it was something he was used to. In his dreams, he could still see the collectors abducting whole colonies and taking everyone while he sat in his little building and hid, cowering and escaping the same fate. It was disturbing, scary even, and the dreams continued to plague his dreams. He kept seeing Elan for daily checkups; he didn't do it to help the dreams go away, he did it to see Elan. Which he guessed worked in both ways. He laughed inwardly at that.

Elan shook her head as her hands fell from her hips and she walked down to where he sat in the middle of the room, "No. As far as they are concerned, you're checking up with me. Why here?" She then plopped on the floor next to him, crossing her own legs and just sitting next to him, the only things brushing between them being their kneecaps. He understood the question. She knew why he sought peace, she just didn't know he chose this spot.

He lied instead of telling her the truth, "Barely anyone works up here. Gives me some room."

Elan shook her head and laughed loudly. Veetor snapped his head towards her, eyebrows raised, "W-what? What d-did I-I say?"

Elan laughed for a few more moments before stopping herself, "That's funny Veetor. You remember I'm a pyschologist, remember? I can read through lies, Veetor, even a mask can't hide that."

Veetor nodded his head in affirmation of this, stretching a grim smile across his face. There was no hope for liars when their lovers could read through them like a person looks through glass, "I came here...,"  _Could it really hurt to tell her? Worst she could do is laugh at me_ , "I came here because this is the hub of politics for the Rayya. And...I want to be an ambassador when I grow up. When our people have our homeworld back, I want to be an ambassador for the Citadel races. For our people."

Elan sighed longingly, smiling at Veetor's admitted dreams. What he wanted would most likely never happen without full-scale war. Even then, the fleet might not survive such a battle. The quarian people would never see Rannoch again; at least not in their lifetime. But she didn't tell Veetor that. Chances were, he already knew that. And to state the obvious would only add salt to the wound. Instead, she lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, rocking it gently.

"Don't give up on dreams, Veetor," Elan reassured the quarian, "We'll have the homeworld back someday. Just...know that I'll be there when we do and I'll be by your side. Besides, you might be able to hire me as your personal doctor."

Veetor let out a low chuckle as he let his head lightly collapse onto Elan's shoulder, sighing heavily. Elan smiled as both her hands moved up and stroke the back of his head, both of them staring out into nothing.

Sometimes, it was the simple things.

**{Loading...}**

_August 27, 2185_

_2406 hours._

_Docking Cradle 5, Liveship Rayya, Migrant Fleet, Decoris System, Sigurd's Cradle Cluster._

_Major General Kal'Reegar vas Rayya, Specialist Madi'Soi vas Ceresa._

"Kal, wake up, we've docked," Kal was shaken from his sleep at the sound of Madi's voice and he immediately moved to stand up, unfolding his arms and picking up the rifle that was laying against the wall. The Hutbyk's navigation sensors had been damaged during the initial geth bombardment on Haestrom, so it had taken them longer to find the Migrant Fleet's new position then it would have originally.

Madi was already leading the rest of the squad to pick up the supplies and depart from the vessel. The corvette had run across a geth fighter upon hitting the relay, and due to the ship having to disengage stealth to use the relay, the fighter had detected them and pursued. They had escaped, but the ship now had a new hole occupying it's side. That and it's fried navigation system. They would have contacted the Admiralty Board about their late arrival, but Tali's request for transfer probably would have spoken wonders.

He moved to stand before the airlock, waiting for the cycle to run. Madi moved up behind, taking his hand and squeezing it. Kal simply smiled, looking down upon the woman. She was taller than most female quarians; roughly the same size as Tali and Admiral Xen. Her veil was a light yellow color, matching well with her light orange visor. Kal couldn't remember how long he and Madi had been together; but it was certainly long enough to have taken to a clean room. Kal and Madi wouldn't be going there anytime soon though. They both knew that. Their bodies were ready; but their minds weren't.

Finally, the airlock sequence completed and they stepped out into the halls of the Rayya, immediately greeted by a decontamination team. Upon leaving the ship, the quarians scurried past them, moving to get their hands on the Hutbyk and scrub it clean of bacteria. The men scattered, moving to multiple different areas; crew quarters or just the observation deck. Kal, upon seeing Peta approaching, looked back at Madi, still holding her hand.

"Madi, go on ahead," Kal requested, "I have something...that needs doing."

Madi nodded, letting go of his hand and tapping her visor against his before leaving, making sure to swing her hips as she left. She knew how much Kal loved it when she did that. Kal smiled as she watched her leave. Once she was around the corner, he focused on Peta, who now stood right infront of him. Before the General could speak, Peta jumped in.

"Where is Tali? I must speak with her."

Kal furrowed his brow at the boy's demanding tone, "Not here. She transferred over to the Normandy, under Commander Shepard's command. Sorry." He smiled inwardly. He had never really liked or trusted Peta, and it felt good to deliver a blow to the man's ecstatic demeanour. The way he looked at Tali made him feel disgusted.

Peta's posture weakened slightly, "I see. Thank you General for your time."

Kal's posture remained the same as Peta turned and left, not looking back as he went through a door located ahead and disappeared behind it. He could swear that Peta was beginning to loosen up on the 'lovesick schoolboy' act and was starting to man up. Not to mention growing ball. The quarian seemed more devious, less obvious and more stealthy about his actions now. He didn't know what Peta was up to, but he'd better keep an eye on him. For now, he knew Tali couldn't be hurt, so he headed to the crews quarters to catch some shuteye. He needed to file a report about the Haestrom mission tomorrow.

Peta leaned back against the wall, keeping his calm.  _Okay, so Tali's not here. Very well, we'll play it that way. I'm sure my anonymous friend can help me find a way to win her over without having to contest with that human primate._ Then an idea formed in his head. He knew that Rael already knew, but the quarian didn't care enough about his daughter to actually enforce rules upon her. But someone else on the other hand, someone closer to her...

Peta walked down the corridor, a hop in his step. He knew just the right person to tell; the right person who would definitely see that Tali's life was in danger and save her with a flick of her hand.

Yes, Admiral Raan would serve his purposes nicely.

**{Loading...}**

_August 28, 2185_

_0832 hours._

_Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Illium._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema._

Screams. A synthetic cacophony of roars and hisses, echoing through the wind to haunt those around it. Beams of fiery death cascading down on walls of metal, built to protect those behind it. A species as tall as skyscrapers, if not bigger, destroying the landscape and all those on it. Husks ripping apart defenseless civilians and their children. Whole worlds burning to the ground. Statues on Ilos, the prothean's salvation, but ultimate doom. Saviors of the next cycle. A dark planet off ontold secrets and a Reaper arises from it's depths.

**WE ARE THE END OF EVERYTHING.**

Marcus' eyes shot open with a start and his body jolted upwards into a straightened position, sweat dripping down his forehead in droplets. He wiped his brow and looked around the room, the cool air of the cabin brushing against his skin and cooling him. His heavy breathing was the only thing heard the empty room; deep, breaths of air drawn it and out at a fast pace. Eventually, he slowed down and looked down to see Tali still fast asleep. Good, he hadn't woken her. Sounds eminated from her helmet; the sounds of soft snoring. He smiled.

He lay back down and looked aimlessly at the ceiling. That dream...he remembered it, a vision given to him by the beacon on Eden Prime; where it all began. A vision. A warning by the protheans to warn their own empire of their impending demise. Now used to warn the next cycle of the Reapers return and giving them time to stop them. It was probably because of that beacon that he came to even meet the quarian who slept so quietly next to him. Yet, he hadn't had that vision since Sovereign's destruction two years ago. What changed?

Then he remembered. Harbinger; that other reaper. The one leading the collectors. If Harbinger really was pulling the strings, then either he's a second reaper left behind or the synthetic fleet was closer than they realized. If so, time was incredibly short. And even after two years, the galaxy was nomore aware or ready for the Reapers. And it was all because of the Council's blatant ignorance to accept the truth; the Reapers were most definitely real, and coming.

He decided to forget about that for now. He wasn't going to be able to change the Council's minds anytime soon, anyway. He'd just have to wait it out. He lay back next to Tali, head resting on the pillow as he kissed her visor and closed his eyes to fall back to sleep...

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Eyes shut for only a second and his had already bolted open to the sound of his alarm clock going off, annoying chime ringing through the cabin. He noticed Tali's eyes shoot open as well, silvery orbs appearing at the back of her mask and body moving to stretch. By the way her eyes seemed to narrow, she was smiling.

"Good morning," she whispered.

He smiled back, tapping his forehead against her visor, "Good morning to you too, honey."

The quarian stretched, numerous limbs popping and cracking before she let out a content sigh, "Honey? You're naming me after food now?"

Marcus shook his head with mirth, "No, honey is also a term of endearment among humans. We use it because honey is one of the most delicious substances on Earth; so when we call our loved one 'honey,' it means we find them the most wonderful person on the planet."

Tali found a loophole for some teasing, "On the planet? I don't feel so special now."

She suddenly found herself lifted off the bed and onto Marcus' lap. He then leaned in close, "Okay then, sweetheart, I find you to be the most wonderful person in the galaxy."

She rubbed the chin of her helmet in mock contemplation, "It's not the universe, but it'll do."

Marcus sighed mockingly, "You're a woman who's hard to impress. Is that the quarian in you or the woman?"

For a few seconds, Tali pondered this musingly before answering, "Both."

He then remembered that a sudden wet substance was brushing against his leg. Looking down, he suddenly remembered their activity last night, "Tali, I think you'll have to wash your veil. It's still got my...uh...cum, on it."

Tali seemed confused for a moment before looking down and seeing a sizable stain. The blood rushed to her cheeks, "Oh, keelah, I will have to wash that, I'd better-"

"Forgive the intrusion Shepard, but Jack wishes to see you on the maintenance deck. She says she's found something worthy of note in the Cerberus databases that she'd like to share with you."

Tali sighed as she reluctantly pulled herself from Marcus, moving to stand up and head into the shower cubicle, telling him she was using it to wash her veil. Marcus nodded to the engineer before answering, "Thanks EDI, tell her I'll be down there in the next twenty minutes. Just got up and have a few things to deal with first."

"Yes, commander, logging you-"

A thought occured to him before she could finish, "Wait, EDI?"

"Yes commander?" The AI responded.

"How many cameras are located in my cabin?" Marcus asked.

Some hesitation, "Nine. One at the foot of the bed, a second near your-"

"I don't need a full list," Marcus interrupted, "I just want you to send that information to Tali's omni-tool. I want them removed as fast as possible. I don't like the idea of the Illusive Man spying on me."

"My programming shackles limit what I can do, but I'll try my best," EDI responded, "Will there any further queries?"

"No, that's all. Thank you EDI."

"Logging you out."

Marcus, deciding he needed to take a shower, quickly began to strip. He loved showers; greatest creation of mankind, in his opinion. The warmth of nice, hot water flooding over your skin. He'd always take 15 minute ones, as long as he could without wasting it.

Then he remembered that Tali was inside and washing her veil. He smiled evilly as he continued to strip until he was completely nude. He then walked inside the shower cubicle, the door closing behind him. To the immediate left was Tali at the sink, without her veil on. It looked odd to see Tali without it; the veil served as her hood and main 'accessory' if you could call it that. Without it, he could see the back of her helmet; the blackened surface and the numerous tubes and wires connecting to her helmet and medical implants.

It was without the veil though, that her feminine form shown much more. It felt perverted to be looking at the area between her legs; without the skirt part of her veil, it looked slightly like perversion. But he couldn't deny that she looked more sexy without the veil on, the suit accenting her body much more. Her veil was in the sink, the quarian squeezing water out of it with every twist of her hands. Hearing the door open, she turned.

"Marcus, I need some to-" She then saw him, stark naked, in front of her. And she wasn't sure she should have.

"By the ancestors! Marcus!" Tali exclaimed, wanting to turn around but at the same time, not wanting to. Marcus merely grinned as he moved to turn the taps on, "Like what you see?"

Tali blushed, unsure of what to say. Here Marcus was, in all his naked glory, and she...liked it. His ribcage was accented nicely by his big muscles and strong body. Then her view lowered and stopped upon his organ. It was erect.  _I'm not the only one enjoying the view, am I?_

"Yes, it's quite...new."

"Get used to it. In our cabin, you'll be seeing it alot."

Hot water impacted the ground around Marcus as he started the shower, washing himself. Tali just watched in awe as water cascaded down and around him; pelting off his body and onto the floor in streams. Marcus' beard and hair was soaked by the steamy water in almost an instant. Tali couldn't help the urge to want to...want to  _join_ him.

Without thinking, without listening to rational thought, she stepped in with him, arms around him. Marcus widened and he turned around, looking at the quarian who's suit was now soaked.

"Tali, now you have to dry off your whole suit," Marcus observed.

"Don't care," Tali replied while still holding him. Marcus merely smiled in response, taking the quarian and moving her further into the shower, infront of him, facing him. They bathed together; but it wasn't quite bathing for Tali, as she was in a suit. She'd never regret doing this; but she'd regret wearing the suit.  _Someday I'll do it without the suit. Nothing to seperate us._

Before long, Tali was close enough to feel Marcus' erect organ prodding against her waist. She giggled lightly and she could notice the blush on Marcus' cheeks.  _So the feeling is mutual._ By instinct, as she was now pretty used to it, her left hand glided down to the organ in question and wrapped around it, eliciting a smile from the spectre. Smiling herself, she began rubbing it up and down.

The only sound heard in the cabin for fifteen minutes was the sounds of two mates pleasuring each other.

**{Loading...}**

_August 28, 2185_

_0851 hours._

_Maintenance Deck of Engineering, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Illium._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Subject Zero Jack._

Marcus straightened the collar of his new jumper. It was a N7 hoodie, and he liked it much better than any cerberus uniform. He also wore a basic N7 cap on his head along with a Master Chief T-shirt. Apparently Halo: Salvation 4 was a pretty hyped game coming out and the T-shirt was pretty much the only one he could find. Figures that would happen. He stepped down the steps and out onto the maintenance, immediately turning to see Jack pacing the deck. With a frown, he approached the convict.

"You called me Jack?"

The convict turned towards him with anger in her eyes, "What took you so long?"

"I had...other things, to tend to." He tried not to grin at the memory of Tali and himself in the shower. He'd have to try that again. Tali had to stay in the cubicle because of her wet suit; so instead she was working on cyclonic barrier technology for the ship; essentially more powerful shields and on a way to remove the cameras in their cabin.

Jack rolled her eyes, "Oh, of course. Did you fuck her good? Did you fuck the quarian  _real_ good?"

Marcus let a face of iron and steel cover his face, "That's none of your business. Anyways, you said you had something you wanted to share with me?"

Jack huffed at his refusal to tell her but quickly forgot anyway, "Yes, I've got information I'm willing to act on but I need your help. Are you...going to help? Or do I have to ask Zaeed and Grunt?"

Jack plopped down on her bunk, awaiting Marcus' answer. Not wanting to start a potential argument, he shook his head, "Yes, I'll help. It just depends on what we're doing."

Jack smiled a dark smile. Although it held evil intent, he also saw hints of revenge. She held up her datapad and threw it to the spectre, who caught it awkwardly, reading over the contents. When he was done, he looked towards the convict and nodded in understanding. Jack's grin extended.

"So...have any badass nukes in the armoury?"

**"I'm glad David's okay. He's still alive; he works for some scientists on Rannoch. He's old, but he's still better than all those years ago back on Aite."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"That's good to know. So Jack had a mission for us..."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"I think the fact I was soaking wet from a shower meant I didn't go. I remember that much. What was the mission like?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Well, it goes a little like this..."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

_**A/N:** _

_**I'm terribly sorry for this late chapter, guys. And it's not because of the lack amount of reviews on the last chapter, but it was because I've only just recently gone back to rewatching the Game of Thrones Season One, that the addiction has caused me to neglect this fiction. Do not fear. I am not dead and neither is this fanfic!** _

_**So, to make up for my laziness, I have added even more stuff to this chapter; Veetor and Elan fluff, Peta Evilness, Tali and Shepard smut and fluff and combat. All in one! Oh, and the precursor to Jack's loyalty mission. Oh, this'll be fun.** _

_**I hope to pull out a new chapter soon. Also, the chapter title of Jack's recruitment mission, 'I was Frozen Today!' isn't just random. Try and figure out what movie it's from and the actor who says it! And before you ask, the actor is famous and one of the best of all time! Anyone who tells me first gets a cameo in this story. Your time starts now! So get reviewing!** _


	27. Subject Zero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack wants to literally blow up her past: Shepard is more than willing to assist.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:**

**SUBJECT ZERO**

_August 29, 2185_

_1649 hours._

_Shuttle Bay, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In Orbit over Pragia, Dakka System, Nubian Expanse Cluster._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Soldier Grunt, Subject Zero Jack._

"Took you long enough to turn up, boy scout. Was beginning to think you wouldn't turn up." The spectre merely rolled his eyes at Jack's antics; choosing not to respond. Instead, he turned to the huge, hulking krogan next to him, nodding for him to help him pick up the large ordnance before them. It was a 11 ton nuclear device; the detonation of a device like this would be comparable to the blast that destroyed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the conclusion of World War II. More than enough to do what Jack was proposing.

The convict had done alot of research and finally found more about her history, which she shared with Marcus. She had been born on the colony of Eden Prime, but was abducted by Cerberus when she was a little girl and taken to Teltin Facility on Pragia; a Cerberus research base built for one purpose; development of biotic potential in humans. Cerberus' goals meant only human dominance; and that meant alot of biotics.

Jack wasn't the only child Cerberus abducted. The Illusive Man, apparently, noticed that biotic potential was much more common in children, and so only abducted children for this experiments, including Jack. Along with the other kids, they were forced into cells and were trained to become powerful biotics. Jack was the main attraction though; she said that many kids were experimented on and died so that Jack could achieve full potential. She was their crowning jewel.

Then she started a riot and everything went to hell. Jack explained how, with the kids who hated her guts and blamed her for their misery, broke free and tore apart the facility, killing all the Cerberus guards in their way. When they were done, all the kids were dead and Jack was the last survivor, able to escape via a stolen cerberus shuttle. And now she wanted to plant a nuclear warhead in her old cell and incinerate the ruins of the Teltin facility in atomic flame.

It was simple enough; so simple, he didn't even need to bring anyone. Grunt was only coming because he was the only one able to heft the large, explosive package along with him. Jack was coming as well because it was her mission. He had decided to bring full armor and weapons as well; he'd been caught off guard way too much. From what he heard, Pragia was a rainforest world, and that meant alot of ferocious animals could lurk in the abandoned facility.

"I'm sorry, but I had a bigass bomb to carry," Marcus responded snarkily, continuing to carry the bomb until it was situated in the center of the kodiak. Dropping it on the deck, he stretched his strained muscles, hearing a satisfying pop before he turned back to Grunt and Jack, both waiting outside. Motioning them inside, he ordered the pilot to take off, closing the door behind his two companions.

"So you want this planted right inside your old cell?" Marcus asked for elaboration, Grunt standing infront of the shuttle door as Jack threw herself into a nearby seat, crossing her legs and tapping her foot impatiently. Hearing his question, she turned around and nodded.

"Damn right," Jack responded, "Smack bang in the fucking middle. I can't wait to see the place where I suffered burn. This has been a long time coming. Almost too long."

Marcus crossed his arms and examined Jack's features. She looked determined and furious, but something in her eyes told him something else; they told him that she was suffering remorse and threatened to collapse. He had seen that happen to too many soldiers under his command. But he understood Jack's need to do this; she needed a clear mind. Doing this would make the fight against the collectors that much easier.

"You ever wish things could have been different, Jack?" Marcus asked suddenly. The question rolled off his tongue all too easily.

Her eyes snapped to meet his, "The fuck do you mean?"

He shrugged his armored shoulders, "Did you ever wonder whether you should have gone looking for your parents? That you should have at least tried to remember your old name before you became Subject Zero?"

"Why the fuck do you care?" Jack shouted, "It's none of your concern! I'm only here because you want me to help you on some fucking mission. I'll do it, then leave. Why should you care whether I go looking for my parents or not?"

He sighed, "I just thought that you'd might have wandered who was your mother and father."

The convict merely snorted and leaned back in her seat, "Doesn't matter anymore. Whoever my parents are, they're either dead or think I'm dead. I'm my own woman now. I'm no longer Subject Zero. I am Jack, the all powerful bitch, and as long as I can fight, I'll keep doing just that. It's who I am."

That marked the end of all conversation in the shuttle. Grunt didn't pose much as a conversation buddy; he just stood there, impatiently shuffling. The krogan was eager for a fight, but he knew their would be none. The supersoldier seemed more aggitated than usual, come to think of it. He was growing more aggressive everyday; more susceptible to get excitable at the sight or smell of blood.

Five minutes later, they landed on a landing pad just outside the main building. Vines and multiple other pieces of undergrowth and pieces of nature had grown over the pad, weakening it's integrity. It was barely holding the shuttle as it was. Hearing the kodiak's engines shutting off, Marcus motioned for Grunt to help him pick up the bomb once more, Jack palming the interface and opening the shuttle door, moving out onto the platform.

Heavy rain immediately met her, soaking her hair and body. She looked up, rain slicing through the rainforest. The sky was so dark that the light of Dakka barely shone through, almost to the point of no light being shown at all. The darkness was so bad, they had to activate flashlights on thei helmets and weapons. As he stood outside, rain pitter pattered on his armor, leaving droplets of water on the fine paint job. He looked at the broken facility.

Just like the landing platform, nature had overwhelmed it. A fence had surrounded by the place, but after a decade or more of neglect, the fence had been overrun and the facility covered in fines and undergrowth. Luckily, the power in the facility was still running. That was odd. After a year the power should have died. There was no way this facility could still be running, even on a backup generator. With a shake of his head, he turned to Jack, who was watching him.

He simply motioned his hand down the ramp leading into the base. This was her mission, she would lead it. She knew the place better than he did. With a nod, the convict moved down the ramp, followed by Grunt and Marcus as they carried the bomb down after her. Judging by the size of the station, this would be a long walk.

**{Loading...}**

_August 29, 2185_

_1652 hours._

_Tech Lab, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In Orbit over Pragia, Dakka System, Nubian Expanse Cluster._

_Professor Mordin Solus, Junior Assitant Lia'Vael nar Ulnay._

Mordin's beady, salarian eyes watched the tank with a observant gaze. He watched as the varren's DNA cells attacked his synthetic DNA strands. A war of attrition. Eventually though, Mordin's genius prevailed and destroyed the opposing cells. The salarian allowed himself a content smile, standing up and back, away from the glass tank. He had found a cure to the scale itch.

"It worked Professor!" Lia cheered, taking notes on her datapad. Mordin Solus was her mentor onboard the ship, and for as long as she worked in his lab, she would be his assistant. She quite enjoyed her position. Mordin Solus was one of the most intelligent scientists in the entire galaxy. As a quarian biologist and attempting to become a scientist herself (as she desperately wanted a position on Xen's crew), it was an honor to have such a teacher.

Mordin nodded, "Yes. Assume you've been writing notes?"

Lia nodded ecstatically. Mordin smiled before letting his arms cross behind his back, pacing the deck, "Read them to me."

Lia gulped and cleared her throat, looking down at the pad, "Research Experiment #05: Varren Scale Itch, Sexually Transmitted Disease transferrable to levo amino acids and proteins. Effects involve severe itching, inflamation of skin, blood noses and bleeding in the vaginal area for females, along with rare cases of constipation or diarrhea."

Mordin nodded then shook his head, "Missed note. Also chance of blood cell deformation and rare case of blood ejection from oesophagus. Continue."

Lia nodded weakly, making sure to add the note before continuing, "Professor Solus has created antivirus to combat invading bacteria through a form of cell assault known as 'blood counter-coagulation.' This causes blood cells infected by the varren STD to attract the man-made cells and destroy the infected cells, allowing full-body regeneration. End note taking."

Mordin grinned widely, "Good student. Listen well. Missed few things, but am certain you'll do well. Now, we will continue onto virus creation. Do you know how to create a virus, Miss nar Ulnay?"

Lia shook her head, "N-no, professor, I don't."

Mordin simply nodded and motioned for her to come behind his desk, looking at his terminal, "Then virus creation you're next lesson. Now there are many types of viruses, but we will be talking about immune-depressant viruses and fertility viruses this week. See how far you get."

The quarian rose an eyebrow behind her visor, "Fertility viruses? Like the genophage?"

"Close, but not quite," Mordin responded, waving a finger at his assistant, "Genophage too advanced for your learning spectrum. No, genophage a Class V fertility virus. We will start with Class I's and II's. Will see how you go with them before starting on III's, IV's and V's. Must remind you, topic of genophage very harsh. Not pleasant."

Lia raised her eyes at the professor, "But everyone says you helped modify-"

" _ **I did what was right!"**_ Mordin shouted with vehemence, slamming his fist into the desk and causing Lia to jump back in fright, eyes widened at the salarian's posture. His eyes snapped to Lia to see she was looking at the salarian with wide-eyed fright. His position slackened and he turned back towards the desk, taking a deep breath as he did.

"I apologize," Mordin whispered softly, That...was unprofessional of me. Y-you need to leave. We will continue this lesson another time. Need time to think."

But Lia, to her unfortunate detriment, was too concerned for her own good, "Doctor, are you o-"

 _ **"Get out! Just get out!"**_ Mordin shouted even louder, causing Lia to drop her datapad and run out as fast as she could, not even bothering to slow down as the door closed behind her. Mordin sighed heavily as he leaned heavily against the door. He hadn't meant to yell at Lia. But it was Shepard. His passing of judgement had left the former STG agent on edge.

_I did what was right. It had to be done. The galaxy was at peril. It was a nessacary evil and still is. But was it? You're an enemy of the entire krogan people, Mordin. Imagine if Grunt found out that you personally modified the virus when the krogan were beginning to overcome it? What would happen then? Would he kill you? Should you kill him? Should you try and cure it?_

_No, out of the question. No cure. Never._

_Decisions are never set in stone._

Outside the lab, Lia had no idea what to think of what just happened. The greatest scientist in the galaxy had just had a break down infront of her. She didn't know what to think of that. Should she think anything of it? Before she could think much else, a familiar, sweet voice smoke from her left.

"Are you okay?"

She turned to see Kelly facing her, features creased in worry.

Lia waited a few seconds. Like Tali'Zorah, and the majority of the non-alien crew, Lia didn't trust Cerberus. Kelly however, had seemed nice enough. What harm could there be in talking to her? She obviously wasn't hostile towards her.

"I'm...fine. Inform anyone trying to access the tech lab that Mordin wishes to be...alone." With that, Lia disappeared into the elevator, door closing behind her. Kelly just looked at the door with wide-eyed curiosity. Lia running, Mordin's yelling. She had a feeling this had to do with more than wanting to be alone. She would have to inform Shepard of this when he got back. For now, she just got back to her terminal. She had a job to do; the whole crew did. They would not fail Shepard or the Illusive Man.

**{Loading...}**

_August 29, 2185_

_1652 hours._

_The 'Playground', Cell Complex, Teltin Facility, Pragia._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Soldier Grunt, Subject Zero Jack._

"I remember this shithole. Ever heard of the saying 'I remember it like it was yesterday?' Yeah, well, fucking oath."

Moving to take a breather, Marcus and Grunt placed the bomb behind a rusted and overgrown barricade, the steel barrier having been overrun by natural undergrowth and vines. Unlatching his canteen, he unscrewed it and brought it to his lips, cool water soothing his aching throat and dry mouth. Carrying the bomb had proved a stretch on his muscles, and it required all his strength just to walk with the thing while Jack spoke of nostalgia.

Rain poured through holes in the ceiling whereever it could, pittering off the floor in droplets while other drops leaked through the cracks. The 'playground', as Jack called it, was quite a large room, probably the size of a gymnasium, with barriers, shattered glass and broken catwalks and a ring like area that was now knocked over. Seeing his gaze lingering on the ring, Jack spoke.

"That's where the bastards forced us to fight each other," Jack reminscened, "I always won. Cerberus made sure I was the best. I ripped the other kids to ribbons. Every. Last. Fucking. One of them. I can still smell their shit and urine as they stepped into the ring to face me. Some tried to yield, but the guards wouldn't have it. We doubled as spectator sport to them. Their personal entertainment. But when we escaped; they became  _my_ entertainment."

He had to look away from the disgusting grin that cocked along Jack's face. He looked to Grunt, who was watching the area behind them alittle too observantly. He could see Grunt sniffing; he smelt something. Standing up, he screwed the cap back onto his canteen and placed it back on his hip, equipping his SMG. It wasn't long before he stood next to the massive krogan.

"What do you smell, Grunt?"

A smirk creased his features, "Fresh meat. I smell varren. They have picked up our scent. They approach. Five of them. Here they come!"

Just in time, the jammed the door they had passed through omitted the bulky, horrifying forms of five, rabid varren, running towards them, slobbering jaws unleashing saliva all over the place as they charged towards them. Grunt slapped Marcus on the back.

"I'll deal with this, Battlemaster," Grunt informed him, "Do not waste your ammo on such pathetic foes. Even I shall not use my weapons." With that, the krogan charged forward to meet the alien dogs. The varren met the krogan midcharge, but he could tell it would be on equilibrium for them. He shook his head, holstering his SMG and turning back around to see Jack inside the ring, walking around the perimeter and taking in the terrible scent that was invoked upon the ring, the stench of blood.

"You want to know how many kids I ripped apart in this very fucking arena?"

He creased a brow at the convict, "Do I want to know?"

"Twenty-Four," Jack informed him without even missing a beat, "All of them had nothing left to identity them by. Just pieces of gore and little drops of blood. And I enjoyed every victory. It felt like I was getting stronger and stronger. Eventually I would be strong enough to escape. And I did. Didn't leave a single survivor when I broke out."

The screeches of dying varren could easily be heard. He turned to see Grunt using his large foot to crush the skull of the fifth and final varren, roaring in victory. He then turned back towards them, smiling all the way. With a sigh, he nodded for Grunt to help him pick up the bomb again and they continued their trek throughout the base.

The further they went inside, the more of Jack's mysterious and dark past were unravelled. They learned that Jack hadn't, in fact, started the riot. It had actually been the kids; Jack merely managed to breakout during the riot. Jack killed the kids and guards soon afterwards, ripping the facility apart. And despite not wanting to believe it, it seemed that the Cerberus Cell behind this were actually rogue; that this program hadn't been sanctioned by the Illusive Man at all.

And it wasn't just information from the base they gained, but information from Jack herself too. Jack explained how her cell had a one-sided transparent glass. She could see the kids, but they couldn't see her. She would kick and scream all day and the children would ignore her. They hated her guts because of the experiments they were put through to ensure Jack's survival.

Traversing the base seemed to be overly simplistic at first. But as they crossed another empty corridor, they came across a storage bay, windows smashed and crates thrown haphazardly. That wasn't the source of their confusion however. What was, was the fact that six dead varren lay on the ground, blood pooled around their body from bullet rounds. Due to the fresh scent of blood and the fact it wasn't dried out, they could tell someone else was here.

 _Everywhere I go, trouble follows._ He exasperated. They lay the bomb on the ground as Jack inspected the dead corpses. And entire varren pack, gunned down. Mercenaries? Most likely. Cerberus moving to reclaim the facility? Not likely. He quickly approached the bodies, only for Jack to stand up and burn with biotic might.

"Someone got here before us," Jack declared, "And we'd better catch up. I want to know who the fuck would want to come to this place and how they found it."

Marcus merely nodded and helped Grunt carry the bomb down the stairway, Jack leading the way with her scimitar shotgun. They quickly reached the bottom, finding a unstable catwalk leading to a door on the otherside. Due to the facility existing before 2184, geth haptic interfaces weren't located and the doors were still operated by panels on the side. Upon reaching the otherside, Jack opened the door. Hearing the catwalk creak under the weight, they quickly moved inside before something happened.

Another corridor. This place seemed to have alot of them. They moved down the hall and towards a door at the end that left off to the right. Jack rushed on ahead, obviously recognizing where they were. Distant gunfire could be heard. The group quickened their pace, hoping to get the jump on their vanguard. Reaching the door, Jack waited for Marcus' signal. Grunt and the spectre placed the bomb next to a wall and equipped their weapons, before nodding to Jack to open the door.

When it swished open, and Grunt and Marcus took point, SMGs raised, they came face to face with a squad of vorcha, armed with blood pack punishers and avenger assault rifles. Their blood red light armor was recognizable anywhere.  _Blood Pack. What are they doing here?_ Without waiting for the vorcha's response, he fired his SMG, a triple burst impacting the merc's face and ripping out one of it's eyes, dead body crumbling to the floor.

Another merc tried to fire on Marcus with it's rifle, but never got the chance as Jack wreathed it in biotic energy, throwing it upwards and into a plane of glass ahead, leaving a massive cascade of cracks as it's body fell to the ground. Grunt grabbed another and threw it over the railing, knocking another's weapon aside and ripping it to bloody ribbons with his eviscerator.

Due to the relative small size of the mercenary squad, there had only been three to five vorcha; dispatching of them was a basic task. After taking them out, Marcus slapped a fresh clip into his SMG before equipping his pulse rifle. Jack was furious, as he could tell. They stood on a U shaped catwalk that curved forwards, across to the left, then back down and right to a door. In the middle was a tree that had obviously been in the base prior to it's abandonment, the tree having outgrown the ceiling. The area down below was the cell block. Guessing by how Jack stared at the cracked pane of glass, he guessed her cell lay behind it.

"What the fuck are Blood Pack doing here!?" Jack shouted.

"I don't know, Jack. If I did, I'd tell you," Marcus reassured the convict, laying a hand on her shoulder, "Doesn't mean our mission stops here. The Blood Pack are merely a delay. We get the bomb to your cell, arm it and leave."

For a second, and to the spectre's surprise, Jack seemed to melt into his touch. Her features seemed to soften for a mere second, eyes full of melancholy. For a whole moment, he saw a completely different woman. But it was only for a second. Jack's fury immediately returned, yanking herself from his grip and fire entering her eyes as she stormed down the catwalk.

"At least I've found something worth blowing up now!" Jack shouted back, "People to burn as I send this place to hell!"

Marcus and Grunt returned with the bomb, continuing through the cell block and through the jammed door that Jack had so kindly ripped open with her biotics. She held a blood pack radio, listening in to their communications.

"What happened to our squad in the cell block? They were meant to be simply securing the area. How fucking hard could it be?" A gruff voice sounded. Guessing by the undertones and rein of authority, he'd guess a krogan and that he was the commander of the force.

A vorcha voice, annoying as always, responded, "Unknown, Kureck. Maybe you should check it outz."

A gunshot was heard, "Any other scum what to join this piece of shit? No? Good. Now, you three, get to the cell block and find what happened to Lord Fuckwit. Aresh isn't paying us to toy around. We've got a base to set up. Let's start cleaning house." Jack threw the radio against a wall, smashing it as they continued down a dark, short corridor towards the cell dispatchment room. From there, they could access Jack's cell.

"So the boss' name is Kureck and they work for some Aresh guy," Jack explained, "Good, now I've got two people to kill."

"Don't you think we should keep one of them alive to find out exactly why they'd want to set up a base here?"

Jack laughed as she approached the final door, "Fuck that noise. I don't care why they're here or what they want. All I know is that they're going to be dead soon."

The door slid open and the trio found themselves in the middle of a large room filled to the brim with crates, all covered in sickly green vines. At the head of the room was a massive krogan, almost Wrex's size and the same height as Grunt. His armor was heavy and had lines all over it that glowed a dull, crimson color. Blood Pack colors. His crest was a dark brown and didn't hold many scars. That was Kureck.

At his sides were two, smaller and younger krogan, both wearing helmets while the rest of the room was occupied by two dozen vorcha mercs. If this was the entire force, then this Aresh obviously couldn't afford alot. Especially if he had run to the Blood Pack instead of a more reliable merc company like the Blue Suns or the Eclipse.

Jack headed the group as Kureck looked at them, anger on his face. The three vorcha he sent to investigate stood at the edge, weapons raised. Jack raised her shotgun and fired, ripping the head off the first one as the second fired sporadically, followed by the third. With her shields taking all the punishment, she cut them down easily.

"Damn, and I thought it was just because they were incompetent," Kureck cursed, "You have quad coming here to face us. I don't know why you're here, but I guess it doesn't matter. I should just kill you. I'm not getting paid to stand here and talk. That's not what Blood Pack does. Go to the Talons if you want to 'talk.'"

Marcus dropped the bomb and Grunt shoved it behind cover, the spectre fully expecting a firefight, "I could ask you the same thing. Why does your boss have a interest in this place?"

Kureck merely shrugged, "I don't know and I don't care. I came here for credits, not to get every bit of detail on his personal life. He's up in the big cell if you want to talk with him. Oh, that's right, you can't. Because I'm going to kill you."

He shook his head, "You really wouldn't want to do that."

Kureck chuckled heartily, "You think you frighten me, human? Who do you think you are, whelp?"

"Commander Shepard, Hero of the Citadel, Spectre back from the dead," Marcus announced, "And I've got the galaxy's most notoriously powerful biotic right here and a krogan supersoldier who holds the strength of krogan that existed long before the rebellions. That, and Jack would like to plant a bomb here. So if you don't let us through, we'll kill you all. Are your credits really worth it?"

He half expected the krogan to see reason. To his half-unsurprise, he didn't, "Commander Shepard, here? And I'm in the position to kill you? I could become a legend! I could overtake Weyrloc Guld himself and take leadership over the Blood Pack myself! I will not let this oppurtunity pass! Mercs, kill him! Kill all of them and bring me Shepard's head on a pike!"

A wave of gunfire poured open them and Marcus immediately formed a biotic barrier to block their shots. The krogan were apparently not biotics and the vorcha couldn't be so that gave them a massive advantage over their foe. Detaching a grenade, he primed it and threw it a group of vorcha hidden behind a pile of crates before letting his barrier drop and sliding into cover as the explosive detonated.

Chaos filled the room, Kureck shouting orders at his disorganized troops as Marcus' squad unleashed hell upon them. Rounding a crate, he fired a burst from his pulse rifle into a charging krogan, the power of the slugs ripping through his armor and into skin. Without letting the krogan regenerate, he activated his omni-blade and slit the krogan's throat, using him as a meat shield against the vorcha's counterfire.

Then Jack and Grunt charged in. Grunt clashed with Kureck's second krogan while Jack ripped into the vorcha with a endless siege of biotic assaults, firing warp fields, creating singularities and turning into a invincible oracle of death and destruction. Grunt had little trouble dealing with the krogan soldier, his superior strength allowing him to overpower his foe and snap his neck. Jack dealt with the last of the vorcha while Marcus took out the stragglers. Two dozen vorcha rapidly turned into a pile of corpses.

"Damn it! Come on then, come fight me! I'm right here!" Marcus was too late to see Kureck jump from his perch overhead and land infront of him, swatting Marcus' rifle away. With lightning speed, Marcus executed a left cresent kick and slapped the krogan's own weapon away, allowing Marcus to move in and kick the huge krogan in the balls. The amount of pain this caused Kureck was something the spectre never wished to experience.

Stunned by agony, Kureck was unable to stop Marcus as the human spectre dived under the krogan's legs and onto his back, sliding his omni-blade deep into his neck. Kureck continued to struggle, trying to rip the ex-marine off his back, but to no aveil. Marcus continued to sink his blade deeper until finally Kureck let off one last choking sound, his body falling lifeless to the floor.

Retracting his blade, he wiped the krogan blood off his visor and picked up his weapon, holstering it as he ran back to pick up the bomb. Jack and Grunt were already waiting for him, Jack grinning her ass off.

"Have fun playing with Kureck?"

"You're a riot, Jack," Marcus responded sarcastically, heaving the bomb up with his hands, "Let's just get this over with."

They climbed the last trek to Jack's cell, where Aresh was no doubt waiting. Taking the barely working elevator, they reached Jack's cell and placed the bomb outside, Grunt taking point incase they had a krogan to deal with. Without waiting any longer than he had to, as he was already getting tired of this placation, he charged inside, weapon raised, just behind his krogan supersoldier. The exact opposite of what he expected appeared before him, staring aimlessly out the window.

This was Aresh. The man was a human male and, judging by his looks, was close to Jack's age or older. His hair was curved to the back of his hair, a dark brown in color and cropped. His eyebrows were thin and his eyes an unseeing green. He had a grizzly, ungroomed beard on his face, being very thin. He wore a simple civilian uniform; a basic lime color.

"How did you get past my mercs? I specifically told them-" Aresh began to speak, his voice low and hoarse, holding untold memories and something dark and sinister. He had a strange feeling about this man. He couldn't place it.

"The mercs are dead," Jack spat, moving forward, pistol raised, "And you will be too if you don't tell us why you're here and what you're planning to do with this place."

"Jack? Is that really you?" Aresh asked.

Shocked, Jack seemed to loosen the grip on her pistol alittle, "How the hell do you know my name? Who are you?"

"Oh, we all knew your face, Jack," Aresh answered, "Every kid held here under Cerberus care knew you. We hated you. We loathed you. We blamed you for what they did to us. It was all for the 'betterment of humanity', they said. All our suffering...for you. I see it turned out well."

Marcus widened his eyes in surprise. So a kid had survived Jack's onslaught a decade ago.

"Impossible!" Jack shouted, unable to believe the man, "Every kid who was stored here died! You can't have survived!"

"The Illusive Man put a stop to the experiments when they found out what was being done to us Jack," Aresh continued, Grunt getting bored and waiting outside, "He sent commandos to clean up shop, but when they got here, they found the whole place to be a ruin. I can't remember how many of us survived, but Cerberus took us all home. There were people who survived the breakout besides you Jack, you just didn't know."

Jack's grip tightened on her pistol once more, "You still haven't answered my question. Why are you here?"

"Cerberus kidnapped us so we could become the prodigies of humanity's biotic potential, right?" Aresh explained, leaning against the glass, "So all those things they did to us, all those horrible things, they must have a had a purpose. A reason for doing so. That's why I'm here Jack. You're the question, and I was still trying to find the answer. Now that I've found it, I want to propose to you a plan you can't refuse."

Marcus seemed to melt into the background, watching the exchange between the two. Jack lowered her pistol slightly, but still held it firmly, "I'm listening. But no bullshit."

Aresh nodded, "Jack, join me. Together we can continue what Cerberus started and couldn't finish. They had to have had a reason! Find that reason, and we can create something better than the Subject Zero Project, we can grow to rival even the Alliance's Ascension Program! I propose that we restart the Teltin Facility!"

Marcus could already tell Jack's answer, but that didn't stop him from being shocked when Jack lit up with biotics and threw Aresh out the window, glass shattering. Time slowed down as Marcus reacted, his biotics flaring up as he reached out his hand to grasp Aresh's body. He did so just in time, saving the man from his gruesome death. He threw him back to the ground of the cell however, not fully liking the man due to his musguided ambitions.

"What the fuck, Shepard!?" Jack shouted in anger.

"I'm not going to kill him Jack," Marcus growled, "And neither are you." Before she could object, he turned to Aresh, who was only just getting to his feet, "Did you break anything?"

Aresh shook his head, "No. Thank you for-"

"Good, now start running," Marcus curtly interrupted.

"What?"

"You heard me. Run for your life," The spectre punctuated with a finger towards the door, "We're about to detonate the biggest fucking bomb this planet has experienced and if you want to escape, you better find your shuttle and hightail it. You read?"

Aresh's eyes widened in shock and he ran through the door, not even looking back. Content with himself, he turned to Jack who was examining her cell. It was just a block; with a small desk in the corner, a small bunk and a few carboards. He sighed and put a hand on Jack's shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Take all the time you need," Marcus told her, "We'll be outside."

Jack shook her head, turning back to face him, "I don't want time to examine this shithole, Shepard. I hated it back then and I still hate it. I just want to see it burn. Can we do that and just get the hell out of here?"

Marcus nodded, "Of course, Jack. You go wait at the shuttle. Take Grunt with you. I'll stay here and arm the bomb. Don't worry, it isn't timed, it'll be primed only to recognize a detonator," he chucked it to the convict, "Which you'll have the pleasure of detonating. Just don't do it while I'm still here, okay?"

Jack gave him a cocky grin before sprinting out, Grunt following behind her. Marcus had to admit that that had been the first time he had ever seen Jack smile without following it with a insult or dark tale of her past.  _Is Jack softening up to me?_

He shook the thought from his head as he pulled the bomb into the center of the room before priming it, which took two minutes to do. When he was finished, he ran back to the landing pad and climbed aboard the shuttle, the kodiak taking off and shooting up towards the mountains, skimming across the rainforest. Jack wanted to see it burn; she would get that.

The sounds of a detonator cap being flicked could be heard as Jack flicked it in anxiousness. Her eyes met his as her eye's pleaded him for the go. Once again, her unbreachable personality was broken to reveal a side of the woman that wasn't fiery, but gentle, her eyes full of melancholy, and unlike before, it didn't change in a second. He rejoiced in it.

Slamming his fist against the cockpit door, the pilot increased speed as Jack thumbed the detonator. A massive explosion, almost like a 9.1 earthquake, ripped through the shuttle, Jack watching with a sad smile as a titantic mushroom cloud rose over the area where the Teltin Facility had previously been standing; now vaporized in a hellstorm of atomic radiation.

That was all Jack did for the return trip to the Normandy.

Sadly smiling.

**"I do remember Jack lightening up after that mission..."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"I'll bet. It was like she was a different person. Before I could get worried though, she got into a fight with Zaeed, and I guess everything was back to normal after that."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Do you remember what you did next?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Of course! My memory isn't completely dead! Although I don't think I'd like to remember."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"What? I don't...oh. Now I remember. It was the day a dead ghost came to haunt us once more."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**


	28. Dark Spectres

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On their way to Illium, Shepard decides to visit the SR-1's crash site. Tali and Garrus tag along.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:**

**DARK SPECTRES**

_August 30, 2185_

_1456 hours._

_Maintenance Area of Engineering, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Illium._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Subject Zero Jack._

One day. One single day since they had turned the Teltin Facility into a smoltering crater on Pragia. One day since Jack had warmed up to him and stopped being so hostile. She was still hostile, but nowhere near as hostile as she had been before. Now the spectre moved down to check on her. After being alittle bit more warmer towards him, she picked a fight with Zaeed and now she was back to normal. He just wanted to check in on her.

Stepping down the steps, he moved over to Jack's seat on her bunk, wearing his N7 hoodie and cap. Boy he loved them.

"You okay Jack?" He asked, garnering the convict's attention. She didn't even show any emotion this time around; she just looked at him with a dull, blank expression like she didn't know whether to be hostile towards him or happy.

"I needed to wipe that place off the map," Jack stated, "You took me there to do it and I owe you for that." Before Marcus could say much more, Jack had collapsed backwards into her bunk, looking aimlessly at the ceiling while shuffling on the mattress. Marcus leaned against a bulkhead strut, crossing his arms.

"You don't know what it's like Shepard," Jack declared, her voice low and unaccusatory, "To have garbage like that following you. It marks you in ways you...you don't expect."

Marcus shook his head, "I have had shit follow me Jack. I can't say it's worse, but it's followed me. I lost half my squad on Elysium. I lost the rest of them on Torfan and lots of batarians died at my hands on that goddamn moon. I lost another squad to thresher maws on Akuze. I know what its like, trust me."

Jack creased her mouth in understanding, "Hard to walk away from, ain't it? You'd think it would get easier now that the place is a crater, but what else do I know? I let Aresh go, you forced me to let him go, and yet blowing the place up was still just as satisfying. Now I'm not the only one who remembers what happened there. Lots of kid survived that shit. I realize that now."

Marcus smiled weakly, "It's called having a conscious Jack."

The convict simply scoffed, "I want it gone. I want it all gone. I don't want to remember any of it! It's only in my head and a few other kids' heads. When we all die, the memories will die and then everyone will forget about Subject Zero and the Teltin Facility."

Marcus felt a sigh escape his lips. As much as he couldn't believe it, Jack really did have a soft side, even if she did try her best to hide. It showed quite a few times down on Pragia and afterwards, and if he wasn't wrong, it meant she wasn't just a self-invested bitch. It meant she secretly cared.

"Do you think you're different now? Do you feel different?" The spectre asked.

Jack shook her head as she sat up in a fetal position, "I know that place is gone. But I still kind of want to kill every person I see. No offense."

The spectre shook his head in disbelief, "You sure about this? I want to do whatever I can to get your head on straight."

Jack gave Marcus a half-disgusted look, "Don't get all therapist on me, Shepard. You're not the couch type. I hate that shit anyway. Bullshit prison psych. You did me a favor and that's enough. More than I expected...I'll keep it together. I...promise...god, you actually made me say that mooshy crap?"

The two of them chuckled, for what seemed like the first mutual humor at all between them. Was this the beginning of a friendship or simply an enhanced comraderie? Regaining his composure, he smiled at the convict once more, wanting to divert the conversation from the topic of Pragia. Instead, he tried to learn more about the convict herself.

"Tell me something I don't already know about you," Marcus asked, "Something that doesn't involve your torture at the hands of Cerberus."

Jack gave him a suspicious look, "There's nothing to tell. Why?"

He simply shrugged, "Just curious."

"I call bullshit," Jack responded flippantly, "But why the hell not? I do owe you anyway. What do you want to know?"

Marcus didn't know where to start. Eden Prime? What happened after her experience on Pragia? The meaning behind her tattoos? Yes, the tattoos.

"I'll bite. What's with the tattoos?" Marcus asked.

Jack got up off her bunk and paced the room, showing off her ink, "Some are for prisons I've been in. Some are for kills. You know, good ones. Some are for things I've lost. Those aren't your business. They're nobody's business. And some are because...hey, why the fuck not?"

He found himself letting out a barely heard chuckle at her attitude, "You know, you were work pretty hard at not letting people get close. That some kind of defense mechanism you've been working on or something?"

The convict sighed, "I've been with lots of people. If you're asking about a boyfriend or girlfriend, no. It's a waste of time and it never works. Except for you; but come on, you've got a fucking quarian. Anyway, you let someone get close, it just means they need a shorter knife. Lonely and alive works just fine, thanks."

He shook his head, "'Lonely?' You don't usually hear that coming from a person who doesn't give a shit."

"Pick every little word apart if you want," Jack responded, waving a hand dismissively, "But it doesn't change the way the galaxy works. Come on, you've been around!"

He seemed to ponder this for a second before meeting her eyes once more, "You must have had friends at some point. You wouldn't have gotten around so much if you hadn't."

Sighing, the convict finally relented, "When I was starting out, I ran with this girl Manara and her boyfriend. They knew their way around, I thought I'd help me," the convict snorted, "Wasn't I the optimistic one. They helped me into their bed. And when we finally did take down something big, they helped themselves to my share of the take. I knew where it was heading, and I got them first. Never bothered with friends after that."

He rolled his eyes, "They sounded like selfish pricks, but that doesn't mean they were going to kill you nessacarily."

"I get feelings," Jack stated simply, "I don't need proof. I did the smart thing. I got them first; the initiative is always better than the alternative."

He sighed heavily, seeing this was going nowhere, "I'm going to leave now. We'll continue this another time if need be. You get some rest."

He turned around and moved to leave, but he felt himself stopped when Jack's hand landed on his shoulder, spinning him around to face her.

"Wait. My turn with the questions," Jack demanded, "People usually walk by now. Why are you really asking all these questions? Because if this is all about sex, then why don't you just fucking say so? I'll take you! Right here, right fucking now!"

Marcus let out a loud chuckle, "Really Jack? You think I'm here for sex? I'm not the man for casual sex Jack; besides, I'm already taken, you know that."

Jack snorted, "What the quarian knows won't hurt her, you know  _that_. Besides, I can do things with you she can only dream of."

 _Again with this crap._ "I don't know what kind of man you think I am Jack, but I'm definitely not that. When it comes to relationships, I stay loyal to them, and I will never betray Tali's trust or leave her. If you think I'm going to drop down and fuck you, then you're clearly mistaken. This conversation is over, Jack." With that, he spun around on the spot and stormed out, not even giving the convict the benefit of the doubt as he left.

As he left the small compartment, he moved up and through the engineering doors just as Gabby and Ken rushed past him, smiling. Upon seeing his commander though, Ken stopped in his tracks.

"Commander!" Ken exclaimed, "We were just looking for you! We've finished our shift early and we were wondering if you wanted to play a game of Skyllian Five with us. It'll be fun."

Marcus smiled wickedly, "Sure." He then followed the engineer into engineering, where a table had been set up in the middle of the room where Gabby was setting up. Gardner, Hawthorne and Giovanni were already sitting at the table while Tali was working at a nearby console. Ken was quick to call out to the quarian, a wide grin on his face.

"Hey boss! You want to join us?" The engineer asked, causing Tali to whirl around to face him.

"Hmmmm...sure, why not?" Although Ken didn't notice as he turned back around, Tali flashed a wink at Marcus, the spectre smiling back at the quarian as he took his seat, making sure to deliberately sit next to the empty seat belonging to Tali. The quarian quickly sat down, smiling at him as their hands squeezed the other's under the table.

"You ready to lose all your money, commander?" Ken asked, grinning wickedly. Everyone rolled their eyes. Ken was the best at the Skyllian Five on the ship, and he knew it. They just didn't like when the engineer boasted about it all the time.

"Go easy on the rookie," Marcus replied, keeping his face stoic.  _Oh, you are in for a big surprise._

The game last a couple of hours before they all retired back to their posts and packed up. Marcus left a very rich man. Apparently Ken realized he wasn't the invincible gambler on the ship anymore and was wiped clean of credits, as was everyone else. Tali had commented that she thought she had a good 'poker face', but was ultimately disappointed. Ken swore he'd never let the spectre trick him with the 'easy on the rookie' shitick again. Marcus just laughed as he secretly gave Tali her credits. Go easy on the rookie.

He had then retired to his cabin, with Tali promising to join him in an hour. They'd talk, sit in each other's lap and trade information on both their cultures. And then, if they were feeling up to it, they would treat each other. He smiled inwardly at that thought as he got up from his sofa and stretched his arms, dropping the datapad he had been reading onto the coffee table and moving up to his desk.

He sat down at his terminal and took a sip of the coffee that was left on his desk, the brew being still quite warm. He hummed in delight at the taste of the liquid swirling around in his mouth, letting it continue this as he placed it back on the desk and looked through is emails. Miranda informed him that she handled all the reports while he handled all the dossier checkings. If he didn't approve of a recruit, then he would make it clear. So far however, that hadn't been a problem.

His eyes landed on one specific message. It was from the Illusive Man. With a raised eyebrow, he opened it and read it fully. He almost spat out his coffee as he finished reading and immediately leapt up to inform Joker of their new destination. The pilot hadn't been happy, but upon hearing the said name, immediately changed course. Marcus was quick to inform Garrus, Tali and Kaidan as well.

_To: Shepard, Marcus._

_From: The Illusive Man, Cerberus HQ._

_Subject: Something of interest._

_I've been digging through the archives and found something you might want to check out. A dark spectre of the past, you might say. When I say this, I don't mean Saren has come back to life, no, he is still quite dead and staying that way. No, we've found something much more...nostalgic. We think you might want to travel there to survey it._

_I'm sending the coordinates to you now._

_I just hope that when we reach Alchera, that the Normandy's crash site has been left untouched and you can bury your comrades once and for all._

_From: The Illusive Man, Cerberus HQ._

_To: Shepard, Marcus._

**{Loading...}**

_August 31, 2185_

_1219 hours._

_Main Compartment, UT-47 Kodiak Shuttle, Northern Atmosphere, Alchera._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko._

The four of them sat quietly in the small space of the transport shuttle, not a single sound coming from any of them. Tali's head lay on Marcus' shoulder, the quarian silently contemplating where they were going. Garrus looked blankly at the shuttle's walls while Kaidan looked at the floor, not making a sound.

His friends had been shocked, to say the least, when he informed them that TIM had passed down Hackett's orders to retrieve the dog tags of the dead crew from the previous Normandy's wreckage. It was like a trip down nostalgia highway. They would be going to the grave site of what was the most advanced warship in the galaxy and of many crew members, most notably Pressly and Johnson.

He stroked the back of Tali's hood. He had only brought the three of them because they had been on the old Normandy. Bringing anyone else would have been pointless. Joker also came, but he would only be able to watch it from the kodiak's cockpit, as he was the one piloting the thing. Chakwas said she didn't want to come, stating she had buried her lost comrades years ago and did not wish to open old wounds. So now it was just the five of them, with Miranda left in command.

"Commander," Joker finally broke the silence, "We'll be landing in a sec. I'll land us in the middle of the clearing." With that, he disengaged comms. All four of them stood up, Tali sliding her hand down to hold Marcus, knowing that this would be painful for both of them. Marcus took a deep breath as he felt the shuttle land on the ground with a thump, followed by the door's opening.

They were immediately hit with a slight chill. Alchera was always constantly cold, with a tough film of ice covering the entire planet. But as was evident by the patch of uncovered, grey dirt around them, the Normandy's predecessor's crash landing melted most of the ice in the area. Curious that it hadn't frozen over again. The crash had been two years ago. Garrus and Kaidan took the first steps out, followed by Marcus and Tali, still holding hands.

Memories and sadness hit them instantly. Massive chunks of the destroyed frigate littered the area, covered in films of snow and ice while others had completely frozen over. A large part of the Normandy's hull stuck out of the ground, the letters 'Norma' being all you could see while the rest was buried underground. He could also see the flaps of one of the ship's wings jutting out of a hill twenty meters from them.

"We should split up," Garrus suggested, "Give us time to cover the whole area."

Kaidan nodded in agreement, but just as Marcus turned to ask Tali, the quarian shook her head, "I'm staying with you. The memories...I don't think I can handle it."

Marcus nodded, kissing her hood, "Tali will stay with me. The rest of you split up. We'll meet back here. Collect whatever pieces of data, dogtags, weapons, anything you can find and bring it with you. The families of those who served on this ship will need something to remember their loved ones by."

And with a nod, they left, leaving Marcus and Tali alone in the cold area, wind blowing above, whistling like voices on the wind. If the spectre closed his eyes, he swore he could hear Johnson's childish remarks and Pressly's skepticism. A grim smile crossed his face at the memory.

"Marcus," Tali asked, shaking his shoulder while pointing over to a large section of ship nearby, "Let's go over there first."

He nodded and let the quarian pull him along while he examined the landscape. Despite seeing the stealth frigate combust into flames and molten debris before he died, there seemed to be alot of the ship that survived the reentry. He could see what was left of the bow on a clearing nearby while the Mako, stubborn till the end, was standing vertically, frozen in a ball of ice. The vehicle hadn't reentered the atmosphere without scars though; the entire front half was blackened while the left side had been completely torn off. He continued to examine until they reached the large tube.

Upon looking inside, memories clogged his mind. He was instantly on the Normandy again, moving up the flight deck towards the cockpit, ordering Joker to set a course for another geth infested world or mercenary base. Lines of alliance officers worked at consoles while Joker just sat behind the controls on the cockpit, his fingers dancing away at the terminal's interface. As quickly as he conjured the memory, it disappeared once more. This tube was what was left of the flight deck.

He moved inside, feeling Tali's hand slide from his as she watched him move inside. The entire ceiling was gone, Marcus remembering how it had been torn apart from the collector cruiser's particle cannon. Parts of the deck had been torn as well, with most of the sideward seats missing, lost in reentry. It became steep as he moved past what was once the airlock; an empty space now occupying where it once stood. With some effort, he managed to climb into the cockpit.

The front half was gone, with a large section of the cockpit's front part gone as well. Joker's terminal was gone, leaving only the chair, facing an empty crevice. Marcus looked at the area where Pressly's corpse had been; now nothing but a blackened outline of where his body had been, incinerated during reentry. He knelt down and managed to find the man's dog tags, picking them up and storing them in his armor. He sighed heavily as he examined the destroyed ship, sliding his hand across the smooth, polymer service. He slapped it hard like he would in a brotherly hug.

"You did good old girl," Marcus smiled heavily, "You did real good. Rest in peace."

His contemplation was interrupted as he heard familiar sobbing. He immediately turned to look down the flight deck, not finding the quarian in question. He slid down the deck, moving outside to find the quarian. When he did, he sighed heavily at what he found, moving towards it.

Tali was sobbing in front of a large beaten structure; a massive rectangular prism that had once glowed with vibrant, ethereal light and had acted as the beating heart of the stealth frigate. The ship's drive core hadn't survived the bombardment; it had been the first casuality during the collector surprise attack, and numerous holes littered the giant, inactive reactor. Walking up to the quarian, he turned her around, the engineer collapsing into his shoulders and sobbing into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close until she finished.

When she did, she broke away, sniffing, "I'm sorry, it's just...the memories. Did I ever tell you that when the collectors attacked the ship, the first blast killed Douglas immediately and I was forced to look into his dead eyes as I fell to the deck? His face still haunts me occassionally."

"It's ok," Marcus reassured her, "They're just memories. And we'll avenge Douglas, I promise you that. Douglas and the entire Normandy crew will be avenged when we send these collector bastards straight to hell."

"I know," Tali sniffed one final time, "And I'll make sure I have a shotgun shell with Douglas' name on it so the collector's can pay with their blood."

"That's my Tali," The spectre complimented, taking her hand and turning her away from the destroyed drive core, "Come on, let's keep looking around."

Next, they decided to approach the Mako. He let go of Tali's hand to run his hand along the ruined surface, gripping the edge of the vehicle's crippled hole and climbing inside, his eyes scanning the destroyed interior. Screens of info and bits of wiring were shredded and inactive, protruding from numerous areas like so much debris. He smiled heavily as he looked at the two seats occupying the front of the vehicle. One was his when driving, the other was Tali's. Closing his eyes, he could remember it like it was yesterday.

The turian already had his black-visored helmet on and simply gave him a three-taloned thumbs up, "Good to go. I'll do what I can from here. Just try not to die. I'm more worried about your driving getting these guys killed than the geth." Garrus commented sarcastically before popping the hatch and stepping out into the airless, non-existent atmosphere of Solcrum, hatch closing behind him.

_"The loyalty I inspire..." Marcus mumbled, but Liara heard him._

_"Don't worry, I think your driving isn't that bad." Liara tried to sound supportive, but sucked as her sentence ended with a half-laugh._

_"No, it would give a bull pause." Kaidan stated._

_"Or probably cause the geth to roll out speeding fines." Ashley added, grinning._

_"Or it would end up with all of us dying because he didn't slow down." Tali chirped._

_"Come on! My driving isn't that bad!" Marcus shouted as he moved the Mako forward and down the hill, moving towards the geth base._

_"No, it's worse," Wrex declared, "I've seen krogan drive tomkah's better than you, Shepard. No offense."_

_"Comparing me to a krogan? Oh, now it's personal." Marcus declared with mock anger and everybody laughed as they slowly approached._

And once again, the memory vanished. Those were the old days. Fighting geth while chasing down a rogue spectre with a impossible crew and the most advanced ship in the galaxy. He smiled at the memory as he spun the chair around aimlessly. Tali climbed inside without him noticing, sitting next to him. Her voice stirred him from his thoughts.

"I used to remember how bad you were at driving this," Tali teased, "You'd always crash, or do something stupid. Keelah, remember when we used the Conduit and you crashed into those geth on the Citadel?"

Marcus guffawed, "That was hardly my fault! The conduit basically blinded me and we were already flying! Makos aren't built for flying!"

"Excuses, excuses," Tali teased, Marcus swatting her arm while she swatted his. They continued to provoke each other until they fell out of the vehicle and landed on the ground, both laughing spontaneously. When they gained control of themselves again, they stood up, heading over to another section of destroyed ship. This time, it looked like the port side of the cargo bay laying against a cliff face. The burnt remnants of the armoury lay as testament to this. Memories flashed before Tali's eyes, landing on one she remembered fondly.

_"Anderson?" Tali asked._

_"Shepard's best friend and mentor, they go way back. You met him in the human embassies," Ashley stated, "The man's a symbol of what humanity's capable of and even Shepard looks up to him. Some say he even sees Anderson as the father he never had."_

_"Ah yes, I remember now. So you're saying Shepard got you into liking aliens just because he's your mentor?" Tali asked._

_"He's not officially my mentor, but that's how I see it," Ashley declared, "But still, I guess nothing is official with this crew. What about you? Who do you see as your mentor?" Ashley asked and caused Tali to freeze her train of thought. A very good question. One she knew the answer straight away._

_"Kal'Reegar," Tali stated, "He's a quarian marine on the fleet and one of the best. Best I know actually. I spend alot of time with him, usually talking. We're close friends and we spend most of our time talking or training. He helped me train for my pilgrimage." Tali explained but she noticed a glint in Ashley's eye. Uh-oh._

_"So...you and him, huh?" Ashley said with a snarky grin._

_For a moment Tali was confused, not knowing what Ashley meant but when she matched the grin up with what she said..._

_"Keelah! No, it's nothing like that! We're just friends! Well at least I think we are...maybe we're not...no, we are definitely just friends..." Tali began stuttering, not knowing what to do with herself. Me and Kal? I guess it's possible, he has been extradinaryily nice to me recently...no! He's a marine and I'm a engineer!_

_"Whoa, slow down there Tali, I was only joking," Ashley stated, holding her hands up to prove this, "Got any sisters? Brothers?"_

That had been the first time Tali had warmed up to Ashley. It was shortly before her death on Virmire. She had learnt alot about the Gunnery Chief, and had even become close friends with her. Someone Tali could have trusted if she gave her life to her. But it was never to happen. Not anymore. Her body jolted at the memory.

Marcus felt her shudders and squeezed her hip, letting her know he was there. Tali acknowledged this by leaning in closer. Much of the time was spent like this before they explored more of the Normandy's wreck. It wasn't long before they found themselves back at the shuttle, where Garrus and Kaidan were waiting for them.

"You get a good look at the wreck?" Marcus asked the duo, seeing as they had clearly been waiting awhile.

Kaidan nodded stiffly, "I...got a good look at what was left of the mess hall. Where I...used to work. Lots of memories of that place. Good and...bad."

Garrus nodded agreement, "Found the Mako too. I used to love calibrating that thing. I remember when Johnson sneezed on it because of his allergic reaction to the thorian acid stuck on Tali's suit."

Tali laughed, "I remember that. I think he had reactions to it for a whole four weeks afterwards."

The four of them laughed. From the landing all the way to arriving back at the shuttle had been extremely tense and a flood of emotions; the sight of the once proud alliance warship laying completely destroyed in the ice fields of Alchera was something none of them wanted to see or come back to. He could imagine the look on Joker's face as he looked over the debris field. The ship he practically loved; dead before him. But now they were laughing like nothing happened.

"I wish we could set a monument here," Marcus added, "The Normandy SR-1 deserves to be remembered, not forgotten. It was this beauty of a ship that destroyed Sovereign. Do you gather all the dog-tags?"

Garrus nodded, holding up his talon to show at least twenty-one dogtags hanging from it, "I found alot of them scattered around the mess hall area and what's left of engineering. What about you guys?"

Kaidan held up three. Tali held up five. I held up the rest, including Pressly's. With a nod of understanding, the group gave one last look at the grave site of the Normandy, a epitaph to the fine frigate.

"I'll get in contact with Admiral Hackett," Marcus stated, turning back to the group, icy wind biting at his face, "Have him send a flotilla to recover the wreckage and take it back to Earth. Have it added to a war museum; it's the least this ship deserves. Make sure the museum's located at the place of it's namesake."

Kaidan nodded sadly as he moved back inside the shuttle, followed quickly by Garrus. Tali simply waited for Marcus, not letting of his hand as he looked over Alchera's landscape. He turned to her, whispering softly, "I won't be long, you go on inside."

Tali gave a simple nod, staying with him a moment longer before her hand slid out of his, brushing against his shoulder before walking inside the shuttle. The spectre walked forward a couple of meters before squatting on the ground, right knee forward with left on the ground. His left hand scooped up a pile of snow, holding it in his hands, soaking in the feel of the cold, crystals of ice inbetween his fingers. He let it escape through his fingers; back onto the ground. Sighing, he opened a pouch on his pocket and deployed a beacon, setting it on an alliance frequency. Hackett will pick it up.

With that done, he gave one last passing look at the Normandy's resting place before stepping into the shuttle, the kodiak taking off and moving to dock with the new Normandy. She could never replace her predecessor, but the memory was there. But now they went to recruit two new elites; all moving towards the singular purpose of saving human colonies from the collectors. But their secondary goal became all the more prominent.

Avenge the Normandy.

**{Loading...}**

_September 1, 2185_

_1009 hours._

_Dock, Business District, Nos Astra, Illium._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani._

"Can you believe that the last time I was here was when I was on my pilgrimage," Tali explained, "I was with Keenah and this was the first place we came to exchange that information on Saren. Some bosh'tet security chief saw fit to threaten us if we didn't leave the planet. But I can't deny how beautiful Illium really is."

Marcus nodded in agreement at the quarian's statement. They stood on a balcony like area in the the dock, the Normandy's massive bulk hidden off to the left, not unblocking the beautiful view of the city of Nos Astra, expanding across the horizon. Illium had a very cool climate, neither being overly hot or freezing cold; the perfect colony world. The planet was mostly landmass, but was 10 percent water. Nos Astra was on a part of the continent that put it right next to the sea, making room for quite a few beaches.

Tall, majestic and sleek skyscrapers dotted the horizon, accompanied by what he guessed were the equivalent of New York's twin towers; however, one of them wasn't fully built, obviously still under construction. Cars and other vehicles sped through Nos Astra's sky and tramways, while the rapidly descending sun of Tasale half-embroiled the edge of his vision, night descending upon the planet, casting a powerful yellow light over the planet. It was amazing.

But hidden beneath that beautiful veil was a city only just above Omega. Crime was a norm in Illium; the planet being a major player in extortion rackets, crime syndicates, information brokers and home to corrupted politicians. From what information gleaned, Nos Astra was also a major center of Eclipse mercenary operations. It seemed the Citadel was the only true beautiful place devoid of crime, but even then, the great space station still had hidden criminals. Everywhere had places without merits.

The group stood there, minds entranced by Illium's beauty. It was the sound of approaching LOKI mechs that broke Marcus out of his own trance. He pushed himself from the balcony, watching as Zaeed and Kasumi turned with him, followed lastly by Garrus and Tali. They looked to their right, watching as two LOKI mechs, armed with M-37 Falcon microgrenade rifles, escorting a single asari in a white dress that accented her body quite well. Marcus raised a brow at the armaments of the mechs. Falcon microgrenade rifles were a experimental type of weaponry that acted as a assault rifle, but could fire a steady stream of miniturized frag grenades, each capable of significant amounts of damage. It was weird to find low-grade Illium security mechs with such advanced weaponry.

"Greetings," The asari greeted, "Welcome to Nos Astra, Commander Shepard."

The spectre raised an eyebrow, "You know my name? And its quite a greeting; having mechs armed with high-tech weaponry greet guests."

The asari merely smiled, "A man of your reputation requires caution, commander. Your battles fighting Saren and his geth armies have become quite legendary, even on Illium. We only wish to take the nessacary precautions. We hope you understand. As for your name; we know it because a accomplice of yours knew you were coming."

That got his attention, "Accomplice? And who is this?"

"My name is Careena by the way," the asari greeted dryly, "As for your accomplice, you should be very familiar with her. Liara T'Soni has paid for all your boarding fees and will be covering the costs on your visit. She sent me to greet you so you could be taken to her office."

If Tali and Garrus were frowning, he didn't see it, he could hear it. The quarian gasped and the turian choked on a tube of nutrient paste he was eating, "Liara? Just what is she?"

Careena smiled smugly, "Liara is one of the most wealthiest and substantial information brokers in all of Nos Astra, not to mention Illium. Her personal war with the Shadow Broker has become something of a legend among the people of this grand city. Many work for her, and she is known for her ruthless virtues."

 _Information Broker? War with the Shadow Broker? Work for_ _ **her**_ _? Ruthless? This has to be a different Liara._ The Liara Marcus knew was a shy, gentle, inexperienced, naive young archaelogist just looking to learn more about the protheans. How, in the space of two years, had she gone from being that to a ruthless, brutal information broker, with people working for her and launching a war against the most infamous information broker in the history of the galaxy? And why was it personal? What did the Shadow Broker do to her?

"I'd like to see Liara immediately," Marcus demanded, "As a friend of mine who once served under my command, I have reason to see her. This isn't the Liara I know. Just when did Liara show up on Illium?"

Careena seemed to think for a short second, "If memory serves me right, she arrived around early 2183. She rented and eventually bought quite a lovely and luscious apartment in the Athena Apartment Blocks; she had quite a large amount of credits. She was still a archaelogist at that time. Some time later, she became an information broker, going on about how she'd get vengeance against the Shadow Broker and make him pay for his crimes. Stuff like that. You'd have to ask her the rest."

With a nod, he motioned for Careena to move ahead and take them to the office. He had to get to the bottom of this. This wasn't Liara, and he knew this full well. Noone goes from shy, inexperienced scientist to a ruthless info broker. And revenge against the Shadow Broker? That was even more suspicious. He had to get to the bottom of this. He wouldn't let this continue.

The two LOKI mechs reassumed positions at the balcony, standing vigil over the city business district. Careena motioned them down to the end of the balcony before moving off to the right and down a security checkpoint. The room moved in a diagonal fashion further left. A long, pane of glass covered the right side where numerous security personnel asking for permits, passports and what not were located. Security dressed in bright-white uniforms, hefting avenger assault rifles, paced the room. They didn't approach is team; obviously paid off by Liara.

They continued through until they erupted into the main business district. The place was a bustle activity. The business area was shaped like a U, with his squad coming out on the top of the left side. The large 'U' was fifty stories up a massive skyscraper, the positioning giving them another fantastic view of Nos Astra's skyline. The central part of the U had numerous shops while the otherside lead off a upwards facing staircase. Also in the center of the U and elevated above the main shops was what he guessed was Liara's office. Among the area was numerous volus, asari, turians, salarians, humans and elcor, bussling around.

Marcus and his squad continued to follow Careena through the many stores. They had to squeeze through a crowded area where many asari and turians were surrounding a podium where a human was trying to sell his products, shouting out prices with increasing symphony. Eventually, they pushed past a cafe area, where Marcus swore he saw a familiar red-dressed human woman sitting. He shook the thought off.

They moved towards a stairway leading up to Liara's office. To the left of the staircase was a doorway most likely leading off to another section of the business district. Careena stopped at the stairs, turning and bowing at the group.

"I must now take my leave," The asari informed them, "I have many duties to attend to. Please inform Nyxeris of your intention. I hope you enjoy your stay at Nos Astra. Have a nice day." With that, Careena made a hasty exit, obviously in a hurry as her graceful steps took her out of their view. He quickly turned to his squad, "Zaeed, Kasumi, go to the Eternity Bar, we'll meet you there. This is a meeting between old friends. Besides, Zaeed, you might get bored."

The mercenary scoffed, "Talking really isn't my thing. I'll try and get drunk off my ass."

"And I'll keep well away from him," Kasumi added, the two of them disappearing into the crowd as Garrus and Tali followed him up the stairs towards Liara's office. Reaching the top, they found a door leading off to the left into Liara's office with a reception desk to the right, where a young asari was seated. She was definitely still in her maiden stage; with numerous, orange lines colored over her face. She wore a tight, purple dress, the clothes accenting her form. She looked up from a datapad as he came to a stop infront of her.

"Names?" The asari asked. His eyes fell on the nameplate on her desk.  _Assistant Nyxeris Drogo._ Judging by her monotone, she was extremely bored. She immediately reminded him of the office tech back on Purgatory. He shook his head.

"Commander Shepard," He informed her, before pointing to his friends, "Garrus Vakarian, Tali'Zorah vas Neema."

"Intent?" She asked in the same monotone.

"We're old friends of Liara T'Soni," Marcus informed her, "I'd like to see her immediately."

"You must understand that Miss T'Soni is very busy," Nyxeris stated, "She has many appointments. Come back in a month and make an appointment. I'm sure she'll-"

"We don't have time for this," Tali whispered over the comm and Marcus nodded, stepping forward and leaning against Nyxeris' desk, cutting her off.

"I'm sure Miss T'Soni can make time for this," the spectre stated firmly, "As a Spectre, I can declare this a matter of huge urgency and cancel any appointments she might have. I will not take up much of her time; I merely want to speak with her. We haven't spoken for a while."

Nyxeris finally gave a exasperated sigh, sitting back and motioning for them to walk inside. Marcus nodded in thanks, moving towards the door and hitting the door interface, now no longer red. The forward platelet of the door, a semi-circle, slid from it's top area to the right, both platelets sliding apart and opening, allowing him to step into Liara's office. The first thing he noticed was a massive observation window at the back of the room. In front of this was a large desk, presumably Liara's, with numerous PDAs, a terminal and books filed ontop of it. The room was of circular shape, with two pedestals standing on both sides of her desk. Standing behind her desk, was Liara, wearing a brown and cyan dress, talking to someone via a holographic vidscreen on the wall, omni-tool in hand.

"Alucard, have you faced an asari commando unit before? Few humans have," Liara stated to the nondescript man. Marcus immediately remembered the words she spoke; they were the one's of her mother. She had spoken those exact words to them before battling them on Noveria. It seemed the irony was overflowing, here. He simply shook his head, staying in the front of the room with his friends, door closing behind them. The asari continued, deactivating her omni-tool.

"I'll make it simple. Either you pay me, or I flay you alive...with my mind." With that, the asari nodded as the vidscreen switched off, turning around. He saw the look on her face. A grim determination; a smug expression on her features. This wasn't Liara. Whatever had taken over her body...it wasn't Liara. He wouldn't be surprised if she was indoctrinated. But upon seeing him and his friends in the back, her features changed from smug to a familiar look of happiness. She practically beamed as she walked towards them.

"Shepard!" Liara stated, hitting a comm on the desk, "Nyxeris, hold my calls, put all appointments on hold for now until I dictate otherwise." With that, she wrapped her arms around Marcus, smiling the entire time. Tali's fists clenched tightly, happy for her mask. Otherwise they might have seen the look of death she was giving Liara. She calmed down.  _Keelah, you're paranoid._ Luckily, Garrus and Liara didn't notice the gesture. Neither did Marcus, it seemed.

Pulling back from the embrace, the asari kissed him on both cheeks. It was a human custom she had learned during her years as a broker. Tali's fists clenched once more, almost stepping forward and demanding that the asari step back. But she held her tongue. She wouldn't do anything irrational, especially not that. The asari motioned for them to sit at her desk, the broker sitting behind it while the trio pulled up three leather seats.

"My sources said you were alive," Liara continued, "But I never believed...it's so good to see you!"

Marcus was dumbfounded. He had expected a colder welcome, from what he had heard about the asari from Careena. But this Liara was exactly like the one from the old days right now. Did it take him coming back to change her personality? Or is she doing it for show? He needed to find out what the hell was going on.

"Oh, you have sources now, huh?" Marcus started, trying not to hint at his disappointment. Liara, luckily, didn't pick up on it. She smiled.

"A few," she explained, "Sources, contacts, even a little hired muscle. I've been working as an information broker. It's paid the bill since you...well, for the past two years. And now you're back, gunning for the collectors with Cerberus," The disdain couldn't be hidden from her face and tone. She shook her head, "Really Shepard? Cerberus? I thought you were better than this."

"Oh, and you're the one to pass judgement?" Marcus stated with anger, "I'm not the one who had a sudden personality swap and went from being an innocent scientist to a ruthless info broker with people working under her belt so she can enact personal vengeance on the Shadow Broker of all people? Liara; do you realize how dangerous the Broker is?"

"Of course I do! I'm hunting him for goddess' sake!" Liara shot back, standing bolt upright, "The Shadow Broker declared a personal war with me and I'm only retaliating! And at least I'm not working for terrorists!"

"Sometimes you have to choose the lesser evil Liara!" He hissed back, matching her posture, "I didn't sacrifice who I was to destroy the collectors, but you have. What...possessed you to turn into this creature? And to speak like your mother? What happened!?"

"I lost...I lost...," Liara's eyes welled up, "The Shadow Broker took the man I loved away from me."

His infuriated demeanour stopped immediately, as did Garrus' and Tali's. His eyes turned from one of anger to sympathy, "Man you loved? Liara, what happened?"

The asari sighed and took a deep breath, "When you died, the Shadow Broker immediately wanted to cash in on your body and stole it. He wanted to sell it to a high-bidder, and he got it. The Collectors came to him wanting to purchase your body. For what purposes, I do not know, but I guess it has something to do with why they are abducting your colonies."

Marcus sat back in his seat, intently listening, "Keep going."

Liara moved over to the window, looking down over Nos Astra, "He sealed the deal and the collectors were to meet with some of his or her or their men."

"He...I mean she...I mean, you know! It has men?" Garrus asked, confused.

"The Shadow Broker didn't gain power purely through knowledge," Liara explained, "He had to make sure people stayed loyal to him or when to terminate those who were deemed compromised. For sake of secrecy, he wouldn't do this himself and instead sends men to do it. As a result, the Broker has his own private mercenary army of well-trained soldiers. Well-trained, as in on Blue Suns level. Anyway, his mercs and the collectors were to supposed to meet on Alchera, your death place, but my drell friend, his name was Feron, and I, got there first. I had rescued him from the Shadow Broker a few months before, and we were already in love. Of course, Cerberus got there too."

"As a result, total chaos erupted. Feron and I got your body while Cerberus commandos dealt with the collectors and the Broker's mercenaries, who were first to fall. We almost escaped, but Feron was shot in the leg, causing him to fall over. I wanted to stay and help him, but he ordered me to run, to take your body and just run. So I did. And all I remember now of him is that gunshot echoing through the wind as the mercs caught up and killed him. Cerberus approached me, saying they could save you and I eventually gave in. I knew you needed to be saved. And now I'm a information broker; vowing to avenge Feron and destroy the Shadow Broker."

Any rage he had was virtually gone now. He still couldn't accept Liara's change in personality, but he could at least understand it. Liara had lost someone she loved and she wished to avenge him. Marcus couldn't reprimand her for it; he would have done the same thing had the Shadow Broker killed Tali. He shook that thought from his head.

"I'm so sorry Liara," Marcus apologized, "I...didn't know. If I did...I might not have commented. If there's anything I can do..."

Liara smiled meekly as she turned from the door and sat back down at her desk, "There's nothing you can do to help currently. The Shadow Broker is a very vague character and he's very good at hiding. Noone has been able to find where he hides and operates from. Besides, you have your colonies to protect. The collectors must be stopped. And I apologize for doubting your intentions; I know you work for Cerberus with the best intentions in mind. I shall tell you when I need your help."

Marcus nodded, sighing heavily. Tali's posture immediately relaxed, knowing Liara posed no threat.  _Keelah, you really are paranoid. Marcus would never go for Liara; he is mine and I am his. And Liara loves someone else. Noone, not even her, would forget about a loved one dying quickly. I know I didn't..._

"I need a couple of favors Liara," Marcus requested.

The asari opened her terminal and smiled, "Anything you ask for Shepard, it's yours. I owe you alot for letting me join your crew."

"I need to find two recruits for my mission against the collectors," The spectre informed her, leaning forward, "First off, I'm looking for a professional drell assassin. I've heard he is on Illium currently."

"Ah yes, Thane Krios," Liara concluded, "A professional drell assassin indeed; he is by far one of the most famous. I've heard he is planning one final assassination sometime tuesday night, four days from now before going into retirement. He got into contact with an asari named Seryna who gave him the location of his target. His target however, isn't certain. My agents haven't turned up with anything relevant."

"You remembered all of that?" Marcus said with a grin, "You must have been born for this job."

"I practise," Liara smugly returned, "You said you had a second recruit?"

"Yes, I'm looking for an asari justicar. She is also on Illlium," He requested.

Liara slowly gulped, "Yes...the justicar. Her name is Samara. Before you ask for a last name, she no longer has a last name. She gave it up when she took the oath to join the Justicar Order. But, I digress. She is a powerful asari justicar who was last spotted at the spaceport trying to find a dangerous fugitive. From what I've heard, this fugitive is beyond dangerous. Not surprising if they've sent a justicar to hunt her down."

"Will this oath stop her from joining my mission?" Marcus asked.

"I do not think so," Liara responded, "As long as her fugitive is killed, she swears the oath to join you and perceives the collectors as a great enough evil, then she will. But after seeing what we've seen, the Reapers, I have no doubt in my mind she will join you. They are an evil that should be stopped. We both know that."

"Indeed," Marcus stated, "I could definitely use a third recruit though. Someone I trust."

Liara sighed heavily, knowing what he meant. Her. He meant her. She wanted her to join him. Liara had gotten the list of the crew on the Normandy directly from the Illusive Man in return for giving him Shepard's body. She knew, along with Tali and Garrus, that Kaidan was now onboard, along with Joker and Chakwas, almost completing the crew. Only herself, Wrex and Adams weren't onboard, with Pressly and Johnson having died when the ship's predecessor was destroyed over Alchera. She really wanted to join his crew; but she couldn't. She had to avenge Feron. She had to destroy the Shadow Broker.

"I'm afraid I can't Shepard," Liara stated plainly, "I would like to, but you've been dead for two years. I've got my own things to deal with. I have to stop the Shadow Broker. And before you offer to help me, don't. You have the collectors to stop. You have to stop them. My personal revenge isn't something you need to become entangled with. But I will give you this: whenever you require help, I will help. I owe you that much. Maybe I can help you from here rather than being on your crew. And who knows? If I kill the Shadow Broker before you charge the collector homeworld, I might join you."

Marcus shook his head, knowing the chances of that happening weren't small, medium or big. They were atomized. Instead, he simply accepted the already obvious fact that she couldn't join him. It was technically the first time this had happened; Tali had joined him on Haestrom afterwards. Liara simply wouldn't be joining until the Shadow Broker was defeated and his forces scattered. The Liara he knew was there, but was currently hidden under a iron veil. Revenge tended to do that.

"Thank you Liara," He responded exasperatedly, "I hope to talk to you again soon. Goodbye." With that, the spectre stood from his seat and his two dextro friends followed behind him, the gears of the door closing behind them. Liara sighed heavily, head falling into her hands. That was much more painful than she thought it would be.

Outside, the trio moved down the stairs, nodding to Nyxeris on their way past who gave them the same bored look she had when they arrived. At the bottom of the stairwell, they moved to head for the Eternity Bar, but were stopped by a overly familiar, feminine voice.

"Well I'll be damned," the voice said, "The galaxy sure is a small place for me to run into a dead man."

He turned around, coming face to face with a woman in a familiar red dress. Her black hair tied in that same ponytail, the exact same smug grin on her features. He laughed.

"Parasini?" Garrus got in first, surprised.

"Please, it's Gianna, what have I told you?" Parasini greeted, arms crossed, "I've come a long way from being a simple Internal Affairs agent back on Noveria. But how in the lowest hell did we bump into each other? On Illium of all places?"

"I could ask the same thing," Marcus stated, "What are you doing on Illium? I thought you worked in Port Hanshan." He had met Gianna Parasini on Noveria two years ago during the Eden Prime War. She had helped him get to Peak 15, the spectre helping her remove the corrupt Administrator Anoleis in the process.

"Internal Affairs matters aren't limited to Noveria," Gianna explained, "I've been assigned to Illium to help their government get inside info on criminal movements here. I'm currently keeping my eye on Nassana Dantius; asari bitch has become quite powerful on Noveria, even has two towers being built in her name. She rules half of Nos Astra and the Eclipse mercenary company under her belt. Illium's government doesn't like her, and I can see why. Well, it's my job to make asari squirm. It should be a fun job. Instead, I'm sitting here, at a table, spying on some bartender who's a 'informant.' I swear I got mislead."

"Qui'in till the admin?" Tali quirped in. She had no intention of being a third wheel.

"Definitely," Gianna responded in a instant, "Port Hanshan flourishes and he's the best administrator the port's had in decades. Better than Anoleis anyway. He was just an asshole."

He chuckled, "You enjoyed roughing him up."

"He enjoyed ordering me around," she counted, "I say it's even. I just hope that his days rotting in a turian prison earn him a second brain. He needs it, salarian bastard. But, hey! Don't let me distract you. You've probably got some geth to blow up or a sentient race of deadly machines to wipe out. Or maybe you're on a mission to wipe out the Eclipse organization. Who cares? You look like you've got something important to do and I won't hold you."

"Actually, we're going for a drink at Eternity," Marcus interrupted, "You should join us."

"Drinking on duty? Sorry, regulations," Gianna commented.

"Ah yes, 'regulations', an annoying set of rules made to only piss you off and stop you from doing what needs to be done. Meh, I dismiss that claim." Garrus responded, Marcus smirking at the turian's imitation of Councilor Sparatus' dismissal of the spectre's claims. The contrast was quite amusing.

"Ahhhhh...hell, why not?" She responded, "Lead the way. I'm not getting paid to watch a bartender all day anyway."

Getting to Eternity didn't take very long. Alot of staircases, that was sure, but getting to the bar took less than five minutes. Opening the door, they got moved inside the bar. It was quite a large room. The back of the room had a observation window, allowing a beautiful of the city once more while the main bar was at the right side, in the center, with four bartenders, along with an old looking asari manager. The room was surrounded by tables and one side had a bachelor party going on; an asari stripper dancing on the top of a table with a four human males and a single salarian. He looked away out of modesty. The back of the room had a table occupied by a quarian female and a turian male, both animatedly talking. A private room occupied the left of the room.

"Zaeed, you've had enough!" Kasumi's objections could be heard across the room and the calm, pounding music, "No more drinks! Shep will kill me if I he found out I let you drink this much! Enough!"

The spectre laughed mischeviously as Tali and Garrus followed behind him, moving towards the bar. As he passed, he heard snippets of the quarian/turian conversation.

"...He's a human, they don't understand..."

"...I'm just going to give up on dating for awhile..."

"...No! Don't do that! Don't let some human spoil you!..."

"...Then what do you suggest?"..."

"...how about we watch Fleet and Flotilla? Just you and me?..."

"...Oh, you're so sweet, but I think I'll stick with my nerve-stim pro..."

"...I've heard the love scenes are quite...wait, what?..."

Marcus cracked a wacky smile and looked over at his quarian engineer.  _RIP to the man in the friendzone._

Finally, they reached the bar, finding Kasumi desperately trying to delay Zaeed's drunken mayhem. The mercenary was swinging his bottle around like a madman, pretending to gun down non-existent mercs. Kasumi's face lit up as she swore the spectre approach, immediately breaking off and trying not to sound like she was part of it.

"This merc yours?" Gianna asked.

"No, but I'm yours baby!" Zaeed drunkenly shouted, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "I bet I could do a number on you!" He then slapped Gianna's ass. Big mistake.

The next moment, Zaeed was the on the ground, laughing hysterically. Gianna shook her head at him and looked up to see three pairs of eyes observing her, "What? Noone slaps my ass."

All four of them broke into a fit of laughter, not knowing how to stop. Not wanting to stop. Marcus ordered drinks for all four of them from the manager who's name turned out to be Matriarch Aethyta. Kasumi didn't want one, using Zaeed as her reason, the grizzled mercenary vomitting on the ground before swigging more alcohol from his bottle. They poked fun at Tali's need for a 'straw' to drink her drink, to which she snarkily commented, 'it improves my finesse', which Garrus mumbled back 'only to Shepard.'

The rest of those few hours were spent in Eternity, spending time with friends. Recruiting Samara, who they would recruit first, could wait. Right now, they had time for friends and old assiociates. And Gianna Parasini had alot of stories to tell.

**"And so we went to recruit Samara..."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"A powerful asari justicar. She had a big cleavage..."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"I bet you eyed it alot."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Maybe, but I was eying your hips and ass alot more."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Oh by the ancestors...you do realize how old your wife is, right?"**

**\- Commander Reia'Inas pav Earth.**

**"Your discomfort is my pleasure...** _**commander.** _ **"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Back on topic..."**

**\- Commander Reia'Inas pav Earth.**

_**A/N:** _

_**In response to Oriana (Guest)'s review, I am NOT single. I do indeed have a girlfriend (and no, it's not Tali -_-) and I don't plan on breaking up with her anytime soon. Sorry. :/** _


	29. Asari Samurai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On Illium, Shepard reunites with an old friend. Afterwards, he seeks his next recruit: an asari warrior monk.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT:**

**ASARI SAMARAI**

_**Warning: Smut approaching. It will be located soon after the first 'loading...' segment, and if you're not interested in Tali+Shepard heated love, then do not read. I know I haven't made an effort to do it before, but I will be now. And if you're the guy or girl who goes 'I can handle it,' I'm not talking about your standard smut, like the ones you get in In Love and War by Rockycombo. I'm talking hardcore smut. As in 'Honeymoon' by Miraza style smut.** _

_September 1, 2185_

_1405 hours._

_NAPD Outpost, Nos Astra Spaceport, Nos Astra, Illium._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Professor Mordin Solus._

The skycar came to a abrupt landing just outside the NAPD (Nos Astra Police Department) outpost in the spaceport. Marcus had decided that he'd rather catch Thane during his assassination attempt, to which he'd ask the asari, Selyna, about later. Recruiting Samara now seemed like the more fruitful option. Besides, he always prioritized shock troopers over assassins; they were simply more efficient.

The five of them stepped out of the vehicle and quickly payed their fair to the taxi driver. Zaeed had been sent back to the ship and Mordin had attended them instead; saying he had left Lia in charge of the lab, believing that she would do fine without him and it would help her to learn how to direct a lab by herself.

The general area was shaped like an L. To their left was the outpost itself; a huge box with a door leading inside to multiple offices. To their right was, once again, a beautiful view of Nos Astra, while the main spaceport lay directly ahead; transports and freighters bigger and smaller than the Normandy leaving and arriving with produce and goods. As he approached, he could already see an asari, police by her white and red striped uniform, arguing with a black and grey suited volus, flanked by two turian guards with assault rifles. As he approached, he could hear their argument.

"...this is the last time I'm telling you; you're not leaving until my investigation is finished." The asari argued. Ah, a detective then. But what investigation? Always the curious one, he continued to listen in on the heated argument.

The volus took a breath, as all volus did and responded, "I already told you! *hsk* I didn't kill him! *hsk* If you want to find the murderers, then look at the Eclipse. They are the ones with a base  _directly_ under your outpost! *hsk* And what about that justicar that recently showed up? People say she could go crazy and start killing. I have to leave!"

The detective crossed her arms, "She'll only kill the unjust, so I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about. Stay here. If you try to take off before my investigation is over, and I'll order the Illium defense fleet to shoot you down."

With that, the asari took off into the outpost, door closing behind her and the volus mumbled under his breath. Obviously, whatever this investigation was about, Samara was involved. He decided he'd start with questioning the volus for any extra information he might have. He steadily approached, the volus taking notice as he got closer and waddling to face him.

"Ah, hello soldier," The volus greeted, looking at the group, "My name is Pitne For."

"I'm Commander Shepard and I'd like to ask you some questions," Marcus inquired.

"Ah, the hero of the Citadel *hsk* I'd heard you had come back from the dead. *hsk* What questions, might you ask?"

"I heard you arguing with that detective," The spectre declared, "What to tell me what that was about?"

"Ah, heard that I see," Pitne sighed, "You earth-clan are too nosy for your own good. *hsk* Well, let's see. The detective thinks I'm involved in a murder case. *hsk* She seems to think I killed my business partner, *hsk* Dakni Kur, which I most certainly didn't. *hsk* It was clearly those Eclipse! They've been running *hsk* around and causing havoc in this city for quite a while now. *hsk* Especially since Dantius came and took over. *hsk* Now she has Eclipse killing anyone she deems a threat. *hsk* Don't know why she thought Dakni was a threat though. But I didn't kill him!"

"Did they actually find Dakni's body? Or do they assume he's dead?" Garrus got in, Marcus moving inside. Garrus was ex-C-Sec; questioning was his speciality.

"Of couse they found his body. The Nos Astra Police aren't known for carelessness," Pitne informed them, "A shotgun blast in the back tore his suit open *hsk* and ripped his head wide open. Now tell me; do I look like the *hsk* business person who kills people with shotguns? *hsk* No! But the Eclipse do!"

Obviously, the Eclipse presence on Illium was alot stronger than he thought. And again with Nassana Dantius.  _She must have the whole city giddy. I'll have to have a meeting with this Dantius. See what the deal is._

"Thank you for your time," Marcus thanked and lead his squad away and towards the entrance to an alleyway leading to a luggage storage area. They stopped however, seeing that two asari police officers were guarding the doorway, a holographic crime scene tape set up around the doorway. Must have been where Dakni was murdered. Garrus whispered in his ear.

"That volus seems alittle suspicious to me," The turian declared, "I know the Eclipse would seem like they would be the culprits, but it seems alittle too convinient to use them as a 'get out of jail free' card."

"Agreed," Mordin piped in, "Recommend questioning detective. May have additional information. Could prove useful."

With a curt nod, Marcus motioned for his squad to move inside the outpost, ordering Kasumi and Mordin to stay outside. Tali and Mordin continued to follow him inside, allowing them a good view of the interior of the small building. Multiple sections were split off inside the room, all acting as offices, with desks and tropical plants in pots laying all over the place. They spotted the detective sitting at her desk to the right of the room and approached her. Seeing them approach, she looked up with weary eyes from her cup of coffee.

The asari detective's skin was a much darker color than most asari; almost bordering on a dark purple. She had no facepaint of note and her lips were slightly puffy, but she had no noticable makeup. She stood up and held out a hand to shake his, which he met, the asari following the gesture to his team. He sat down at her desk, the detective reciprocating.

"Nice guns," The asari complimented, "Try not to use them in my district. My name is Chief Inspector Anaya. What can I do for you?" Anaya's voice reminded him of a easily noticable North American accent.

"I'm looking for an asari justicar named Samara," He immediately began.

He noticed Anaya's hands group ontop of the table and clench before unclenching, an uneasiness noticable in the asari's posture.

"If you've got a score to settle with Samara, then take it somewhere else," Anaya demanded, the uneasiness telligble in her tone, "I've got enough trouble to deal with already. I don't need you adding to it."

"I'm on a critical mission," He offered in the same way he always had, "I need some of the most elite for this mission and I'm here to recruit Samara, not try and kill her. You can either help me or not, but I'm going to get what I want either way, so you might as well loosen your tongue alittle."

"That does sound above my pay grade," Anaya declared, "Justicars usually work alone, but, they are drawn to impossible causes. And if you're getting her out of my district, I'll get you to her ASAP. She's at the crime scene, I'll radio ahead to let them know you're coming. Be careful though, we heard Samara had come into contact with a Eclipse squad a couple of minutes ago."

Marcus raised his eyebrow at Anaya's eagerness to get rid of the justicar, "You seem awfully anxious to get Samara out of your district."

"My superiors want me to detain her," Anaya explained, "They're worried she'll cause some 'cross-species' incident," The detective shook her head at this, "But her justicar code won't let her be taken into custody. If I try it, she'll have to kill me. I have no interest in dying, so if you lure her away with some big noble cause before I have to carry out my orders, I'm thrilled to help you."

Marcus shook his head, leaning forward, "Your superiors are ordering you to commit suicide. You don't have to obey them."

From behind him, Garrus snorted, "We can disobey suicidal orders? Was I refused this memo when I wasn't looking?

Tali decided to join in on the tease, "That's about twice a day."

"Most of the time I'm not being stupid about it," Marcus grinned, "I can't say the same for Anaya's superiors."

"I'm a cop. I know my duty. I've been ordered to detain her and I will, what you see now is merely me delaying the envitable. So if you can get rid of her now, I'll be alot better off. Now if you don't, I've got a volus merchant to check up on. Make sure he hasn't left. Oh, better radio ahead," Anaya stated before hitting her omni-tool, "Dispatch 1-4, how copy?"

"This is Dispatch 1-4, Inspect-Alfa-November-Alfa-Yankee-Alfa, we copy. New orders?"

"Negative," Anaya responded, "We've got three..." Marcus shook his head, holding up five fingers, "Scratch that, make it five friendlies about to approach crime scene tape; I've given them the all-clear. You'll give them full access to crime scene: they've come to relieve Justicar Samara of on-site duty, over."

"This is Dispatch 1-4, we copy. Golf-Oscar. Over and out."

Anaya simply nodded to them before deactivating her omni-tool and moving outside to confront Pitne, who hadn't moved. Marcus gathered Mordin and Kasumi, who had been conversing before heading immediately towards the crime scene.

They quickly found themselves at the doorway and the two officers immediately parted to let them through, the crime scene tape glowing crimson red and beeping as each one of them walked through. Once through, both officers moved back into position, looks unchanging.

Upon moving inside, they immediately found the crime scene. A pool of white blood coated the ground, followed by a chalk outline of a dead volus' body.  _Volus' have white blood. You learn something new every day, it seems._ The alleyway was dead silent, aside from the mumblings of security and police interaction. Marcus and his squad moved towards the entrance of the alleyway, but a security officer halted them.

"Sorry sir, it's too dangerous to continue. Eclipse mercs occupy the end of the alleyway," The officer stated.

The spectre raised an eyebrow and simply eyed his weapons. The officer seemed to get his meaning, "Okay, good point, just be careful. These fuckers are callous."

With a nod, Marcus nodded for his squad to equip their weapons, he himself pulling out his tempest SMG, enabling incendiary rounds. Tali equipped her geth plasma shotgun, Garrus his mattock heavy rifle, while Mordin and Kasumi equipped their own tempest SMGs, the latter activating her cloak soon after. With that, they trudged onwards and towards the luggage bay where Samara was reported to have been.

They moved through the alleyway steadily, not encountering any hostiles. Then he heard voices. Shouting. An asari yelling orders. Eclipse. He held up his hands for his squad to approach stealthily, ordering Kasumi to take point while he moved up behind, Tali, Garrus and Mordin behind him. He turned the corner and found the source of the yelling, immediately taking cover behind a crate; half a eclipse squad.

He spotted a salarian engineer, flanked by two asari and a couple of humans. As he looked around again, he cursed under his breath. Great, a fucking elcor too. He quickly equipped his pulse rifle in his other hand, deciding to dual-wield his SMG and assault rifle at the same time. He eyed Garrus, giving him the signal to draw the merc's fire while he took down the lone elcor. That allowed the rest of his team to concentrate on the rest of the mercs. With a nod of his head, the turian fired.

Cries rang through the corridor as the mercs quickly focused their attention on what they assumed was a lone turian. A torrent of assault rifle and SMG fire poured down on Garrus, the viglante making a jump for cover while managing to avoid a incineration blast by the salarian. He ordered Mordin to deal with the engineer while he swerved from cover and fired on the elcor.

It required less effort than he originally thought. The combined fire from his SMG and the heavy armor-piercing rounds of his geth pulse rifle easily tore apart the merc's shields, rounds ripping into elcor flesh extremely easily. As thick as it was, it stood no chance against his barrage of fire. He quickly moved to the colossus' four legs, ripping into them like a axe into a tree. The elcor quickly fell, Marcus having to reload both his weapons. He dropped his SMG and immediately slammed a fresh clip into his pulse rifle, rolling out of cover and shredding one of the human mercs instantly with his barrage.

The salarian deployed a orange combat drone before leaping into cover, letting loose a spread of SMG fire to keep away their fire. The combat drone hovered over to Garrus and zapped his shields, the turian turning to fire at the thing, but missing as it disappeared. Not worrying about it, Marcus once again charged, holstering his rifle and reloading his SMG, firing a widespread over the disorganized mercs. He caught another human in the shoulder, shields down, spinning him and allowing Tali to catch him in the back with her shotgun while Kasumi decloaked and rammed her omni-blade up the back of another.

The two asari paniced, resorting to their biotics and unleashing a bombardment on them. Unfortunately for them, they weren't the only ones with biotics. Pulsing with ethereal energy, he leapt up and launched a biotic shockwave towards the pair, breaking the concentration of one and sending another flying into a wall unconscious. The other tried to regain focus, but was quickly gunned down by Garrus. His shields recharged just as Marcus moved to finish off the salarian, the engineer firing. Expecting the round to be reflected off his barriers, the spectre was surprised when the round caught him in the chest, causing him to reel back. Confused, he checked his shield meter; no shields.

 _What the...?_ Then he found the source of his problem flying towards him. That engineer's damn combat drone. He moved to destroy it, but was stopped as another of the engineer's bursts caught him in the shoulder, forcing him to the ground to throw off the merc's aim. He moved to destroy the drone again, but smiled at the pointlessness of the gesture. The combat drone was hit by a burst of energy and turned around just in time to watch Chiktika ram into it, sending it flying. Before it could retaliate, Chiktika finished it off with a burst of incineration, destroying the drone. Tali shouted in triumph, yelling through the comm.

"Noone's faster than Chiktika vas Paus!"

The salarian, shocked, moved to run, but was stopped short as a incineration blast hit him in the back. Without shields, he was helpless as the fire consumed him, screaming in pain. To end his suffering, Kasumi emptied a burst into the back of his skull, killing him. Mordin nodded to the thief, reloading his SMG. Marcus stood, humming as the armor's injectors activated and medi-gel coated his wounds, shields recharging.

He watched as Tali caught Chiktika from the ground, having deactivated it, and pocketed it. With a nod to the spectre, Marcus grinned and motioned for them to move inside the luggage bay. Palming the door interface, they moved inside, weapons scanning the room.

He almost jumped back in shock as, seemingly out of nowhere, the body of a dead eclipse trooper, a human, slammed into the wall, her screams echoing through the room after her demise, body falling to the ground in a broken heap. He turned to the source of the merc's death, and saw nothing at first. But he did see the mangled bodies of numerous dead eclipse mercs; salarian, human and asari. He looked up above to see a lone asari merc, pistol out before her, eyes scanning the room in fear.

"Those were my best troops!" The asari screamed at her unseen enemy, "I'm going to fucking rip your throat out, Justicar!" Empty words for a dead woman, it seemed.

"Tell me what I need to know and I will be gone from here," Came a wise, yet beautiful, accented voice, "Where did you send her?" Then the owner of the voice stepped out of the shadows and into the light. She was an asari, as was already obvious, but she was different from the others he'd met, like Liara. She wore a crimson red uniform, ancient carvings and symbols aligning it, the uniform accenting her slim body. Her body moved gracefully; almost like every step took no effort, but always came out as hynotizing. He had to question the uniform itself though; it didn't take modesty into effect. Her cleavage wasn't just showing, but the whole thing could be seen. If the slit down the middle was any bigger, then...he didn't need to finish that thought.

Her face was a lighter shade of blue than any asari he'd known and had no facial markings. Above her eyebrows however was some pieces of red metal that curved around her eyebrows and on her forehead, serving a purpose unknown. Her body glowed in the azure light of biotics, ready to attack if nessacary.

The eclipse merc shook her head, "You think I'd betray her? She'd hurt me in ways you couldn't imagine!"

Samara seemed to ignore her her comment, "The name of the ship. Your life hangs on the answer, lieutenant."

The asari began to gain courage, raising her pistol slightly, "You can kill me, but one of us will take you down, justicar!" She then raised her pistol fully, squeezing the trigger. Three shots rang out, all repelled by a barrier Samara had formed infront of herself. Before the merc could counter with her own biotics, she had been picked up and thrown off the balcony into a pair of crates, winding her. Samara gracefully leapt off the balcony, using her biotic abilities to glide through the air and land softly on the ground, stalking towards her fallen prey. With no weapon, the merc just watched as Samara placed a boot on her neck, the merc trying desperately to escape.

"What was the name of the ship she left on?" Samara demanded.

The asari barely managed to choke out her answer, "Go. To. Hell!"

The justicar shook her head, barely fazed by the response, "May you find peace in the embrace of the goddess." With that, she twisted her foot, snapping the merc's neck, causing her to cease all movement. Removing her foot from her dead opponent, Samara finally turned to face them, regarding them with a watchful gaze. Then, after what felt like a tension-filled eternity, she approached them, Marcus ordering his team to lower their weapons.

"My name is Samara, a servant of the justicar code," The justicar greeted, "My quarrel is with these eclipse sisters, but I see five well armed people before me. Are we friend, or foe?"

Marcus nodded, looking at the dead bodies of the eclipse mercs, "Friend, I hope. I'm Commander Shepard, and I need you for a dangerous mission. I've come to recruit you. My illusive benefactor sent me a dossier saying you'd prove useful."  _Illusive, yes. Benefactor? We'll see._

Samara quirked her lips in impression, "You honor me, but I'm in the middle of a investigation."

"I need you to help me stop the collectors from abducting human colonies," Marcus offered.

This got Samara's interest, "The Collectors are a worthy foe. I would relish testing myself against them. But I seek an incredibly dangerous fugitive," He quirked his brows in confusion, motioning for the justicar to explain, "I had cornered her here, but the eclipse sisters managed to sneak her aboard a transport ship before I could get to her. I must find the name of the ship she left on before the trail runs cold."

He nodded and heard the door open. Before he could turn to see who it was though, Samara had formed a biotic barrier around him and four shots pinged harmlessly off it. He turned to see that it was another asari merc, and he instantly recognized her.  _She's the one my shockwave knocked unconscious._ Before she could do anything else, the door opened again and she turned to see who it was, only to be gunned down by assault rifle fire. He sighed in relief as Anaya, leading a squad of Nos Astra Tactical Police troopers, marched into the room, all wearing armor except her. Seeing no other hostiles, Anaya moved towards Samara, all officers pointing weapons at her. Marcus felt his grin lessen. He didn't like this.

Anaya stopped a few meters away before turning to Marcus, "Is the justicar willing to leave with you?"

He shook his head, "She has to finish her investigation."

Samara nodded, "This is true. She is dangerous and must be stopped."

The sounds of weapon safeties being turned off could be heard while Anaya shook her head and sighed, hand drawing the sidearm on her hip, "I wish you were willing to leave with Shepard, Justicar."

Marcus knew what was going on. Anaya's superiors had finally done it. The detective couldn't delay it anymore.

She was doing to attempt to arrest Samara. Now he under the TPT squad, but he didn't think they would stand a chance against Samara. And if push came to shove, would he really fight Anaya and her fellow officers to save Samara? Could he really kill innocent officers who were just doing their jobs just to recruit some asari legalized viglante?

Anaya's voice broke his thoughts, "By order of the Nos Astra Police Department, and by approval of the Nos Astra City Council, I hereby am forced to place you under arrest Samara. People are afraid of what you might do and we don't need a panic on his hands."

Marcus' hands tightened around the grip of his rifle, getting ready to fight. But surprisingly, Samara's response took him off guard.

"You risk a great deal by following your superior's orders, detective," Samara responded cooly, unfazed, "Fortunately, I will not have to resist. My code obligates me to cooperate with you for one day. After that, I must return to my investigation."

Anaya shook her head, "I'm sorry, but my investigation will take at least a week to crack, justicar. I can't let you out that early."

"You won't be able to stop me," Samara responded.

Deciding to stop them before a all-out firefight broke out, Marcus decided to resolve the situation, "We'll find the name of that ship."

Samara and Anaya immediately turned to Marcus, the latter nodding her approval eagerly while holstering her pistol, while Samara smiled grimly at him. Anaya then motioned for her troops to lower their weapons, which they did begrudgingly.

"Do that and I will join you," Samara stated, "Then the code will be satisfied."

"Do you have any leads?" Garrus asked, ever the detective.

Samara nodded, "The volus merchant, Pitne For, is tied to this. Eclipse mercs are preparing to kill him. Get the truth out of him, he may be able to get you into the eclispe base." As she said this, Anaya activated a pair of omni-cuffs and clasped the around Samara's wrists, which were tried behind her back. Once finished, Samara moved out of the building, with the troopers following behind her. Just before she left, Anaya turned towards his group, which were moving to follow.

"Thanks for that," Anaya stated, "You can find Pitne inside my office. Had to keep him inside. He tried to leave again."

Marcus chuckled as he followed the detective, Garrus giving him that 'I told you so' look he gave people whenever he was right. He simply rolled his eyes. It wasn't long before they reached the NAPD outpost again, and Samara was quickly lead to a holding cell while Anaya sat at her desk, watching his group as they approached Pitne, the small, fat volus sitting on the ground. Seeing them approach, he tried to stand up, but failed.

"Hello again, Earth-clan," Pitne greeted, "Any luck finding out what happened to Dakni? *hsk* I hope you've discovered it wasn't me who killed him *hsk* by now. I want out of here; especially *hsk* now since that justicar is locked up in the same building as *hsk* I am."

Marcus shook his head, crossing his arms, team conversing with each other while Garrus tried fruitlessly to flirt with Anaya, "Let's cut the crap. Why's Eclipse out for your head?"

Pitne was quick to deny it, "Eclipse? Wanting me dead? *hsk* I don't think so. I'm merely an innocent mer-"

He squatted next to the volus and grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him forward until his face was inch from the volus', "Stop bullshitting me. I get angry when people do that. And I get murderous when I'm pissed. Just ask the geth, or Saren's dead corpse. Which ever one you like."

If Pitne could piss himself, which assumed volus could, he'd be doing so right now, "O-okay! *hsk* Maybe you're right, Earth-clan. I'm desperate *hsk* I've got angry mercs wanting to pop my suit open *hsk* and now we have this justicar from the Thessia-clan *hsk* Let's talk."

Marcus nodded, standing and motioning for the volus to continue.

"I smuggled a chemical onto Illium that boosts biotic powers in combat *hsk*," Pitne stated, "It can also give you temporary powers if you don't have any *hsk* And trust me, even if you're wearing a suit, it *hsk* won't protect you. This chemical goes right through it. Don't know how *hsk* it works, but it does. Just warning you so you can watch that *hsk* clanless over there." He then pointed over to Tali.

He ignored his comment about Tali being 'clanless.'  _Yet again, volus do name people after their homeworld and the quarian's don't have one, so they are technically clanless. Doesn't stop it from sounding like an insult though._

"It also...is toxic,*hsk*" Pitne stated, "*hsk* I may have...um...forgotten, to mention that to the Eclipse *hsk* So they are perturbed and want to kill me."

He rolled his eyes. As much as he hated Eclipse, he could see why they'd want him dead. I'd be pissed if I was sold a tank that secretly would explode if you tried to fire the main cannon. Instead of scolding the volus however, he just decided to ask the more obvious question.

"I need to gain access to the Eclipse base," Marcus declared.

"I do have a passcard they issued me *hsk* so I could ship my goods in," Pitne admitted, looking around wearily, "Well, I obviously had to return that *hsk* one, but I just happened to make a copy. Here, take it." The volus fitted a three-fingered hand into a suit pocket and pulled out a small card, handing it to the spectre, who took it and pushed it into his pocket.

"Just be careful," Pitne as he turned to leave, "Each eclipse sister commits a murder to earn her uniform. It's quite possible Dakni's death was the result of a initiation. They are all extremely dangerous."

"Yeah, so are krogan, geth and collectors," Marcus offered back, "No trouble with them so far." He was technically right, with the exception of the events of Horizon. Pitne nodded and moved to leave, but found his exit blocked by Anaya, who stood there, shaking her head. Marcus pretended to be entranced by the passcard, grinning under his helmet. Pitne looked up to the Anaya, unaware of what was going on.

"Detective?" Pitne asked, "I've offered all the help *hsk* I can, can I not leave?"

"Why? Why would I let a smuggler go free?" Anaya said, desperately holding back a smug grin.

"Wait...*hsk*, how did you...hear about that? *hsk*"

"I have my ways," Anaya responded, before looking at one of her officers, "Pitne For, I'm placing you under arrest for the smuggling of illegal produce onto Illium and potentially causing the death of your business partner and many other innocents. You have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..." As she said this, she followed Pitne as he was escorted down into the detainee cell room, where he'd be held before being taken to court. If found guility, he'd say hello to Prison.

Mission complete, he lead his team outside and towards a door located to the left of the crime scene; an elevator leading into the eclipse base approximately 44 floors down. Stepping inside, he hit the button for the 44th floor.

Seeing as this would take awhile, Garrus decided to talk with Tali, "So Tali, remember our conversation back on that elevator down on Noveria?"

Tali frowned at the turian behind her mask, not sure what he meant. But when she remember...well, she remembered. And it wasn't something she was going to continue. She rolled her eyes and looked back at the door, not listening to the turian, hoping her response stonewalled, no matter how hopeless it seemed.

"No."

Garrus smirked, not giving up, "Come on, remember how we'd all ask you about life on the Flotilla? It was an oppurtunity to share! Why should Shepard get you all to himself?"

Heat rushed to her cheeks, "This conversation...is over."

"Tell me again about your immune system."

"Ah yes, very interesting. Quarian immune system born from adaptation to life on Rannoch. Unlike other xenoimmuno systems who fought incoming bacteria instead of adaptation. Then there's-"

"Mordin, please."

"I don't know, I'm quite enjoying this."

"Not you to Kasumi!"

"Sorry little bucket, but this is too good to pass up."

"I have a shotgun."

"Ah...we'll talk later."

"That's right, bosh'tet turian."

"Your shotgun doesn't scare me, Tali."

"Kasumi, please! Shepard, help me!"

Marcus merely grinned, "Kasumi, leave Tali alone."

"Fine, Shep. You're no fun at all."

"I didn't realize torturing me about my culture was fun."

"It wouldn't be torture if you simply gave in-"

They all went silent as the elevator stopped and the door swung open, revealing an open room full of crates and two, inactive LOKI mechs. A doorway lay to the left with nothing to the right but crates. They were now in the bowels of eclipse territory. Equipping his SMG, he ordered his team to equip their weapons and move forward, keeping a look out for Pitne's dangerous chemical. He was worried about getting poisoned by the toxic chemical.

He looked through the doorway and saw a full eclipse squad; three asari, four salarians and five humans, all in the same room, patrolling, unaware of their presence, accompanied by three FENRIS mechs. He cursed under his breath, not loud enough to be heard by the mercs, but enough for Mordin to hear him. Then he remembered the two LOKI mechs that sat inactive in the corner. He had found his vanguard.

"Kasumi hack into those mechs and send them in," Marcus ordered, "Tali and Mordin, cover my back and Garrus, provide sniper fire. I'll go in, biotics blazing, right behind the mechs, use 'em as meat shields."

"Don't you mean metal shields?" Garrus remarked.

"Yes, that smartass."

Kasumi wasted no time in hacking into the mechs, having them active pretty quickly; apparently eclipse didn't bother with anti-hacking security. The mechs moved outside, pistols drawn, immediately opening fire on their original eclipse owners. One human was caught in the back of his head, shields down and no helmet; a clean hole ripped into his head as he fell to the ground dead. Hearing the gunshots, eclipse quickly reacted, firing. Marcus charged in behind them, biotics at the ready and SMG at his side.

One of the salarians was quickly able to disable both mechs, but Marcus merely resorted to using his biotics to throw them at the mercs, hitting one salarian and toppling him while knocking another human off to the side, assault rifle falling to the ground. Without waiting, he used the momentum gained from his biotics to tackle an asari to the ground, his team moving to deal with the rest. The asari straggled, grabbing his wrist and trying to rip him off of her. His omni-blade activated, slicing through her wrist and causing her to let go in a scream of agony.

He sliced her throat wideopen, purple blood spraying onto his visor and painting his chestplate. He quickly lifted himself off of the dead asari, only to be lifted off the ground by the second asari and thrown into Garrus, body's interwined as they toppled over each other. SMG still gripped in his hand, he moved to get up, standing up just as Garrus did. The turian lifted his sniper rifle and fired, the shot hitting true; blasting through her forehead and ripping a nice hole in that area, killing her. This left one more asari, who was quickly taken by Tali. The remainder of the eclipse force, two salarians and a FENRIS mech, tried to escape, using the mech as cover, but didn't get far as Kasumi appeared, emptying a burst into one's kneecap and while he was on the ground, placing another in the back of his head.

The other salarian hoped to continue his escape, but quickly found himself toppling into a large assortment of canisters, panic entering his features. Marcus understood why as he took down the last FENRIS with a biotic thrust, ordering his team forward. Those canisters were full of the toxic chemical.

The salarian screamed as he was surrounded by a deathly green mist, inhaling the fumes in his panic. Before long, he ceased all moment, biotics flaring up and disappearing rapidly as his body fell to the ground. He made sure to switch off his olfactory filters, not wanting to breathe it in, quickly ordering his squad to do the same. Then he remembered Tali. She was standing guard at the door, unaware of the toxic gas stalking towards her. He ran forward, grabbing her wrist and pulling her out of the mist's path and back towards the group. The quarian nodded to him in appreciation.

"Come on, we'd better keep going," Marcus ordered, "And whatever you do, don't get anywhere near those fumes. Stay close to me."

"Shep, found something," Kasumi announced, running up to him, holding out her omni-tool.

"Found something, I gather?" He asked the petite thief. She quickly nodded, bringing up some file.

"Yeah, think I might have found out who leads the eclipse in this base," Kasumi admitted, "An asari by the name of Captain Wasea. She's the boss here, but apparently she answers to Nassana."

"Again with Dantius," Mordin piped up, rubbing the bottom of his chin, "Dantius must be extremely powerful with eclipse troops at her back. Likely that the only way to stop eclipse operations in area is to cut head off leader. Would be intelligent approach. Killing Nassana, seems like best option."

"We'll deal with this later," Marcus stated, "Let's just find the name of the ship Samara's fugitive left on and get out of here. We'll find out what to do about Dantius later."

They continued to trudge through the eclipse base, taking down whatever defenses the mercs set up. The mercenaries really hadn't been prepared for their break-in, and Wasea seemed to content to just throw her troops at them, like she was delaying them. During this time, they had found eclipse logs listening Minagen X3 as the name for the toxic chemicals; a substance once used during chemical warfare tactics by the geth against the quarians in the morning war. A deadly and effective weapon. It was illegalized by the Citadel Conventions.

Finally, they reached the final stretch of the eclipse stronghold. The majority of the eclipse forces had been disposed of, which hadn't been much bigger than a platoon, and just as he was about to move up a flight of stairs, he saw an asari merc with a shotgun trying to flee. He raised his weapon, "Stop right there. Drop the weapon and turn around; slowly."

The merc stopped in her tracks, dropping her shotgun and spinning to face them, face contorted in fear. The asari was young, still in her maiden stage most likely, and looked terrified, her hands fidgeting, "Please don't kill me! I didn't mean to kill anyone, I swear! Wasea made me do it!"

"What the hell are you on about?" Garrus demanded, "Didn't mean to kill anyone? Then why did you join a fucking  _mercenary_ company?"

"Please!" the asari pleaded, "When I joined the Eclipse, I thought it'd be cool! 'Elnora the mercenary!' I thought my friends would be impressed by me! I didn't know I was going to kill people and work for Dantius of all people! That justicar is probably going to kill me and I need out! I didn't mean to hurt anyone, I swear it!"

"If I let you go...," Marcus hesitated, "Just tell me, who is Nassana Dantius exactly?"

"You don't know?" The asari asked bewildered, "She's only the most wealthy and powerful asari on all of Illium. She owns the City Council, half of eclipse and has so much money, she can spend some of it building twin skyscrapers in her name and not even lose a quarter of her wealth."

He heard Kasumi whistle behind him, "A rich asari with eclipse at her back, Shep? You always choose the impossible kills."

He smirked at the thief, turning back to the asari naming herself Elnora, "You can go. But if I see you here again, I will shoot you."

Elnora nodded ecstatically, running the way she had been before, disappearing up the flight of stairs. With a shake of his head, his team continued upstairs and down the right corridor, towards Wasea's warehouse. Before they hit the door however, they bumped into what looked to be a drunk volus; at least he thought he was drunk. The volus was stumbling around, unable to keep his balance. He quirked an eyebrow at the volus. He then moved back slightly when he saw biotics flare around the volus' suit, the little alien turning to face them.

"I am a biotic god!" The volus declared, "I see things and I make them happen! *hsk* You will bow before me, Earth-clan! *hsk* For I'm biotic supremacy made flesh!"

"Keelah, we have a nutcase," Tali mumbled and the spectre chuckled lightly.

"You laugh at me now, but you are nothing *hsk* compared to my might!" The volus declared, "I am Niftu Cal! And I am a god! *hsk* When I breathe...when I breathe...*hsk* I fly! I was scared at first, but then Wasea *hsk* began to inject things into me. She made me into this. And now she laughs at my greatness. *hsk* She laughs at me, but I will show her," Niftu quickly turned to the door, "I will toss Wasea about like a rag doll!"

"This guy couldn't tie his own bootlace let alone fight," Garrus remarked.

Niftu made his way over to Tali, standing just infront of her and looking up at her, "You, clanless woman! Bow down to me! *hsk* You will be a servant of my pleasure! You will herald in my greatness!" Tali just looked blankly at the volus before looking at Marcus, shaking her head. He could tell she was smiling under that mask as she knelt down and pushed the volus, the little behemoth toppling onto his back, yelping. He had to hold back a laugh.

"Laugh all you want! I will destroy you! I am beyond your imagination! *hsk* I am-" Then, out of nowhere, the volus suddenly fell asleep, snoring loudly.

"Asleep," Kasumi finished for him, "And then the fire nation attacked."

Marcus guffawed, turning towards the the japanese thief, "Why do I happen to understand that reference?"

Kasumi grinned, "Because anime is awesome. I even know a few asari who love it."

"Anime? Fire Nation...attacked?" Garrus asked, mirroring Tali's confused gaze, "What is going on?"

"Fire Nation Attacked," Mordin started, "Reference to modern japanese animation, anime for short, called Avatar: Last Airbender. Very popular during earth twenty-first century. Will have to try sometime."

Kasumi just rolled her eyes and elbowed Tali in the ribs lightly, "You and I are going to sit down and watch an episode when we get back. Maybe a few episodes."

Marcus raised his eyebrows, "Is this that how it is? Well then Garrus, I'm going to have to show you Game of Thrones."

Kasumi immediately jumped, "That settles it! We are  _all_ watching that after this is done!"

Spirits lifted, his squad moved down the hallway and into the warehouse, door closing behind them. They were in a massive room, with the back packed to the brim with huge crates, presumably filled with Minagen X3. At the back of the room was three human eclipse mercs, right infront of a asari merc wearing heavy armor and with orange markings on her face. Standing next to her was Elnora, obviously talking to her. Damn it, he shouldn't have trusted her.

Upon hearing them enter, Wasea and Elnora immediately turned to the door, a grin creasing both their faces. The three mercs turned to them, raising their rifles as they did, immediately opening fire. Marcus formed a biotic barrier, allowing his team to get behind cover before he dropped the shield and dropped into cover, just avoiding the tsunami of revenant LMG rounds from one of the mercs. Save the best 'till last.

"Is this what the great commander Shepard does in the face of his enemies?" Wasea mocked, glowing in blue energy as she approached, "Wimper and hide? This is pathetic! I expected a showdown, not a duck hunt!"

Without giving her any time to respond, he primed a grenade and through it in her general direction, waiting for the explosion before grabbing his shotgun and charging her, weapon firing. Wasea managed to block the shot before he barrelled into her, his team engaging the enemy mercs, who didn't last long despite their heavy weaponry. Yet again, they were standing in the open. Dickhead move.

Elnora just seemed to watch the whole battle, not making any moves to join in the fighting. She just hung back, pistol out and moving from target to target, almost like she had trouble choosing who to shoot first. He struggled with Wasea, but she managed to shake him off with a biotic thrust, allowing her to land on top of him and try to shoke the life out of him. She straddled him, a look of desperation in her eyes.

Grabbing the sides of her face, he headbutted the asari, helmet impacting naked face, causing her to loosen her grip and reel back with a broken nose. He leapt at his attempt, wrapping his hands around her head and snapping the opposte way. With Wasea dead, he shoved her dead body off of him and watched as his team rejoined him as he stood up.

He turned to Elnora, sneering, "I should have killed you when I had the chance."

"You wouldn't dare kill the sister of Nassana Dantius!" Elnora blurted out at them. He stopped immediately, looking at her puzzledly. She smirked, "That's right. My name isn't Elnora, that was just a cover I used to keep an eye on Wasea and make sure she stated loyal. My real name is Dahlia Dantius, and you won't kill me if you want to live."

"Are you forgetting something?" Marcus asked.

"What?"

"I'm Commander Shepard," he deadpanned, "I've faced far worse than your sister."

"No, wait! I can-"

The sound of a SMG burst rang out, hitting Dahlia in the side of the head and killing her instantly, body toppling to the ground and purple blood pooling around her dead body. Every head in the room turned to the shooter, finding Mordin, SMG raised.

"Eliminated potential hostile," Mordin defended, anticipating their response before holstering his weapon, "Dantius armed and could have shot any one of us. Added bonus in her death too. Attract attention of Nassana; potentially cause her to step from shadows. Allow us to attack her like a prey would in ambush."

"As much as I loathe killing prisoners," Marcus shot a glare at the salarian, "I'll agree with Mordin on this one. If Nassana truly is this dangerous woman who owns Nos Astra through hegemonial rule, then we have to put her down for good."

"What about the name of that ship Samara wanted?" Garrus asked.

"Oh right, of course," Marcus said, remembering.

"Don't worry, I found it," Tali declared, pushing a datapad into Marcus' awaiting hands, "Found it on Wasea's body, of course."

He nodded to the quarian, looking down at the PDA. He found out that the ship Samara's fugitive had left on was a transport ship called the AML Demeter, headed for Omega. Seeing as the information on this would be more than enough to satisfy the justicar, he motioned to his team and they got out of there. He had had enough of fighting mercs for one day anyway.

**{Loading...}**

_September 1, 2185_

_1615 hours._

_NAPD Outpost, Nos Astra Spaceport, Nos Astra, Illium._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Professor Mordin Solus, Chief Inspector Anaya._

Marcus moved into the outpost with renewed purpose. They had done it. They had raided an eclipse base, decimated it's inhabitants, cut the head off of Eclipse's second-in-command within the area, killed Nassana Dantius' sister, which would hopefully get the attention of one overlord bitch somewhere. That, and they had also acquired the datapad holding the information nessacary for Samara's release and recruitment.

"I see you've returned," Anaya announced, "I had heard reports of gunfire down in the eclipse territory. Your doing, perhaps?"

"Most certainly," Marcus stated, smirking, "The Eclipse were definitely responsible for Dakni Kur's death it would seem. I had found information that proved that," he then motioned for Kasumi to provide the detective with the evidence, "I'd also like Samara released from custody so I may hand her the evidence she desires."

"You're a man of wonders, Shepard. I wish a quarter of my men were this competent," Anaya responded gratefully, before tapping her terminal, "Cell 6, release prisoner and bring her to my desk. She's been released."

"Copy that."

It took a few minutes, but Samara finally emerged from the door way, omni-cuffs still tieing her wrists. The officers, a turian and a human, uncuffed her wrists and saluted Anaya before leaving, Samara fitting her hands behind her back as she judged Marcus. Without waiting, he handed her the PDA, which she didn't hesitate in taking, her eyes glazing over it.

"That should be all you need," Marcus stated.

"Indeed it is, Commander," Samara, before fitting the datapad into one of her pockets, turning to face him again, "You have fullfilled your part of the bargain, and I will fulfill mine."

Before he knew what was happening, Samara had squatted infront of him, pulsing with biotic energy, eyes closed. Every asari in the room gasped and watched in awe, even Anaya seeming to get up from her seat and watch the moment. Then Samara spoke.

"By the code I will serve you Shepard," Samara pledged, "Your choices, are my choices. Your morals are my morals. Your wishes are my code." With that, her biotic energy seemed to detonate, prickling the hairs on his skin as it blew past him, the asari in the room bewildered. They stood there, his team included, for a moment, before returning to their stations. Samara stood up while Anaya just continued to look in awe.

"I never thought I'd...see a justicar...swear an oath like  _that_ ," Anaya declared in perputual shock.

Marcus just seemed confused, "I don't get what happened. What did you just do?"

"I swore an oath to follow you," Samara explained, "Most justicars work alone in their pursuit of justice, but when the time comes to follow a leading authority into a fight or to join a military faction seeking to overthrow that of a faction seen as unjust, then I must swear allegiance to them as my code can contradict certain operations. What I just did ensures that your authority supercedes the code until your mission is complete. When it is, my code takes over once more."

"I see," Marcus said in understanding.

"Of course...," Samara continued, "If you order me to do anything ruthless or cruel like slaughter or murder, I may have to kill you when the mission is over."

Before he could do anything, Tali had reacted within a second, placing herself infront of Marcus and striking a threatening pose, pointing an accusing finger at the justicar, "Like  _hell_ you will. You so much as try and hurt him and I will kill  _you._ " The group was shocked at Tali's action of overprotectiveness. Gone was the Tali who he talked to and would hopelessly stutter whenever they teased or pleasured each other. This Tali was fierce, badass and would kill to protect him. He was a lucky man.

He wasn't surprised by Samara's unfazed posture. But a smile slowly crept along her face, and that  _did_ surprise him.

"Ah, I see you are bonded to the commander and are his unionmate," Samara stated, turning to Marcus, "You continue to surprise me, commander."

"How did you...," Tali was shocked at first but immediately dismissed it, remembering Samara's threat, "You try and kill him and I'll kill you! I won't let you hurt him!"

"I have no intention of bringing harm to your unionmate, child," Samara explained, "I was merely dictating the set parameters. Besides, I highly doubt, judging by the stigma surrounding Shepard, that he would ever commit immoral wrong doings. During my time in my cell, I have done my research on you. I am honored to be joining your impressive crew."

Marcus nodded, bringing a hand on Tali's shoulder, the quarian slowly easing her defenseness at his touch, "I'll be fine, Tali. I think I can defend myself." He smiled appreciatively at her, the quarian nodding and moving back, wanting so much to hug him right now. But she couldn't, not here. Marcus' gaze lingered on her before focusing back on Samara.

"And I am honored to have you," Marcus returned, "Our ship is located in the business district of the Skaro Building, downtown. We'll take you there if you wish. Besides, we all have a movie date."

Samara nodded, motioning for him to lead the way. He quickly grabbed Tali's hand, squeezing it and smiling at his wonderful girlfriend. He didn't regret choosing her for one second. And after what she did for him, he already found a desire for her brimming inside of him. He leaned closer to her, whispering into her ear, "Want to um...have some alone time...you know, back at the ship?"

Tali hesitated before nodding. She suddenly remembered something she desperately wanted to do but didn't have the courage. She wasn't ready to have sex with him; she wouldn't be for a while yet. But she could do something for him. She had done her research on human sexual practises, and had found one that disturbed her slightly while also arousing her. And now she planned to do it. She had the antibiotics. She wanted to do it. With that thought on her mind, she was nervous the whole way back.

The ride back to the Normandy didn't take too long. Samara was more than willing to set herself up in Starboard Observation, where she immediately set about in meditation. Garrus and Kasumi had stated their desire to watch Game of Thrones, but Tali and Marcus said they'd pass for a couple of hours, with Kasumi and Garrus giving them an all too knowing look as they entered the elevator. Now Marcus approached his desk and sat in it, while Tali lingered in the middle, fiddling with her fingers. God it was hot in her suit.

Did she really want to do this? The antibiotics were already coursing through her system; she didn't have long and she might as well have made use of the time. But she want him to see this? She didn't know. Instead she watched the floor, gaining new interest in it. Marcus had finished looking through his emails when he turned to see Tali standing there, completely lost.

"Tali, what's wrong?" Marcus asked. Tali's look didn't leave the floor. He eventually got off his chair and approached her, taking hold of her fingers and seperating them, cupping her chin so she looked at him, "Babe, tell me what's wrong. Do you not want to do this. If you don't, we can still catch Kasumi and Garrus-"

"No, it's not that." Tali responded quickly, trying to find a way to tell him what she wanted to do. How she didn't want to resort to the simple and usual method of rubbing his groin or dry humping his waist. How did she tell him that she wanted to take it one step further?

"Tali..."

"Sorry, I'm just nervous. I...I want to ask you something."

"Ask away, babe. You can ask me anything."

She gulped and finally decided to come out with it, "I want this session...to be different this time. I want to do something new."

He eyed her suspiciously, "Tali, just what are you getting at?"

"I...do you trust me?"

What? "Of course I do. I'd trust you with my life. If you were trapped in a suit without air, I'd willing link our suits and share my oxygen with you. You can trust me and I can trust you."

His words warmed her heart, "Then I want you to close your eyes and sit down at your desk. No matter what happens, no matter what you hear, I don't want you to so much as  _try_ and open an eyelid."

"Getting sneaky, are we?"

"Please Marcus-"

He grabbed hold of her shoulders and gently squeezed them, leaning his head against her tinted visor, "I promise. Swear on my blessed life. I will not peek."

She nodded, inhaling a deep, shaky breath as she opened her omni-tool and locked the door, making it so that even Kasumi couldn't get through. Even a skilled tech thief wouldn't bother with walls of code designed to keep geth busy for days. Marcus moved to his desk and sat in it, immediately closing his eyes, squinting to make sure he couldn't see anything. She sighed as she approached him, stopping just before him.  _Oh Keelah...am I really doing this? What if the instruction sheet was wrong? What if this kills me? Could I handle..._

_No. You won't die. I will sacrifice anything to be with Marcus. I will not be trapped in this suit. It's time to take the first step, Tali'Zorah._

With another, sharp intake of breath, she crouched down infront of him, crouching on her knees. She leaned closer so she could reach her hands up to his belt buckles; apparently he now preferred belts to zippers, saying it was more sexy and erotic when she pulled down his pants that way.  _Men._ Untying the belt buckle, she quickly pulled his pants down, revealing his boxers beneath, his pants falling to his ankles. She noticed Marcus shift himself on the seat, obviously anticipating the imminent sexual arousal. But he didn't open his eyes for even one second.  _Thank you, Marcus. Thank you._

With that, she grabbed his boxers and pulled down on them as well, his erect cock popping out like a air balloon being blown up. She felt her heart in her throat as she realized just what she was going to do.  _Get yourself together. Remember, you're a woman now. The first step, Tali'Zorah. The first step._

She looked at his erect organ for a little bit longer before reaching up the clasps holding her mask in place. Six-fingers reached under her hood and found the release mechanisms. She had asked Marcus to close his eyes because she wasn't ready to show him her face. She trusted him, but keelah, she was so damn afraid of what he might think of her. Would he find her ugly? Horrific? Would he reject her? Those were thoughts she wanted to delay for a little bit longer if she could.

Finally, a hiss entered the room and Marcus' shifting was met by a swat to his leg. Don't you dare open those eyes, it told him. He didn't for a second, loyal to her to the end, despite his desires. With a sigh, she lifted the mask away, placing it on the floor, the young girl humming as she felt the cold air on her face for the first time; or, at least, in his cabin anyway. For extra measure, she pulled her hood down, moving up to his erect cock and slowly grasping it with one hand. Marcus hummed in delight. She just looked at it as she stroked it first, not sure if she was ready. Marcus cooed.

She knew oral sex was popular among humans and was adopted by many other races, but what if it killed her? She knew that consumption of human semen would only wound her immune system and cause a tiny fever, as the semen couldn't survive in an alien environment, but it was just an extranet entry. What was she risking in doing this?

_This is Marcus you're talking about. He's worth everything._

And finally, her desires gave in. Closing her eyes and inhaling, she let her hands grasping his legs and her mouth opened, tongue licking the tip of his cock, tasting him first. Marcus cooed louder than before. She smiled at the responses she was causing in him and she found that he tasted good. She continued to lick around his tip, but quickly found it wasn't enough. She needed him.

And before long, her mouth opened wide and wrapped around his cock, pushing downwards so it was fully in her mouth. She moaned, followed by Marcus' even louder one, his hands gripping the chair, but hers could be barely heard because of...obvious reasons. She quickly brought her mouth backup, having second thoughts. Then sexual desire took over once. She liked it, she realized. And she wanted more.

Her mouth pushed down again before moving back up and then repeating the gesture. Each time, Marcus returned her efforts with a massive moan, his right hand letting go of the chair and gripping the back of her helmet, encouraging her. She continued her motions, taking in the taste of his erect dick and his scent. Inbetween this motions, she'd pull off of him and lick his testes or the outer part of his organ, before immediately returning to sucking him.

Before long, she could feel his organ tensing. He was about to climax.

"Tali..."

She couldn't answer.

"I'm cumming!" Eyes widening, she pulled off, moving away just in time. A jet of white semen shot out of his organ, impacting the golden collar of her suit and dripping down her breasts. By the time he was done, the whole upper portion of her suit had a coating of cum all over it. Luckily she wouldn't have the taste of his cum today. Before she got aroused once more and tried a second run, she grabbed her mask and put it back on, straddling Marcus and telling him he could open his eyes.

"Holy...fucking...shit," Marcus exclaimed, looking her straight in the eyes, ignoring the cum drifting down her breasts, "That was amazing! I didn't know you knew about fillatios."

"I didn't until I came upon in my research about...us," Tali admitted, "I heard you humans enjoy it, and I didn't want you to get tired of me, so I thought I'd try it."

He stroked her cheek tenderly, "Tali, I wouldn't care if you never got out of that suit. As long as your safe and I have you, I'll be fine. But Tali, you know that was an incredibly risky thing to do. You could get sick, you could...die..."

She shook her head and embraced him, "I don't care. I'm willing to risk everything to be with you."

"If your death is a result of this, it ain't happening."

"I promise, I won't die," Tali reassured him, "But I need to feel your skin on mine. I need to kiss you. I need to make love to you; to meld and join with you. I can't do that in this suit, but I can do it with the proper research. We'll be together, I promise."

And with that, he just held her, not a care in the world.

**"That was...one of my less...finer, moments."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"I'm sure you enjoyed yourself."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Oh, trust me when I say I did, it just seems awfully awkward now that we look back on it. Anyway, you went to recruit Thane next?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"In a few days, we did. But until then we just hung around on the ship, introduced Samara to the crew and shopped on Illium. Don't you remember that night when we watched Game of Thrones?"**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"How could I forget?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"But, of course, you're right. After that, it was time to recruit Thane. And you won't believe who we got to kill as an added bonus."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

_**A/N:** _

_**You're asking; really, a Game of Thrones reference in Prophecy? Well why not! GOT is the main reason it took me so long to pull the last couple of chapters from my ass, so I guess I should make up for it. Besides, GOT is awesome! For those who don't watch it, I recommend checking it out. It's just pure awesome.** _

_**If that is all, I have a season 1 recap to watch. I'm pretty pissed that I have to wait for a whole year for Season 4. -_-** _


	30. Gatecrash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew search for their final recruit: a drell assassin.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:**

**GATECRASH**

_September 5, 2185_

_2117 hours._

_Construction Platform, Dantius Towers, Nos Astra, Illium._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Justicar Samara, Soldier Grunt, Subject Zero Jack, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor._

"Be careful Shepard," Seryna's words echoed in his head, "You're in Nassana's home now. She won't just open the door for you. You'll have to fight your way to her. Where she is, Thane will be. Good luck." Those had been the asari's last words to the group before her skycar had taken off, moving to join the skyways down below once more. And, true to her word, they had immediately been greeted by Eclipse mechs; a squad of LOKIs and two FENRISs. Nothing they couldn't handle though.

Judging that Nassana would have the bulk of eclipse under her belt, he wanted to bring in, what he judged to be, his best soldiers. He trusted Garrus and Tali with his life, the added bonus being that the former was a professional sniper while the latter was the most brilliant tech he'd ever met. Samara was a justicar and Grunt was a no brainer. Jack, Kaidan and Jacob were on due to their biotic abilities, making himself, them and Samara the biotic shock troops of the group. With luck, they'd tear right through Nassana's forces.

The unstable construction platform they had landed on wasn't deemed a permanent residence, so they had quickly moved inside, breaking through a window and moving inside, where they encountered the mechs. Marcus had torn through them himself; his pulse rifle ripping the useless security units apart like scrap metal. Believing that he had heard gunfire beforehand, he motioned for his team to move up and inside, entering the central part of the tower, a large spire like hole straight down the middle, allowing a unblocked view of the many different levels. On their level however, had been a slaughter.

The bodies of numerous workmen littered the floor, cut down by Nassana's mechs. Most of them were salarians, but a select few had been humans, asari, even turians; all butchered by the Eclipse.  _Why would she order her men to kill her own workers?_

"Nassana's cleaning house," Garrus noted, "But why kill her own workers?"

"Dantius' life is riddled with attempts on her life," Samara added, "It is possible she believed one of the workers could have been a possible assassin and ordered them killed. And considering Thane is a drell, this is all the more possible. There is a dead one over there." The justicar pointed over to a incomplete support beam and, like she said, the body of a drell worker lay there, green, scaly skin now a paler color. The drell had been female.

"The asari fears death," Grunt quipped, chuckling, "She's paranoid. She will be desperate now."

"As young as the krogan is, he speaks wisdom," Samara stated, eying the krogan wearily. When introduced to the crew, she hadn't exactly been fond of Jack, Zaeed or Grunt. She had eyed Kasumi with uneasiness as well, but nothing had become of it. Samara had informed him she would try her best to work well with them, as the mission parameters had no room for doubt, "Nassana is a power-hungry scavenger who just so happens to be the wealthiest asari on Illium. In her normal state, she is powerful. But when she is desperate, she will become feral and will stop at nothing to ensure her own continued survival. We must be cautious."

"I'm not here to kill Nassana," Marcus added, "She's a secondary priority. Our main mission is to find and recruit Thane. Let's keep moving; rescue any workmen you-"

A wet cough interrupted the conversation and they all turned the source. Several more followed the first. Frowning, he approached, weapon raised and rounded the corner, only to see a weakened salarian laying on the floor, his only support being his injured arm. Green blood pooled around the salarian's injuries, the smell of it being worse than that of his own kind's blood. Wet coughs and moans escaped the salarian as he weakly tried to support himself.

Kaidan quickly knelt down next to the salarian, scanning his vitals with his omni-tool, "He's alive, but barely."

"Please...," The salarian pleaded softly. His voice stank of dried blood, "My body aches. My chest is killing me."

Marcus quickly knelt down next to him, nodding for Kaidan to provide medical attention to the wounded worker, "You're lucky to be still breathing. What happened? Why is Nassana's workers trying to kill you?" Paranoia be damned, he needed a proper reason.

"We're just...night workers," the salarian responded, "Nassana...sent them after us. She sent the mechs to round us up, but we didn't hear. One of us paniced and ran, and the mech shot him. Then everyone started running and they just started...," the salarian let loose another wet cough, "shooting."

"Hey, stay with me," Marcus assured, noticing the salarian's eyes drooping, "There's an assassin here out to kill Nassana. I need to find him. Do you know where he is?"

"I...haven't seen anyone," the salarian stated, breaths becoming more hollow and desperate, "But that explains..."

"Explains what?" Grunt asked agitatedly.

"The mercs said there was no time," he said, "Nassana wanted us out of the way. Immediately. And then...the dogs..." This time, the salarian entered an all-out coughing fit, unable to stop himself as drops of blood shot out of his mouth, choking on his blood. Marcus, with calm determination, turned to Kaidan and saw him already applying a stim. A sigh of relief from the salarian marked it's success, posture relaxing.

"Thank you," the salarian thanked.

"You've helped us and now I've helped you. I always pay my debts," Marcus responded, standing up, "Use your omni-tool to contact the Illium police. As wealthy as Nassana is, I doubt she has a comm-jammer. Stay put and stay hidden. Don't let the Eclipse find you. We're going to find our assassin and put an end to Nassana."

The salarian merely nodded, dragging himself behind a pack of crates, green blood smearing the ground behind him. Marcus sighed as he realized the salarian probably wouldn't make it; without Chakwas with them, there was nothing they could do. With a tired nod towards the door, Tali unlocked it, opening the door and allowing them to continue.

The corridor leading to the left had a thin pane of glass allowing a view of the city below. The corridor leading down to a doorway opening into a large, unfinished office complex. Inside stood the forms of four eclipse mercs, three humans and a salarian with tech armor. With stealth not being a necessity, his group charged in, crazies first. Jack tore into the nearest human with her biotics, throwing him into the ground before smashing a shockwave into her skull, an explosion of red coating her body and the crates around the dead merc.

Grunt was next, claymore tearing into the salarian engineer, the merc's eyes full of shock as five hundred pounds of krogan attacked him, the tech trying to desperately fight back with his tech abilities, but to no aveil. The first claymore shot went wide, but the second hit the salarian in the chest, ripping his entrails out and throwing the dead body to the ground like a useless rag doll.

The last two mercs attempted a fall back action, but Samara cut off their escape. Using an ability called a 'biotic jump', Samara managed to teleport behind them and cut off their escape, following up by picking one merc up with a flick of her wrist and throwing him out the window, finishing off the last with her SMG.

"Damn, how the fuck did you do that teleporting shit?" Jack asked in her usually colorful manner.

"Through many years of hard work," the justicar replied cooly, "And it is not teleporting, not really. By lightening the mass effect fields generating my biotics, I can increase my speed expodentially, allowing me to 'teleport' as you call it."

"That could come in handy," Marcus noted, "You'll have to show us how to do it."

"In time," Samara responded, "But now is not the time for such teachings."

With a nod, they continued throw a open doorway in the back of the room, moving through it and to the left once more, entering another room where this time, a full squad of eclipse were waiting for them. Before he could lower his weapon, he was wrapped in dark energy and throw brutally against the wall, grunting in pain as his back slammed into it and he fell ungracefully onto the floor. Tali immediately came to his aid, but he waved her off, pulling himself up. He spied his assailant quickly; an asari merc.

"Fuck!" Jack cursed as a stray bullet got her in the arm, the convict's biotic barrier evaporating as she lost focus. Garrus immediately thrusted her out of the way and into cover, firing his mattock at the merc who had shot her, forcing him into cover. Marcus managed to pull himself up and saw Jack, reluctantly, allowing Kaidan to give her medi-gel.

Then he heard a sneeze over the comms and turned immediately to Tali. Oh please let her not have been shot.

Luckily, she hadn't. She squatted behind cover to his right, Chiktika harassing the enemy while she fired blind shots from her pistol from behind a crate. Glowing Eyes locked with his as he joined her in cover, his pulse rifle joining her in battle. Then he remembered why she was sick.

"Still sick from our little...session?" Marcus asked, making sure private comms were engaged. He didn't need to give Garrus ammunciation.

"Still running a mild fever, yes," Tali responded, "Don't regret it though. You...taste good." He swore he could see her smiling behind that mask.

"Pity you still don't trust me enough to show me your face yet, though," He immediately regretted the words the moment they left his mouth.

But Tali didn't seem that fazed, "Marcus, you know I-"

"I know, Tali," Marcus responded, "That was just me getting selfish. Take all the time you need Tali; I'll wait for as long as you need me to."

Signing their verbal agreement, they turned back to the task at hand, "Garrus, keep those bastards pinned. Samara, protect Grunt, I want him to charge forward. Tali, cover me." With that, he moved out of cover and went prone, geth pulse rifle bucking against his shoulder as a stream of gunfire ripped through the empty air. He managed to get a salarian in the head just as he was leaving cover, ripping his head open like a overripe fruit.

"We've got mechs, Shepard!" Jacob cried out, pointing towards four LOKI mechs trying to flank their right. Nodding, he ordered Kaidan to take care of it, the human sentinel nodding before raising his vindicator and landing two, perfect headshots on two of the LOKI mechs, heads blowing apart. He finished the third with a shot to the leg and another to the head while it was on the ground. Shields breached, he was forced back into cover to recharge them and reload his rifle.

It was a losing fight for the eclipse, to be expected. With mercs falling like flies and the most elite team in the galaxy attacking them, they didn't really stand much of a chance against them. Grunt charged forward, knocking a back of crates away and grabbing the neck of a FENRIS mech, using it as a hammer against a terrified human merc, knocking him out before blowing the brains out of a incompetent asari with his assault rifle.

A minute later and the battle was over, with all eclipse in the area dead. Just as he moved forward however, he noticed the sound of banging metal and looked up at the vents above. Frowning, he followed the sound, but it was gone within a second. He knew immediately who it was. The drell assassin was on the move.

"Let's keep moving," Marcus ordered, "I have a feeling we'll be meeting our assassin soon."

They travelled once again, to the left, initiating a full U-turn. A few more LOKI mechs activated, but they were cut down easily and they moved up a flight of stairs and onto the storey above. The door opened, with the tower wide PA system booming with record time, a smooth asari voice playing through the speakers, yet demanding.

"I've lost contact with Centauri and Olympus squads on the lower levels. Find out what happened to them and kill that damn assassin!" Nassana. It had to be. Noone else could command Eclipse with so much authority. Yet, for some reason, he felt like he recognized that voice. He couldn't remember for the life of him where he had heard it, but he had.  _I'm sure I've never met anyone named Nassana Dantius before though._

It didn't matter where he had heard the voice before. It could have been Councilor Tevos in disguise and he still wouldn't care. Nassana, or whoever she really was, was going to die; whether at his hands or Thane. All he knew was that she wouldn't be walking out alive.

She'd be shipped out, a corpse.

**{Loading...}**

_September 5, 2185_

_2130 hours._

_Main Office, Dantius Towers, Nos Astra, Illium._

_Businesswoman Nassana Dantius._

Everything was falling apart. And she didn't understand why. She had lost contact with Wasea's troops down at the spaceport; an entire eclipse company taken out by an asari justicar and her sister dead. Well, she had been a sister in a bond-kind of way, but sister by blood? Definitely not. Not only that, but now the justicar bitch had taken it upon herself to attack Nassana in her home.  _Her_  home! The nerve of that cunt!

Not only that, but she had a damn drell assassin also out for her head. The workers had been uncooperative in listening to her orders, so it had ended in slaughter. Her Eclipse mercs had both towers in complete lockdown, with majority of them in the unfinished building, a squad sectioning off the bridge, and the rest guarding her tower. She knew that the only way the assassin could get in, undetected and unopposed, was through the unfinished tower, making it easier to track him down and block his route to her. But with the justicar in the mix...

But even the justicar couldn't have taken out an entire platoon by herself, and especially not Wasea as well. She had known Wasea quite well. She was a tough as nails bitch, ex-commando, with an addiction to red sand. A junkie, but a damn lethal fighter that could definitely give the justicar a fight. But Samara just seemed to have killed them off,  _by herself,_ like it was nothing.

No, the justicar had backup, and now she knew that the assassin and herself weren't the only ones gunning for her. She had even checked the records of the Illium police; Samara had been locked up when the eclipse platoon went silent. The Justicar hadn't been involved. Nassana began to question her safety. Whoever was after her meant business and were definitely way too heavily armed or trained to have mercs stopping them. Now she regretted turning down the Council's offered police protection. A properly trained tactical team was preferable to a company of incompetent morons looking for blood money.

She leaned forward on her desk, wincing at the aching sensation in her chest. Memories of years ago popped up in her head, but she quickly set them aside. The door to her office opened, omitting a single human eclipse merc. Her lieutenant.

"Miss Dantius," The merc offered, "The bridge is blocked off."

She sighed heavily, leaning back, relieving the pain from her chest. She missed her days as a merc, "And what of Centauri and Olympus squads? I still haven't heard a peep from them."

The merc seemed to waver for a second, "One of our...men found their bodies, ma'am. They were killed."

She groaned, closing her eyes, feeling the urge to facepalm, "No fucking shit, you moron. What are you, beligerent? I may not be paying you to think, but for fuck sake, I don't need to give a goddamn invitation. What killed them!?"

The merc gulped once more, "The men...they've seen nothing like it before. One of the merc's...his head was ripped apart by rounds we've never seen before. Except during..."

"During what?"

"The Battle of the Citadel, ma'am," the merc answered, "They're rounds from a geth pulse rifle. Not only that, but one of our mercs had scorch marks from a similiar weapon, presumably a shotgun."

Nassana frowned.  _Geth? How the fuck would geth get on Illium and why would machines want me? I thought they ran on logic processes! What's the logic in attacking an asari colony and trying to kill me! Unless it's not geth..._

"Anything else?"

"Moisture in the air suggest use of biotics," The merc explained, "Also found a spent shell from a claymore, so we expect at least one krogan too. Red blood suggests humans, quarians or batarians. We've ruled out quarians ma'am."

"And why...would that be? What, you think quarian pilgrims are not a threat?"

"No, ma'am. Just vagrants ma'am."

"I've fought a quarian before, LT," She responded menacingly, "And boy, she was fucking lethal. Don't ever underestimate your enemy, no matter the species. Not even those useless bowling balls: the volus. At least we've ruled it down to humans, quarians, batarians and possibly a few krogan. Anything else?"

"Nothing," The lieutenant stated, "But it's got the men scared. The verocity of the attack shows that these people not only took out Centauri and Olympus, but they ripped through them too quickly to be simple bounty hunters or mercs. They could be corporation soldiers. And going by the fact that humans could be in the mix, I'm willing to believe N7s are involved, ma'am."

"You're stupider than you look," Nassana replied, "If I had been your mother, I'd have aborted you immediately. Why the hell would the Alliance send N7s to kill me? Those are special operations soldiers you moron! Tell me, did you ever go to school?"

"Yes, I did," the merc replied, trying to hold his temper, but Nassana could see it.

"Oh, I've offended you," Nassana replied, "I am sorry. But if you did your job right half the time then maybe I wouldn't have to point out how low your IQ is. Now, get back outside and do your job our you'll find yourself losing quite a bulky part of paycheck."

Biting back a retort, the merc simply nodded, moving outside, doors closing behind. Snorting, Nassana snatched a bottle of Thessia Redwine from her desk and pored herself a glass, sipping at it, turning her chair so she faced the window. Nos Astra. Her subjects. She had gone from being a lowly merc to the wealthiest woman on Illium and soon, the galaxy. She wasn't blinded by cliche notions of taking over the galaxy. She was no Saren Arterius, after all, but she did hope to kill an old friend.

_We will meet again. And next time, I will be the one to finish you._

She felt her chest again and took another sip from her wine. She could hear chatter from her bodyguards in the room, softly exchanging words. They had been Wasea's best men, now Nassana's after the asari captain's untimely death. Nassana was in control of Illium's eclipse now and, who knows, maybe she could get the founder and leader of eclipse herself, Jona Sederis. With that bitch under a leash, that would only leave Vido Santiago of the Blue Suns and Weyrloc Guld of the Blood Pack and she'd have every major powerful merc company in bed with her.

_I'm sure Vido would like to bed me. And if I do bed him, maybe I'll get extra..._

She smiled evilly at that thought. Ah, why the hell not? She could afford at least one cliche.

She sipped her drink in silence, admiring how the night's rays cast down upon Nos Astra. She was Nassana Dantius. Who she had been was now nothing but a mere echo.

**{Loading...}**

_September 5, 2185_

_2140 hours._

_Unfinished Office Complex, Dantius Towers, Nos Astra, Illium._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Justicar Samara, Soldier Grunt, Subject Zero Jack, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor._

_**"TALI!"** _

Time seemed to slow down as he watched the krogan bounty hunter bear down on the wounded quarian. Eclipse resistance had been heavy; they had given squad their all and it had really slowed them down. But they pushed on and now they had Eclipse on their toes. The mercs were becoming desperate; now trying to make sure every shot was worth it, whilst sacrificing their own lives to stop them.

They had come across many workers, all who had been locked inside by Thane, who explained to the workers that he was doing it for their safety. Marcus had been confused by that; what assassin stops pursuing his target to save innocents? Another odd recruit, it seemed. The Illusive Man always picked the odd ones. Then came this moment, the one that had his heart threatening to beat out of his chest.

They had planned to take the elevator up to the hire levels and use the elevator to cross to Nassana's completed tower. But he had grown careless, not bothering to flank the elevator and clear it for hostiles. When it arrived, out had stepped a krogan bounty hunter, Kureck's size, and two LOKI mechs. And Tali had been the closest to the door...

The krogan's shotgun, a scimitar, had coughed off a shot before he could even say anything. It had ripped right through Tali's shields and the poor quarian never stood a chance of reacting as a LOKI mech's SMG clipped her side, the quarian yelping as she collapsed to her side, suit breached. He had wanted to rush over to her, but Garrus had held him back. He struggled, but Garrus' grip was strong. Now he stood, watching as the krogan beared his shotgun over the wounded quarian, Tali still cradling her side, red blood pooling next to her.

With a defiant roar, his biotics powered up and a memory pulsed in his mind, harsh words coursing through his memories to remind him of rage he thought he'd never encounter again. The memory continued as he broke Garrus' grip and watched Tali hopelessly trying to footsweep the krogan, but to no aveil. He rushed forward without thinking. Stirling's words haunted him once more, unleashing a inner demon he thought dead.

_"I'll kill Shepard here and then I'll have you taken to a detainee center, little suit-rat parasite! Then we'll pop your suit wide open and see which kills you first, the bacteria exposure or the fun the guys will have with you. I've heard humans find quarians pretty attractive."_

With a roar of anger, he used the name biotic ability he had used on Stirling, wrapping the krogan in dark energy. He shouted menacingly at the krogan, eyes full of rage, " _ **Get the fuck away from her!**_ " With a massive shout, he used the ability, using the memory as his basis. The krogan gurgled in pain and choked, blood oozing from wounds that hadn't been there, blood pooling from his mouth and eyesockets. His team watched in shock, Garrus and Kaidan instantly recognizing what he was doing. Both mechs were destroyed, and Grunt and Jack simply cheered him on while Samara looked at him in awe. Tali looked shocked.

The krogan was dead. He had been for five seconds. But Marcus just held him, wanting to rip him apart limp from limp, even in death. Noone would hurt his girlfriend. He would kill them. Destroy them.

"Spirits be damned, Shepard! Stop! He's dead already!" Snapping back into reality, Marcus released his grip on the dead krogan and he slammed into the ground, an ocean of blood pooling around the corpse and stinking like shit. Tali squirmed, crawling away from the blood and leaning against a crate, watching him with fear. He immediately felt ashamed. It was because of  _him,_  that she was scared.

"My god, Shepard," Kaidan silently contemplated, "I haven't seen you do that for two years. I thought we put Noveria behind us."

"I thought so to," He addressed the human, but never taking his eyes off of Tali, "But when I saw him about to kill Tali...I...I just snapped."

"Oh just fucking great, more of this sappy shit," Jack complained and everyone glared at her. That is, everyone except Marcus and Tali, the former rushing to Tali's aid, remembering her injury. He lifted her hand, seeing the dried blood. He noted that quarian skin was a pale grey in color, although he guessed that wasn't what they actually looked like originally. Suit life left their skin very pale. Considering this, their skin must have been purple.

He applied medi-gel to the wound and closed the suit breach, looking at her with concern, "I can't have you continuing on like this. Go back to the Normandy and..."

"No."

The response was abrupt and he had to stop to think for a minute. Tali stood up, wincing at the pain, and quickly picked up her shotgun, "I can still fight and I'm not crippled. You don't have to babysit me all the time; I can look after myself."

"I wouldn't be a good boyfriend if I didn't worry but my girl," Marcus sheepishly admitted.

She nodded, smiling under her mask, "And I'm touched. But I'll be fine."

"Can we just find something to kill already?" Grunt complained and Marcus nodded, motioning for his team to step into the elevator. Once inside, he hit the top floor, waiting impatiently to arrive. As they ascended, he noticed Samara at his side, looking at him.

"What is it, Samara?" Marcus asked, questioning the asari's lingering gaze.

"That ability you used to kill that krogan," Samara nodded, "It's called reave."

"How did you know that?" Marcus asked. Garrus let out a guffaw.

"Seriously Shepard?" The turian questioned, "The asari practically wrote the books on biotics and you're questioning an asari justicar's knowledge on it?"

"When you put it that way it just sounds stupid," Marcus remarked, turning back to the justicar, "Anyway, yeah, reave. You seem overly...possessed by it though. I didn't do anything against your code, did I? Is using reave like...illegal or something?"

"Most certainly not," Samara responded, "Mind you, it is an extremely deadly weapon. I'm impressed by your ability to use it. Few can. Even the most powerful of asari matriarchs have trouble mastering it."

"What about you? Can you use reave?" Marcus had been shocked at this, not knowing what to think of being one of the many few people alive to be able to use such a lethal ability.

"I admit that I cannot," Samara responded cooly, "Perhaps you can teach me. Call it a favor for a favor; I teach you biotic jump, you teach me reave."

The spectre scratched the back of his neck, "I'm sorry, but I can't teach you it. I don't even know how to use it. I've only managed to use it twice and that was when..." He didn't want to remember those memories. The first time had been a threat but this time...Tali had actually gotten hurt...

"I see," Samara surmised, "You believe you can only use it during times of extreme anger or hopelessness. Do be careful, commander. Your overprotectiveness could prove a liability. If there ever came a time when you'd have to leave her behind..."

"I won't ever leave her," Marcus silenced the asari, turning to the quarian who didn't seem to notice the conversation, merely tending her bandages.

"Your bond is strong," the justicar continued, "I've never seen a interspecies relationship this powerful before, and the ones that were close didn't end well. But you of all people understand the realities of war better than most. There may come a time when leaving her behind will be nessacary."

He didn't scold the asari or even respond: he merely stared at the wall. The cold thoughts haunted him.  _I won't ever leave her. I can't. And if she's kidnapped? Then I'll save her. If she's shot? I'll save her. And if she's killed?_

He stopped for a second, weighing his options before coming to a conclusion.

_I'll die avenging her._

"You know Shepard, that was some pretty badass shit you pulled off down there," Jack complimented him and eyed him. He ignored her. The last thing he needed was Jack telling him that butchering a krogan was impressive. He still felt horrible over it. Finally, as if in answer to his prayers, the elevator stopped and the doors slid open, omitting them onto the roof of the unfinished tower. With a inhale of breath, he turned to his team, moving outside, already feeling the cold night wind on his skin.

"Okay people, let's end this."

**{Loading...}**

_September 5, 2185_

_2149 hours._

_Ventilation Shafts, Dantius Towers, Nos Astra, Illium._

_Assassin Thane Krios._

The drell marksman watched as the human did the unexpected; he used reave on the krogan. Thane stood in awe, watching the events play out before his reptillian eyes. When it was all over and the group entered the elevator, Thane had been impressed. He had then quickly taken the upper ventilation to the roof and continued to follow the unusual group.

It was odd really; Thane could almost feel Amonkira, the Lord of Hunters, watching over him. He had fully expected his last assassination to go badly; but Amonkira had delivered him the perfect distraction and he had used them to his advantage. He let his unknown and unexpected allies deal with the eclipse forces while he snuck past.

The drell's feet were swift; never making a sound or leaving a trace of his existence. He had almost reached the bridge when he looked down below, spotting a squad of eclipse mercs guarding it, one armed with a revenant. As swift and agile as he was, they would tear him apart. He scanned his surroundings, trying to find a way around, but he couldn't find one.  _Maybe if I..._

A gunshot rung through the air, drawing the eclipse's attention. One of the salarians started barking orders, shouting at them to engage the drell's unknown helpers. Thane once again thanked them in the corners of his mind, the diversion drawing all the mercs except two, who had their backs to him. With a coolness he didn't feel, he pulled out his phalanx heavy pistol, silenced of course and leapt down, entering warrior's sleep.

Leaping down, he landed right next to the nearest asari. Before she could do anything, Thane reached up and grasped her head, snapping it before turning to the second. He would give the human credit; he reacted fast, assault rifle bucking in his grip as he fired.

But it had been for nothing. Thane immediately activated his biotics, forming a barrier infront of himself. The shots pinged off it harmlessly before Thane deactivated it and emptied a single round into the man's head with his pistol; killing him instantly. With a sigh, he turned back to the bridge, holstering his pistol and pulling out his M-97 Viper Marksman Rifle. Many would call it a sniper rifle, but it simply didn't have the offensive power or the range. He positioned it infront of him so he could look down the sights.

He spotted them. A full squad of eclipse, taking defensive positions along the bridge to deny his ally and his squad entrance. He wondered how he'd break through before his thoughts were interrupted, the loud wail of a salarian piercing the air as the merc barreled past him, body wrapped in dark energy and slammed into a wall, neck at an awkward angle.

Thane doubled back into cover, lowering his rifle and watched his allies move in. The bulky form of tha krogan came first, shotgun in hand, roaring with laughter. Than came an asari, adorned in red uniform.  _A Justicar? Interesting._ The rest of the squad followed; a turian with a sniper rifle, a half-naked tattooed human, a human in alliance combat armor with tech armor, another human wearing a cerberus uniform and finally a quarian with a shotgun with the leading man himself. The way the quarian and himself stayed close caused the drell to quirk a brow.  _The quarian is his siha._

He watched as the human barked out orders, leading his team like a professional. His squad moved with organized profession, assaulting the eclipse defensive line without even hesitating. It showed confidence; they had faced more fearsome foes than some mercs. That said alot about who they fought.

Under the cover of the multi-racial squad's onslaught; which was ripping through the eclipse, he dove under the bridge, taking hold of a jutting support strut. With practised precision, he leapt and grabbed hold of another, practically leaping from strut to strut under the bridge and towards his target. He didn't dare look down; the skyscrapers were 1,542 feet high, and it was a  _very_ long fall to the streets below. After what seemed like hours, he reached the otherside. During his travel across the bridge, he had watched a human merc fall off the edge and plummet to his death. Interrogation gone wrong, he surmised.

When he reached the otherside, he immediately ripped open another vent hatch and climbed inside, closing it behind him. He then continued his trek towards Nassana's office; where he would then finish her off. He didn't smile, he didn't grimace, he didn't so much as frown. He was a warrior in sleep mode. His soul was seperate from his body. His body would do as it pleased while his soul would direct it. The soul demanded blood. Amonkira demanded it.

This warrior would serve.

**{Loading...}**

_September 5, 2185_

_2154 hours._

_Skybridge, Dantius Towers, Nos Astra, Illium._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Justicar Samara, Soldier Grunt, Subject Zero Jack, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor._

"I'm not telling you anything," The human merc insisted, crossing his arms at the commander and shaking his head in victory. He knew that the spectre wouldn't kill him. He needed his information. He needed it. He craved it. He was perfectly safe from any-

Before he could continue his thoughts, he was violently shoved from the edge and the merc screamed as he plummeted off the bridge and towards his death, 1,542 downwards. The wind seemed to whistle at the merc's departure, disappearing down below. Marcus shook his head, leaning over the bridge and mumbling under his breath, "How 'bout goodbye?"

"Damn Shepard, that was pretty harsh," Garrus quipped.

"He had it coming," Marcus shot back, motioning for them to continue down the bridge, "Come on, let's finish this. Thane's probably there by now."

With a nod, the team moved forward. All eclipse forces to this point had routed or were decimated. When they crossed the bridge, they were pleasantly surprised that the eclipse had just abandoned Nassana, dropping their weapons and running away. Although they shouldn't be shocked; mercs fought when it was worth the money.

Climbing up the stairs, they grouped around the doorway leading into Nassana's office. This was it. With a nod, he ordered Tali to open the door with her omni-tool, his team lowering their weapons over the center of it. Sure that they were now ready, he nodded, his quarian companion opening the door in a flash. It slid open, allowing them to rush inside.

The first thing he noticed was that it was dark; the only light source being the skyscrapers below. Then he noticed Nassana's eclipse bodyguards; the only ones remaining loyal to her, all with their weapons raised, tech armor sprouting up. And in the center back of the room was Nassana sitting behind her desk; looking down over the city.

"I was wondering when you'd turn up," The asari then stood up, turning to face them, glass still in hand. Seeing the asari's face and hearing the voice connected with it, made Marcus drop his jaw in surprise. Luckily for him, the asari didn't recognize him through the helmet. But she soon would. He noticed Tali stiffen, also remembering the asari from two years. She had originally been a merc and Marcus thought Wrex had killed her. How did she survive and become the wealthiest woman on Illium? There was only one word to roll off Marcus' lips, and it was laced with venom.

"Aleena," Marcus growled. He gripped his rifle tighter.

Nassana, who was now revealed as Aleena, dropped her glass, the cup smashing on the ground as she took a step backwards, "Impossible. You're dead Shepard! And let be guess! That quarian next to you is the same bitch that was with you and Wrex!"

"Indeed I am, bosh'tet," Tali grumbled back.

He remembered the memory clearly. Wrex had wanted to retrieve his family armor from some turian collector named Tonn Actus who had stolen it. They had landed on Tuntau with the Mako and defeated Tonn's mercs, only to come into contact with a friend, turned enemy, from Wrex's past; Aleena. Apparently Wrex and herself had fought side by side for a bit before conflicting contracts forced them to fight each other. Wrex thought Aleena had been dead then, but he made sure that time. But now here Aleena was; standing right before, posing as Nassana Dantius.

"I did die Aleena," Marcus responded, lowering his weapon, "Yet again, so did you. How the hell did you survive Tuntau? I saw Wrex empty a shotgun shell into your chest. You should have been drowning in your own blood.

Aleena, for all her shocked posture did for her, chuckled loudly, "Trust me, I felt dead. But then I woke up on some shuttle and this merc was patching me up. Her name was Wasea; she worked for the eclipse. I was a cripple because of the wound Wrex sustained on me for a bit, but I recovered. But now you've killed Wasea and brought my entire operation down; again. So...where is Wrex? Where is the little darling?"

Tali shook her head, "On Tuchanka. Uniting the krogan clans."

"Oh, and I was so looking forward to giving him a kiss goodbye," Aleena stated, seeming so sure of herself.

"And what makes you think you can just walk out of here?" Marcus asked skeptically.

Aleena laughed, "Because I've got credits. You Alliance types always need credits; and I've got plenty. Let me go and I'll give you all the credits I had been planning to pay my mercs. They were pretty useless in protecting me, so I guess they don't deserve it, considering most of them are dead anyway. You killed them afterall. I just need one little favor; kill the assassin! He's obviously not with you."

"Yeah, how about no," the spectre declared, "I'm only here in the first place to recruit him for my mission. To find you here is an added bonus."

"Wait, you decimated my security just to recruit a fucking drell!?" Aleena's smirk dropped from her face, "Talk about harcore for the cause, Shepard!"

He had been about to respond, but he heard that sound again. Banging metal. Before he could examine it, a vent popped and landed on the floor behind Aleena's desk and the green form of a drell popped out from it, snapping the neck of one of her bodyguards before using his biotics to throw the other out a window. He shot the third in the face before turning to Aleena, who had only just begun turning around.

Thane thrusted the pistol into the square of Aleena's back and pulled the trigger; tapping it twice. Two silent shots ripped through Aleena's back and ribcage, the asari releasing a strangled scream. She seemed to moan for a few more seconds before collapsing forward, the drell lightly laying her body on the desk. She then stood there, placing his hands firmly against each other before closing his eyes, bowing forward and beginning to whisper something.

They stood there for a few awkward seconds, watching the drell before Marcus saw Grunt getting agitated. To forestall any rashness on the krogan's part, he lifted a hand and stopped him, moving forward towards the mute assassin. It was Garrus who spoke up first, "That was impressive. You certainly know how to make an entrance.

Still, the drell made no sound, he simply continued to stand there, eyes closed, head bowed. Marcus moved forward but decided against acting irrationally, "Um...hello?"

It was then that Thane finally talked, but his eyes still didn't greet theirs, "I apologize," The drell's voice was croaky and deep, "But prayers for the wicked must not be forsaken."

Marcus nodded at Aleena's silent corpse, "She certainly was wicked."

The drell finally looked up, looking at them, eyes open, "Not for her. For me."

They all looked at the drell with confusion. Grunt and Jack, seeing nothing more to fight, decided to wait outside, Jacob going with them to make sure they didn't do anything wrong. Thane holstered his pistol, moving towards them, "The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone. Take you, for instance. All this destruction. This...chaos."

Silence and eyes strayed over once more to Aleena's dead body. Even Thane seemed to glance at it as she stood infront of her desk, "I was curious to see how far you'd go to find me. Well...here I am." The assassin narrowed his eyes at them, but it didn't seem hostile, simply curious.

"I did want to talk to you," Marcus replied, "But how did you know we'd be here?"

"Gunfire and explosions," Thane replied, "I prefer to work quietly. If I have to fight through guards, I've made a mistake. I rarely make mistakes." Thane moved forward, examining Marcus' mishap crew, "You disrupted my plan, but your distraction eventually proved valuable."

He quirked a brow. He wasn't happy about being used as a distraction, especially since his quarian girlfriend had almost been killed in that distraction. Instead however, he hid that anger. He needed to get to the point.

"Let's cut to the chase," he spoke up, "My name is Commander Shepard and I need you for a critical mission."

"Indeed?" Thane replied, turning to face the spectre.

"You're familiar with the Collectors?"

Thane nodded, "By reputation."

"They're abducting entire human colonies and I'm recruiting people to help me stop them. You're one of those people."

"I see," the drell replied in his usual emotionless undertone, "However, attacking the collectors would require passing through the Omega 4 Relay. No ship has ever returned from doing so."

Marcus grinned, "Everyone said Ilos was a suicide run too."

The first sign of emotion crossed the drell's smile as he returned the grin, "A fair point. You've built a career on performing the impossible. Death doesn't seem to have hindered you either. This was to be my last job. I'm dying."

Marcus was shocked, but before he could say anything, Thane continued, "Low survival odds don't concern me. The abduction of your colonists does."

"The dossier on you didn't mention that," Marcus responded, "Anything we can do?"

The drell shook his head, "Giving me this opportunity is enough. The galaxy is a dark place. I'm trying to make it brighter before I die. Getting rid of people like this...Aleena, was part of that goal. Many innocents died today. I wasn't fast enough, and they suffered. I must atone for that. I will work for you, Shepard. Free of charge." The assassin reached out a hand and Marcus shook it, before the spectre motioned for Thane to go up ahead. With that, he commed the Normandy and ordered a pickup on the roof.

The team was complete. They were ready to destroy the collectors. Now all they had to do was find where the bastards lived, get the ship ready and then they could finish the bastards off, once and for all.

He shot Tali and glance, posture relaxing.

Let's just hope we don't die in the process.

**"Thane was a good man."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"That he was. We all remember him."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"So next we stayed on the ship for a while."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"We were out of people to recruit. For all intents and purposes, our recruitments were finished. Now we could relax."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

_**A/N:** _

_**I have a very good excuse for this late chapter! Well, actually, multiple!** _

_**1\. Game of Thrones books. Oh, shut up. I'm allowed an obsession.** _

_**2\. Grand Theft Auto V has kept me busy. :P** _

_**3\. I've been working on a naughty, smut-riddled fanfic that I plan on posting on 'Archive of our Own' when I've finished it. I will post a link when the first prologue is posted. Be careful though, it's only for those who like smut. And no, it won't hamper this story's progress at all.** _

_**4\. Recruiting troops for the Talimancing Legion forum. Check it out!** _

_**5\. School and work. But do not fear! School is now over for two weeks, meaning I should be able to get more chapters out! (But remember, GTA V exists too you know).** _

_**I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I...I just don't know why. I guess it's because this fanfic's finally going to get more interesting. There will be a 'fluff' chapter after this one, followed by another glimpse into the future, where Tali will disappear as interrogator for now and be replaced by someone secret. The rest from there is loyalty granting madness!** _

_**And just a suggestion but...do you guys think I should give Kaidan and Lia loyalty missions as well? You know, just to spice it up? Not only would it allow me to delve from the linear plot I'm taking, but it will allow for more character focus. Nothing extravagant, just basic loyalty missions. Let me know what you guys think. And be ready, the next chapter may, or may not, contain smut. On which level? I'm too sure yet. I'm considering leaving it at fluff level. Too much smut is poisonous to the mind, you know?** _

_**Think we're done with recruiting though? You couldn't be more wrong. ;)** _


	31. Odd Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard does the rounds with the crew. Lia gets used to life on the Normandy. Rael's research continues.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER THIRTY:**

**ODD COMPANY**

_**Warning: Smut ahead. Kal/Madi.** _

_September 6, 2185_

_1219 hours._

_Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked on Illium._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard._

"Marcus."

His name again. He kept hearing it. He kept trying to find the source of it. It was a beautiful sound; promising peace and tranquility. And as he crossed the grass plains of the unknown world, he kept trying to find it. The voice would get slightly louder as he moved forward, pushing past bushes, trees and scrubland; long tall grass inhibiting his sight. He wore nothing but his N7 hoodie and navy blue pants, along with his cap. He still couldn't figure out the name of this mysterious planet.

"Marcus."

Finally, he found the source. As he erupted out of the grass and onto a open hill, he was given a clean view of the beautiful expanse belonging to the planet. A brilliant blue sky with a sun larger than Earth's and slightly brighter. He could see where the grass fields ended and where rocky areas began to form. The rustle of the wind was all that could be heard. All, except that peaceful voice; who's source he found spread out on her back, lying on the ground as he approached.

Her lithe form was wrapped in a purple robe, but the rest of her was nondescript. He knew this woman, but couldn't place a name. He sat down next to her, unable to stop his arm as it wrapped around her waist. Surprised, he tried to pull back but was surprised when she lay her head on his shoulder, sighing. He smiled. He knew this woman. Now he could place a name to her. Tali'Zorah vas Neema.

"Marcus," her voice spoke up once more.

"Yes, Tali?"

"Do you think I'm beautiful?"

He sighed, not expecting this question. He felt like he had heard the question many times, having to sigh each time. But for the life of him, he couldn't remember. He just couldn't. Why couldn't he remember? Instead, he said the one thing he knew he could say. The one thing he would say without hesitation.

"Yes, Tali," He responded, "You're very pretty."

He heard a sigh, "You're just saying that."

He quirked a brow at her and looked down at the side of her head, the quarian still not looking at him, "Why do you think that?"

Then she turned towards him and he widened his eyes in horror. What he was looking at...was nothing. There was no tentacle monster, no beast with saliva-coated teeth or a varren-faced abomination; just nothing. Tali's face was a blur; not a single feature on her face. The words that came from the mouth that didn't exist only proved what he knew was true in his mind.

"Because you've never seen my face."

Suddenly, the landscape warped and Tali was gone, the spectre was back in his cabin, eyes shooting open. He was on the sofa, back leaning against the soft leather exterior with a datapad in his lap. Tali was no longer sitting next to him. As he looked around the room, he noticed she wasn't there at all.  _Must have been a dream. She's probably in engineering._ He sighed, picking up the datapad and tossing it ontop of the coffee table infront of him. Leaning back, he moved to stand but EDI's voice interrupted his movements.

"Commander."

He stopped in his tracks, looking up. The relationship between commander and AI had been tense at first, but he had slowly become used to the concept, as had Joker. Of course, they still didn't fully trust the AI, and they probably never would, but it was at least better than what they had to start with.

"Yes, EDI?"

"The Huzzi has requested permission to dock," the AI stated, "Admiral Rael'Zorah has requested to see you."

He nodded, "Send him up to my cabin as soon as he's onboard."

No response followed. He quickly made his way over to his terminal, sitting down and looking through his emails. Nothing important it seemed. With a shake of his head, he shut down his terminal and looked at the picture on his desk; the picture of Tali. He smiled down at it, the frame fading from one image to another; one of Tali, another of her on the SR-1, and then another of the both of them.

A knock at his door stopped his reverie. Reluctantly pulling his gaze away from the photo, he looked at the door with a bareface. Time to face the storm, he thought to himself.

"Enter," his voice boomed. Let's see what this admiral wanted.

The door slid open and a male quarian stepped into the lime light. His suit was featureless; his mask flat, glowing eyes narrowed to slits as he looked at the human infront of him, examining him. He noticed the quarian's gaze drift to the picture at his desk before quickly looking back into Marcus' eyes, but it had been done long enough for the spectre to notice.

"Commander Shepard," the quarian greeted harshly. He then looked around the room, as if looking for someone, "Where is my daughter?"

He shrugged, "Engineering I'd gather. She certainly loves her tech. Why? It would be very kind of you to come all this way just to see your daughter, but somehow I don't think that's the case here."

Rael nodded, "You're correct, in that regard. I've come to pick up my daughter. I'm taking her back to the Migrant Fleet."

His eyes widened but he remained diplomatic, "Last time I checked, she was given permission to stay on my vessel, under my command. What happened?"

"You did," Rael replied bluntly, "You and this Cerberus confuffle. You think I wouldn't notice? I made a background check on you and found out you're working for Cerberus! My daughter isn't safe on this ship, and certainly not from you scum. So I've come to take her back."

He narrowed his times, "I don't work for Cerberus, I-"

"Spare me your lies, commander," Rael responded harshly.

"If you think I'm going to just-"

"I know you will," Rael responded, "Don't think you fooled me. I know you're just using my daughter as political leverage. You don't really love her. End this charade and be done with it. I've already made the transfer, I was just informing you of the situation. Good day, commander." Before Marcus could respond further, Rael was gone, door closing behind him. The spectre sunk into his chair and looked at the image of Tali, smiling once more. Tears welled up in his eyes. Then, again, that haze returned.

Eyes shot open once more and this time, he was where he belonged. He was in bed, wrapped in the covers. The stars rushed past as his sight was greeted by the ceiling observation window. With a groan, he sat up, wiping his eyes and looked around. He looked to his left to find covers tossed halfhazardly across the bed; Tali had obviously woken up before he had. He quickly tried to remember the dream he had.

 _Why did I dream of Tali's father?_ He then thought of what Rael said. The man's words had been what Marcus feared would happen when he met Tali's father.  _Would he reject me? Would he try and take Tali away? What would happen when...if, he found his daughter working on a Cerberus ship?_ Then there was the dream before that.  _I'm having dreams about Tali's face now am I? Are you that fucking childish?_

He shook these thoughts away as he sat up, moving to pick up a shirt from the dresser. Before he could reach that far however, he heard the door open and his head snapped around to see Tali walking across the room, holding two drinks, one with a straw, while moving towards him.

"Good morning," she greeted.

"Hey," he replied lamely, feeling out of it after the dream he had, "What's with the drinks?"

Looking at them, she smiled, "Well, I thought since we're done recruiting people, and since we don't really have anywhere to go as of now, we could watch some movies. You know...just...you and...me?" She hung before the bed, awaiting his reply. He just smiled warmly at her.  _She's just so damn cute._

"That sounds great," He responded, "What did you have in mind? And we can't watch more than one."

"Why not?" She sounded disappointed.

"Kasumi's entertainment day, remember?" He reminded, "Game of Thrones?"

She nodded her head in realization, "Ah, okay. Um...what do you want to watch? You probably won't want to watch any of my movies...you'd find them pretty boring."

He sighed and moved back under the covers, taking his omni-tool wristband from ontop of the dresser and hitting the remote interface, activating the TV screen hidden in his display case, "Have you ever heard of a movie called To Boldly Flee?"

"No," she responded, moving in under the covers with him before snuggling close and giving him his drink; the one  _without_ the straw. He smirked at that.

"You wouldn't have," Marcus replied, "It wasn't a big-budget film made by big-name developers. It was made by this group of critics who were really funny and were some of the most well known reviewers and critics of the time period. It was made a century ago, and is still acclaimed as a comedy classic."

"Hmmm...sounds interesting," Tali stated, laying her head on his chest like it was a pillow, "Shall we watch it then?"

He smiled, loading up the movie on his omni-tool and playing it. They held each other close as they watched it; laughing when the time called for it and Marcus having to explain some of the pop culture references. Overall, it was one of the best morinings of his life.

Of their life.

**{Loading...}**

_September 6, 2185_

_1238 hours._

_Executive Officer's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked on Illium._

_First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, righthand woman to the Illusive Man, heavy patriot to the Cerberus cause and a loyal fangirl of human sovereignty, sighed in frustration. She tried to work on her terminal and sort out all the combat reports from the latest crew members, but all she could think of was Shepard's evergrowing alien crew. That, and the incessant noise he was making up above with that...quarian.

She chastised herself for such thoughts. She admired Tali's work ethic; she was hard-working in engineering and was doing well as chief engineer and on the battlefield, she was a force to be reckoned with. Although Miranda outclassed her in terms of biotic ability (as the quarian had none), the upbeat engineer had many tricks up her...suit sleeves. A combat drone, numerous tech abilities and a affinity for leadership made her lethal in combat. That was something she could admire.

Miranda guessed, for all the good it did, that the reason she seemed to inwardly dislike the quarian was because of how close to Shepard she was. Tali had become quite close to the man during the course of the Eden Prime Campaign, and the fact that she was back onboard meant that Shepard had a lover. A  _quarian_ lover. And that might prove to a be detriment to the goal of the mission.

But even that wasn't the real reason. She didn't want to admit it, but she had  _feelings_ for the commander herself. They had surprised her at first, but the more she talked to him, the more she cared for him. The more she began to slowly have feelings for him. Intimate feelings. And now that the quarian was back in the mix, those feelings would never come to frutition.

She dropped those useless thoughts. Miranda was meant to be a powerhouse; the perfect human being without a single worry in her mind except for the complete success of Cerberus' goals; and on extension, to ensure the survival of humanity's hero; Commander Shepard. He didn't have time for love, and neither did she. The Illusive Man had noticed this as well and had ordered her to keep an eye on him. If the quarian proved to be too troublesome, then he wanted her removed from Shepard's presence.

That, Miranda could do. With a icy, yet lacking of any real smugness, grin, she looked back at her terminal and it dropped immediately. Looking up, she noticed the sounds from the cabin had stopped. Good, that was enough of that nonsense. Yet, as she looked at the terminal, she still didn't have the motivation to do anything. Eventually, she realized that the thought of aliens on the ship unnerved her. Disturbed her even. The fact that she was repulsed by Shepard's love of the xenos made her point more reinforced.

She needed to clean that out. And there was only one person on this ship that could help her with that, and it wasn't Kelly. Keying her comm, she contacted the one person she could talk to.

"Jacob here," The voice responded.

"Jacob, it's Miranda," she stated, "Could you come down to my office? I need to talk to you."

"Sure thing, Miri," With that, the comm was cut and Miranda sat back, sighing. Miri was a nickname given to her by close family. At one point, when Miranda first met Jacob, they had shared a bond, one that eventually developed into a intimate bond before Miranda ended it; saying that she couldn't let love get in the way of her duties. Jacob had silently agreed, dropping the topic afterwards, but always keeping the nickname. A reminder of past times, she thought.

A minute later, her door slid open, omitting the muscular, dark-skinned form of her partner, "Please Jacob, have a seat."

The man nodded, taking the offered seat at her desk and sitting down, leaning back, "What did you want to talk about Miranda?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She didn't know what to tell him. What, that she was afraid of aliens? She didn't like Tali or that she was jealous of the quarian's claim on the galaxy's savior? What could she say that didn't sound bitter or provocable?

"Take your time Miri. I've got all day," Jacob responded, noticing her hesitant position. She nodded to him, the echoes of a smile on her face vanishing before they could actually noticably appear, "I guess what I want to say is that...I don't know, Jacob. All these aliens onboard...Vael, Vakarian, Solus, Zorah...all of them. Even that damn krogan, the drell, the justicar...I guess what I want to know is, what do you think of all this? Don't you think this is obsessive? That we're being too soft in how we let them roam the ship?"

"Not really," The operative replied, posture neutral, "I mean, what do you want me to do about it even if I did have a problem with it? Ban Lia and Mordin from the lab? Lock Tali out of engineering? Send Garrus back to Omega? This is Shepard's ship; the Illusive Man made that pretty clear. Whatever he wants, he gets. You know that. We know that. Every crew member on the ship knows that. It's in the oath of contract."

"I don't need a lecture on Cerberus expectations Jacob," Miranda snapped, "If I wanted that, I'd have asked EDI. I just don't know how we're going to accomodate for all this."

"Accomodations has nothing to do with it and you know that," Jacob stated bluntly, "This is has got to do with a misguided xenophobia. This is why people look down on Cerberus, Miri! Because of this racist attitude!"

"I'm not racist!" Miranda tried to deny it, but she knew she couldn't. She knew the operative was right. Admitting it though, was a different tale.

"Is that what you tell yourself?" He replied, "Is that what you tell yourself when you're shooting glares at Tali in the mess hall? When you brush Lia's suggestions off like they're annoying? When you told Mordin to shut up for one second or, quote 'I'll paint the Cerberus logos with your body inards' during that briefing before Horizon?"

"No, I...that's diff-look, I don't know! I just don't know..." She whispered.

The operative sighed, leaning forward and placing a hand on her shoulder, "I know you don't trust them yet Miri, but you will. Garrus is a nice guy when you get to know him. Tali seems quite nice and Grunt might be a ton of bland emotion, but he's got his uses, if not his bad jokes."

"Thanks Jacob," she replied with a grin, releasing the hold on her cold demeanour, "I'll...take that into consideration. Now get out of here before I place you under 'insubordinative.'" The africian-american agent merely chuckled as she stood up to leave.

"You always did need a good scolding. Just took someone like me to actually get you to listen," With that, he left, door closing behind him, leaving Miranda to her thoughts. She would try her best to follow Jacob's advice and at least get used to the crew. It's what Shep-The Illusive Man would want. Content, she opened her terminal and was returned to work. She had much t-

_One new message from Cerberus HQ._

With a frown, she opened the message and read it's contents. When she was done, her mouth hung open in wide-eyed horror. No, this couldn't be happening. But it was, and she knew it. She always knew her father would finally crack the whip, but she didn't know it would be so soon. But it was, and now she had to act before everything she worked to preserved came down around her.

She immediately contacted an old friend of hers; a man by the name of Niket. She had helped Oriana and herself escape her father when they were younger and trusted him with her life. Sending the message to meet on Illium, she found herself freezing. If her father really had hired Eclipse mercs to kidnap Oriana, then Niket and herself wouldn't cut it. She needed a small squad. Commandos were out of the question. The only other person that could help her was...

Her thought processes froze. She'd have to ask for help. And from Shepard of all people. But as uncomfortable with it as she was, she couldn't think of anyone else. The Illusive Man had his own things to worry about and wouldn't react in time. No, the time was now.

And she had to hope Shepard was the paragon he was two years ago.

**{Loading...}**

_September 6, 2185_

_1302 hours._

_Port Observation, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked on Illium._

_Junior Assitant Lia'Vael nar Ulnay._

The quarian finished the last sip of her sterilized water tube before placing it in the bin and getting up from her seat, moving towards the elevator and back to the CIC, so she could enter the tech lab. She had been making progress in Mordin's lab, and the professor had been very impressed with her abilities, saying he was proud of her. He also apologized for his outburst earlier that week, saying it wasn't called for. She had simply shrugged it off and things had returned to normal.

The biologist was accessing her omni-tool when she saw the door to port observation open in her peripheral vision. Out stepped Master Thief Kasumi Goto, wearing her black hoodie. Before she knew what was happening, Kasumi had rushed over to her, grabbed her arm and dragged her towards port observation.

"Hey!" Lia choked out, "What are you doing!"

"Getting  _you_ away from  _that_ ," The thief made gestures to the quarian and then to her omni-tool. With a final tug, Lia found herself in port observation, door locking behind her. In the room was Shepard, Tali and Garrus, all sitting on the sofa. Garrus sat on the left, with the others following in order to the left; Shepard, Tali and Kasumi. Waving her over, the quarian plopped down to the left of Kasumi, deactivating her omni-tool.

"So...um...what are we...doing?" Lia asked nervously.

"You don't have to be nervous about entertainment day," Garrus remarked before looking at Tali, "Are all your people like this?"

Tali shot the turian a glare, to which Marcus was barely able to hide his mirth behind a strained neutral expression, which threanted to explode into a grin. Lia blushed under her visor, wanting to hide. She wasn't used to such an upbeat crew; the crew of the Ulnay were usually much more serious.

Slapping Marcus on the arm, Tali looked into his eyes with a look that said 'stop it' and he gave in, turning to the turian, "Come on Garrus, leave Miss Vael alone. Besides, I wouldn't be making snide remarks about quarian affinity for nervousness; I might have to point out how ugly you are and then make a stereotype about how all turians look like scarred dinosaurs."

Kasumi burst out laughing at that, but Tali and Lia just looked at each other, the engineer rolling her eyes. Lia laughed pathetically, trying to catch the quarian's gesture, but failing. Finally, when they were finished, Kasumi leapt up smiling, looking directly at them.

"Ladies and gentleman!" Kasumi greeted, bowing in traditional japanese style before looking at the resident turian, "And Garrus."

A quick elbow to the gut forestalled any response from said turian and Kasumi grinned, "Welcome to Entertainment Day! Why is it called that, you wonder? Because I was lazy, that's why! Today we catch Game of Thrones, the most amazing TVish show to ever air! And trust me, you won't be disappointed!"

With a few bits of applause, although just for show, the thief sat down and started the video, with the epic intro theme for Game of Thrones starting up, with the words in bold print 'Winter is coming' displayed at the bottom. This was going to be an interesting day.

An hour or so later, the video stopped and Kasumi leapt up once more, smiling from ear to ear, "So, what did you think?"

"I loved it!" Lia shouted out, but immediately melted back into her seat as she saw four pairs of eyes land on her, "Well, I mean, I liked it...sorta..."

"I agree!" Garrus responded in her place, "An awesome piece of cinema!"

The group just seemed to talk for a while after that. They laughed, talked and shared stories. It was usually conversation groups like Shepard and Garrus, Tali and Kasumi, Kasumi and Lia, Shepard and Tali, Garrus and Lia, etc. After awhile, Lia felt like she fit in more. The more she knew about them, the better she felt. And by the way her fleet sister sat next to the Normandy's captain, she could tell how close they were. She blushed at the observation.  _I'll admit, he is pretty cute..._

She shook that thought from her head. That was dangerous territory that she didn't wish to delve into. But for now, it seemed all was okay with the world. Most of all, Lia  _fit in._ They weren't all quarians, but it was enough to make her happy. She smiled for the first time in a while. Yes, this was bliss.

**{Loading...}**

_September 6, 2185_

_1509 hours._

_Clean Room Exterior, Liveship Rayya, Migrant Fleet, Valhallan Threshold Cluster._

_Major General Kal'Reegar vas Rayya, Specialist Madi'Soi vas Ceresa._

And now he was the last one. So he waited. And he waited. And he waited. Ancestors knew how impatient he was becoming. It had been four hours since he had required an hour of access to the clean room, and he, and Madi, had waited in a line of four to get to it. Now they were the last ones; they just had to wait a few more minutes until the previous user finished and left. Then it would be his and Madi's turn. His heart beat faster at the prospect of it.

They had talked about it after another mission to raid a mercenary base to rescue a pilgrim and, after much talk, and decided they were both ready; physically and emotionally. Physically, they had been ready since they hit the age of 12, but emotionally? That took years to form for a quarian. But they were ready now. Kal and Madi were already bonded, they just needed to get married. They had decided upon it and knew they wanted only each other. And the urge to join with one's mate was strong when bonded.

And they were ready. As soon as they stepped into that clean room, they would free themselves of their suits and join. Madi was still alittle worried at the very concept of it  _happening_  while Kal was both eager and nervous. He had never had feelings for a woman before, let alone had sex with one. There were obviously the 'teenager' hormones and he had obviously had a few quarian girlfriends, but the feelings he had for them weren't the same he felt for Madi. Their bond had been forged in the heat of war. It was a bond that couldn't be broken easily.

As he waited, he turned to Madi, who returned his gaze. She lightly squeezed his hand to punctuate that she was okay with this. He wasn't so convinced. He felt like he was forcing this upon her; when Madi agreed, he didn't know whether it was out of reluctance to argue or out of genuine sexual desire. He would soon find out, he knew that much. Letting go of her hand, he stroked the back of her light yellow hood, the quarian lowering her head to give him better access. He smiled. He loved Madi, he truly did, and this day, aside from their wedding, would be the happiest moment of his life. He knew that much.

Their silence was interrupted by the door opening and a female quarian with a green veil exiting, checking her suit clutches. Seeing them, she nodded in courtesy, walking back down the hall before Kal looked looked at the open doorway. This was it.

For a few seconds, neither of them did nothing. Finally, Madi nervously walked inside observing the room. Kal quickly followed, closing the door and locking it. Turning back to Madi, he saw her in the middle of the room, examining it. He followed suit, his eyes glazing over it's barren features. It was completely unremarkable; a simple box with one of 50,000 king sized beds on the flotilla in the middle.

"Decontamination in progress," a VI voice spoke up, a light mist fogging up the room's interior. When it was done, the mist evaporated and the VI confirmed completion of the process. Kal, with a inhale of breath, then approached Madi, who turned to meet his gaze. He didn't know what emotions her eyes held; nervousness? Happiness? Anticipation? Lust?

He stopped inches from her mask, resting his against her visor, "Are you sure you want to do-"

"Yes," Madi cut in, "I'm sure. I want this and you want this. I just...I wanted to tell you something. Remember when we were children back on the Beltaraaz?"

He laughed, "During that one transfer from the Rayya? How could I forget. That's when we pretended to be going out."

She laughed weakly before leaning into him, "Yeah, well, I wasn't pretending."

He smiled, wrapping her in a hug, "Neither was I. I knew I loved you then, and I still love you now. You're my unionmate, now and forever more. I want you to walk by side, by life and by heart. You are the other half of my soul that I've been missing all these years."

She smiled, looking into his eyes, "I love you, Kal."

He smiled, tapping his visor against hers, "I love you, too."

Her arms squeezed his shoulders. He grinned at her eagerness and his hands reached behind her hood, unlatching the orange mask that protected his love's features. He quickly removed it from sight, lightly placing it on the ground, eyes locking onto Madi's uncovered ones. She was beautiful; pale grey skin that was smooth with pinkish lips and red hair. He smiled before unlatching his own mask, the visor quickly joining hers on the floor.

"Hello, Madi'Soi," he teased.

She laughed, "Hello yourself, Kal'Reegar."

"You're beautiful you know," He spoke up.

Madi leaned up to him, uncovered foreheads touching one another. It was bliss, "And you're handsome you know." With that, she reached up, grabbed the back of his head and locked her lips with his, savoring every moment of the contact. She moaned into her kiss, the feeling so pleasurable that it quickly became more desperate; hands gripped at loose veil as they tried to explore every part of each other's lips. Tongues met tongues and locked in a battle of supremacy as Madi's legs wrapped around Kal's waist. This was escalating fast.

Before long, their passionate kissing, soon-to-be-followed-by-passionate-lovemaking made it over to the bed, the male quarian dropping her on her back as he climbed over her, straddling her as lips met once more, locking in battle. Soon however, they were forced to break for breath as Madi rolled him onto his side, the quarian female straddling his waist. She beamed down at him.

"Keelah," Madi heaved, barely able to catch up in breathing, heart beating heavily in her chest, "You taste good, Kal."

He chuckled, "I aim to please."

She leaned in closer, her warm breath beating against his face before she gave him a peck on the forehead, tilting her head so she could see him fully, "Are you ready?"

He raised an eyebrow, "We've only just had our first kiss, and already you want to jump straight into sex?"

She laughed at the absurdity of it all, "Well, when you put it that way..." he felt her fingers lace down to the back of his helmet, unlatching the last seals before lifting it away, tossing it onto the floor. He laughed and reciprocated the gesture; pulling back her yellow hood and allowing her fiery red hair to flow out onto her shoulders. It wasn't long before lips met lips once more, hands exploring each other as they looked for suit latches and seals; both of them wanting to be free of their suits and to feel each other.

It hadn't taken very long for them to free each other of the torso section of their suit; very little time at all. When it was done, Kal couldn't help his eyes landing on Madi's medium-sized breasts. It seemed they looked much smaller than they actually were. Madi removed her gloves, enjoying the feel of Kal's uncovered chest under her fingertips. After removing his own, Kal enjoyed the same feeling with cupping her breasts.

Many minutes later, they ontop of the bed; both of them completely nude. Kal had rolled so that Madi was now firmly under him. She smiled into his eyes before wrapping her legs around his waist and their lips continued battle, tongues interwining. Finally, Madi couldn't help but squirm from the feeling of Kal's erect organ nudging her core.

She whispered huskily into his ear, "I'm ready."

He shivered at hearing that. It was seductive and yet so primal, "Are you sure?"

"Definitely," she giggled, "Just don't...you know...don't do what you do inside of me. I don't think we're ready for a child just yet."

He smiled warmly and kissed her once more before navigating his organ into her. She gasped in surprise as he penetrated her, moving all the way until he was completely inside of her. She practically begged him to continue. With a smile that wouldn't go away, he pulled out and began his first thrust.

The sounds of two lovers joining was the only thing heard outside the clean room; but it wasn't a loud sound. Thank the ancestors for thick walls.

**{Loading...}**

_September 6, 2185_

_1509 hours._

_Research Lab, Zarasis-Class Light Cruiser QMFV Alarei, Migrant Fleet, Valhallan Threshold Cluster._

_Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Huzzi, Lead Scientist Dagt'Hazt vas Lazataa._

"Run another test. I want to be absolutely sure that it isn't working," Rael ordered in the brightly lit room of the Alarei's main research lab. Dagt had seemed about to argue, but she quickly thought better of it, instead ordering the techs inside to perform another electronic attack on the geth platform. The scientists acknowledged her command, and the idle platform once again shook as electricity pulsed through it.

There had been many of these tests and they had been going on for a while. He didn't dare share it with anyone outside of Xen, as it might start a panic on the fleet if word got out of geth on the Alarei. Noone knew, really, not even his own daughter, who had been helping him get the parts he needed for assembling the geth, unaware of his true intentions.

The tests had a purpose. If successful, they would give them a fighting chance against the geth and allow them an advantage in a war of reclamation. It was weapons like these that would put his people back on the homeworld; where he could fullfill his promise to his deceased spouse and the daughter he had neglected...

He sighed heavily as he remembered Tali's last words to him. He had tried to convince her not to think of that human, but she had. She had insisted. And now she was out there, somewhere, with Shepard, doing ancestors knows what. It had taken an unbelievable amount of restriant to not order her back to the flotilla where he could keep an eye on her. He didn't take like Shepard and most certainly didn't trust him. He felt like he was just using his daughter; manipulating her, when she had a perfectly could man who loved her back on the fleet. But she still insisted.

"Sir?" Dagt's voice broke him from his thoughts and he quickly rounded on her, seeing her and the many scientists in the room looking at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry, run that by me again?" He asked and Dagt sighed, repeating herself, "The test failed again. Do you wish for a third rerun or do you want us to move on to the disruption theory?

Rael raised a brow behind his mask, "Disruption theory? I don't believe I've heard of this one."

Dagt nodded, opening her omni-tool and leaning forward so he could see what she had on it, "It involves the geth's many centralized programs on the individual platform. Due to the geth needing to have multiple programs stored in the one platform for it to function and for them to be any real threat, I have an idea on how we can sever that link."

"How?" The admiral asked, curiosity peaked.

"It's quite simple really," Dagt informed him, smiling behind her mask at her genius, "We can design and construct a anti-software program that will identify core aspects of the geth's rudimentary program connection feed. We can bleed a virus into their systems, corrupting the link and severing it, sending them into confusion. Geth can't be hacked, but this isn't a hack, more like bacteria seeping into an open wound. It can be transmitted via a weapon's bullet and once inside, the software will split up, lose control over the platform and slowly die from exposure."

He nodded, seeing only one flaw, "And this is accounting for the geth's connection to the consensus?"

That seemed to give Dagt pause, "Their connection to the concensus wouldn't save them in the long run."

He laughed, "Dagt, I think you're overlooking the fundamental principles here. Even if you do sever their connection to each other inside that platform; all they have to do is retreat into the concensus, link up again inside their 'virtual city', and then reintialize back inside their platform's body, rendering the attack useless as you have to destroy the platform either way; whether you act fast enough to destroy it before they repair or if they recover."

Dagt, seeing the error of her design, nodded in affirmation, "I'll try to compensate for this. You go get some rest sir."

He shook his head, "Didn't you want to contact your husband?"

Dagt simply shrugged, "He know's how busy I am. I'll talk to him later."

Rael chuckled and that seemed to confuse Dagt. Stopping himself, he met her eyes behind the mask, resting a hand on her orange colored veil, "I can handle this Dagt. You've got a husband and a son you need to talk to. I know how important family is, trust me. I learn that the hard way..." He sighed heavily, feeling tears well in his eyes at the memory of his wife, Meru, dying as the infection consumed her. He could still remember her last words; laced with the promise of years of comfort...

_"Protect our daughter. I will watch over her, but it is your job to look after her. You and Shala are all she has left now. Don't your grief push away the one little child who depends on you."_

He had betrayed her. It had been a simple request, one simple one she had fought to get out on her death bed and for all the love he had shown his wife, he had betrayed her. He had neglected Tali, made her feel unwanted, and it was because of that neglect that he had pushed her towards Shepard. It was his fault she was infatuated with that human.  _Maybe I'll fix that someday._

"I must insist sir...," Dagt's voice once again broke his thoughts.

"No," he ordered, taking the datapad from her hands, "I'll handle it. Go, talk to your husband. I'm sure you miss him."

With a final sigh, Dagt thanked him, giving a snappy salute before turning and leaving the room, doors giving a  _hiss_ as they closed behind her retreating form. Dagt was a lucky woman; she had a strong son, and a husband who loved her. He was a mechanic, much like Peta, who was a member of the Lazataa's crew; a decomissioned, decade year old volus merchant freighter. A very lucky woman she was. All Rael had was a daughter who hated him and his wife had been taken by the ancestors before her time was due.

As he left the room for his office, he still remembered how he used to wake up at night after intense nightmares. They had all been the same; either it was Meru's last words haunting him or a dream of him running through the decks of the Rayya, trying to embrace his wife, but she only seemed to move further and further away. And when he finally got to her, she would collapse in his arms, mask suddenly shattered and life draining from her eyes, the same words echoing from his mouth like hot ash.

_"You betrayed me," she'd whisper, "You left our daughter all alone. Our little Tali."_

He laughed at the absurdity of it all. If Meru were still alive, and saw how Tali had begun bonding to a human spectre, she probably would have approved, even have felt happy for her. And after awhile, a few persuasive words, she'd convice Rael of it too. The very thought of it made him yearn for her presence, to feel her warm embrace one more or to make love to her in a secluded clean room...

All of which weren't possible anymore. They never would be again. Rael was a bitter old man, and he had failed in his duty to protect their only child. Now she had succumb to the manipulation of a human, and he didn't even want to know what he was doing to her...the unclean, alien things...

He scoffed as he entered the office, closing in on his desk and tossing the PDA onto the empty top. With a heavy sigh, he plopped down into his chair and put his head in his hands, not wanting to think. But the more he didn't, the more images of Tali and Meru's disappointed faces were conjured up in his mind. He wanted to cry. Everything just fell apart around him and now he was doing probably the most idiotic thing a quarian could do. If the geth escaped, he'd be responsible for the deaths onboard this ship.

Treason popped up in his mind. Xen could be trusted, but if word got out from a paranoid tech? Hell, a mechanic? This is definite treason. He would get exiled for this. His clan name stripped from him and his title taken away from him. And that was only one of the consequences; as an admiral, his exile would be three-times worse. He'd bring not only disgrace to Clan Zorah, but to his daughter as well. He wanted her to become an admiral someday, but if he got exiled; she'd be exiled with him, and she loved the flotilla.

He decided that those thoughts weren't important. Progress was slow, but when they finally discovered a way to destroy the geth; he'd be heralded as a hero to the flotilla as the geth fleets burned in the skies over Rannoch and their armies scattered as the quarian people reclaimed their homeland.

And Tali'Zorah vas Neema, would love him once more.

**{Loading...}**

_September 6, 2185_

_1555 hours._

_Starboard Observation, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked with Illium._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Justicar Samara._

Marcus watched the door part as he approached it, giving him access inside. The usual furniture was inside, but was accompanied by a new, idle form. Sitting in the middle of the room was Samara, her red uniform still as red as it had been before. She sat, cross-legged, in the room with her body wreathed in biotic energy, a glowing sphere of that energy inbetween her hands, meditating. Upon hearing the door open and close behind her, Samara spoke almost immediately.

"Shepard," she greeted in her same calm tone.

"How are you?" The question rolled off his lips pretty quickly.

"I spent much of the past 400 years on my own," Samara explained, biotic energy draining away along with the sphere she had been collecting. Marcus sat next to her, crossing his own legs, noticing a intense blue energy seep away from her eyes, "It is nice to have a colleague to chat with."

Marcus smiled grimly. With the life he lead, he was happy he didn't have the lifespan asari and krogan had. He didn't know if he could live through a thousand years of watching friends live and die. Before he could open his mouth, Samara continued, "I may be rusty at it however. If you are patient, I would love to talk."

"How much do you know about our mission?" He asked.

"I know that I have sworn an oath to follow you and that you seek to destroy the collectors," the justicar explained, "That is enough for me."

He raised an eyebrow at that, "You don't want to know why the Collectors need to be fought?"

Samara sighed, "When you live by a code that compels you to harsh action, you learn the dangers of curiosity. If I must kill a man because he has done wrong, do I really wish to know that he is a devoted father?"

He saw the logic behind the justicar's words, but he didn't nessacarily warm up to it. To live by a code that seemed so harsh and disciplinary, he didn't know if he could do it. Samara reminded him of Earth's ancient samurai in many ways; both are compelled to their duty by honor and justice, living by a code that is strict and harsh. The contrast was pretty amazing, actually.

Then he remembered the reason Samara was on his ship to begin with, "Tell me more about this criminal you were chasing in Nos Astra."

Samara's eyes seemed to lock on the window infront of her in a instant, emotion seeping through her features for a mere moment. But before he could act on it, it was all gone and Samara spoke, "I hope you understand that I wish to avoid this topic. It is deeply tied to my own code and beliefs. You might it is...personal."

Personal? As in 'murdered my family', kind of personal? If so, he wanted to help her. A soldier was no use on the battlefield if all they could think of was some criminal who killed their family and how they didn't catch them. But, seeing as how she wished to avoid the subject, he dropped it for the moment. He'd talk with her about that later. Now, the next topic on his agenda.

"What do you think of Cerberus?"

"I've heard rumors," Samara's response was quick, he'd give her that, "But I've learned long ago to form my own impressions. There is too much room for interpretation in the opinions of others."

He quirked his mouth in quick agreement, "Why were you willing to work for Cerberus when you didn't have first hand knowledge?"

In that instant, Samara's eyes met his own, "I work for  _you_ , Shepard. Our methods may be different, but our goals are not."

He smiled, seeing as Samara looked eager to get back to her meditation, "That's all I wanted. We'll talk later Samara. I'd like to talk more, but I can see your eager to get back to meditating, and I've got to check in with Thane."

"Anytime is applicable, Shepard," Samara cryptically replied as her body once again was enveloped in ocean blue biotics, the same sphere materializing before her as he left the room, moving towards Life Support. Upon Thane's initial recruitment on the vessel, Jacob had immediately been hostile towards him, saying that assassins were nothing more than professional mercenaries. To which Thane enigmatically replied 'an assassin is as powerful as his wielder. I am the gun, you are the wielder'. Later, the drell had said he wished to be somewhere arid, where he was then placed in the Life Support area.

Entering, the door slid open to reveal the arid space. It was shaped like an L. Moving down, he found the table Thane sat at, blankly looking out into the engine core while polishing his viper marksman rifle. A display case lay to the right with numerous weapons on display, including a wieldy looking revenant light machine gun. Before he could move inside however, a voice sounded behind him and he turned to face Kaidan.

"Alenko, what can I do for you?" Marcus asked.

"I wanted to talk with you," Kaidan stated, "We haven't been able to since...well...Horizon. Not a proper talk anyway."

He smiled, "I've got to talk to Thane right now, but how about afterwards? It's a introduction; shouldn't take more than five minutes. Meet you in the mess hall."

Kaidan smiled, nodding, "See you then."

With a slap on the shoulder, Kaidan left, allowing Marcus to move inside. Just as he approached Thane, the drell seemed to sense his presence, speaking before he could with the same croaky voice.

"Shepard, do you need something?"

He nodded, "Do you have a few moments to spare?"

"Of course," Thane greeted, motioning to a chair infront of him as he put down his rifle, "We haven't really had a chance to talk since I joined you."

Nodding in agreement, he sat down opposite the drell, eyes locking with his, "When we met you...you said you were dying. I don't...quite understand."

Thane nodded solemnly, looking down at the table he sat behind before speaking, "Yes...I thought you wanted to know more," he sighed before continuing, "You don't have to worry about the rest of the crew, especially Miss Zorah and Miss Vael. My illness is not communicable, even to other drell. It's called Kepral's Syndrome."

He widened his eyes at the revelation, "Are you going to be alright until the end of the mission?"

"I should be fine for another thirteen to twelve months," Thane stated, "The more time I spend in humid environments, the faster it progresses. I think it's safe to say that by the time my body is incapacitated, we'll be victorious. Or dead. Either way, I won't be a detriment to your mission or your crew."

With that over with, he decided to push on with another line of questioning, "What exactly happens to people with this...Kepral's Syndrome?"

"My people were born to an arid world," The drell explained, "Most of us now live on Kahje, the hanar homeworld. It's very humid and rains everyday. Our lungs can't deal with the moisture, overtime the tissue loses it's ability to absorb oxygen. It becomes harder to breathe. Eventually, we suffocate."

He seemed confused by the logic provided to him, "Then don't live on Kahje! Or use breathers."

The assassin shook his head, "Drell have a close relationship with the hanar. We rely on each other. The best we can do is keep our homes very dry inside."

"Can't the hanar do something about the humidity?" Marcus asked.

"The hanar have funded a genetic engineering program. They should be able to adapt us," the drell supplied, "The project has only been running for a few years. I don't believe my body will able to still draw breath when it bears fruit."

Marcus was determined to help. It was in his blood. His mother had raised him that way, "Is there anything we can do to help? Professor Solus is one of the most brilliant scientific minds in the galaxy. Maybe he can treat you?"

Thane laughed a humorless chuckle, "No thank you. It's being attended to. If the finest medical minds in the hanar Illuminated Primacy cannot cure it, I doubt any of your current facilities could either. Thank you for your concern, but I assure you that this will not hinder my performance. Do you mind if I have some time to myself, now?"

"Of course," Marcus informed him before quickly leaving. He felt a pang of sympathy for the drell he hardly knew, seeing as a disease that hindered one's ability to breathe wasn't very gleeful. The death at the end as well...it would be painful for Thane. The assassin would be lucky if he died at the hands of the collectors; that's better than suffocation.

He reached the mess hall, finding Kaidan already sitting there waiting for him. Seeing him out of the corner of his eye, Kaidan looked up and smiled at the spectre, motioning for him to sit. When he did, he noticed Gardner carrying a bowl of some food to Kaidan's spot.

"Here's the gumbo you ordered, sir," Gardner informed him, placing the bowl infront of him, "Enjoy." With that, the cerberus chef made a hasty exit, most likely so that he could leap on the opportunity to create more horrible concoctions. Marcus dreaded to think what he could do to a perfectly could mug of coffee.

"I'm glad you took the time to see me, Shepard," Kaidan started, grabbing a spoon and taking a mouthful of soup and placing it in his mouth, "It's just...well, we haven't spoken much since Horizon, have we?"

"Time's been taken up by dossiers and unexpected reunions," Marcus joked and the two of them chuckled, "Anything in particular you wanted to talk about?"

With a gulp, Kaidan pushed away the bowl of soup he had been eating and turned to Marcus, shaking his head, "Absurd as this may sound but...what was it like being dead?"

The spectre guffawed, not knowing what to think of  _that_ particular question, "I was dead Kaidan. To me, it felt like I was asleep for twenty seconds. And that's not even an exaggeration. I die, I think about my crew and what they'll do without me and the next thing you know,  _pop!_ I'm in a Cerberus facility, with a cerberus uniform, being ordered around by a cerberus operative while being attacked by mechs reprogrammed by a traitor. Action-packed return, I'd say. Add a side of Garrus and a Mako storm, and it'll make movie history."

Kaidan shook his head in amusement, "That bad huh? Seeing Tali afterwards though must have been a good feeling."

"I was shocked, to say the least," Marcus admitted, "I mean, really? I  _just happen_ to be alive, go to a colony my  _girlfriend_ , my  _quarian_ girlfriend, just  _happens to be on,_ and just happen to have a mission of their own there? I swear fate was trying to tell me something."

"I guess 'fate' was satisfied," Kaidan smirked, "How long did it take for you to get back together? The two of you, I mean."

"Quite a bit, if you ask me," Marcus sighed, "It felt like an eternity, Kaidan. I had recruited Garrus, Kasumi, Zaeed, Mordin, Grunt and Jack by the time I finally recruited her. It was the same for her, apparently. Shortly after, what do you know? 'Ol llusive is telling me collectors are about to attack Horizon."

"Encountered everyone from the old team?" Kaidan asked, digging back into his soup.

"Yeah, and then some," Kaidan raised an eyebrow and, seeing the need to elaborate, he leaned closer, "I didn't recruit Chakwas and Joker. They were already here. Apparently they were sent messages about my revival and were offered a job at Cerberus. They took it without question, but apparently Adams refused, so I haven't seen him."

"I can imagine why Adams refused," Kaidan offered, "I mean, imagine what it would like to him. Cerberus conveniently tells him that if he signs up to join the terrorist social club, he can get his old buddy back? It would have sounded like blackmail."

"Well, when you put it that way, his decision sounds justifiable," Marcus exhaled a deep breath after that, "Doesn't stop Tali from being upset about it though. She really misses having him compliment her all the time and giving her stuff to do. She loves being chief engineer, but she says it doesn't...feel right."

Leaning back, he quickly got back on track, "But, I digress. We recruited Garrus, then Tali, then you. Then we met Liara on Illium, but she couldn't join for reasons I'm sure you're aware of. Only ex-team member we haven't run into yet is Wrex, but I think I know where he is."

"Does he know you're alive?" Kaidan asked, frozen faced.

"Not yet," The spectre stated, "Or at least, I don't think he does. Extranet's a wonderful thing and I think we've blown up enough shit to draw some kind of media attention. It feels like I'm replacing him with having Grunt around. Doesn't feel right."

"I hear you," Kaidan responded, punctuating his statement with a wave of his spoon, "But don't blame yourself. Grunt's only here because daddy was killed by a gutless merc. Besides the fact, Grunt is a krogan supersoldier. He's not only valuable to the mission, but he would prove as a big intimidating war machine if we ever needed one. I've met Zaeed and Jack, and they are good and all, but they don't compare to 500 pounds of solid tankish krogan."

"Good point," He sighed, looking at Kaidan, "How about you? How's life been for you since I died."

"Shit, as you can imagine," The sentinel offered in response, "I mean, not many come away from their home ship being destroyed by some unknown asshole and losing your commanding officer in the process without any mental scars. Liara was a wreck, I heard Wrex got the info and he was mortified, Garrus went on about 'continuing your legacy' while Chakwas tried to stay emotionless. Joker get blaming himself for getting you killed and Tali...gods, Shepard. She was destroyed. She wasn't just a husk; the mere mention of your name seemed to send her into a fit of tears. She really loved you; you could tell."

"I know that now more than anything," he smiled grimly, "And I'm never going to do that to her again."

"Yeah, well anyway," Kaidan continued, "I was reassigned to another shipboard posting until finally moving to a few colonial posts, before finally landing my ass on Horizon. Part of the outreach program, they said. It was a beautiful colony. But it looked alittle too much like...like..."

"Eden Prime," Marcus filled in for him and the sentinel slowly nodded.

"And it all I could see was a colony in ruins, Saren's words of 'ascension and salvation' and geth slaughtering people left and right. And then Jenkins as those bastards cut him down...I knew him for a while before that mission, Shepard. He was a good kid. He adored you. He wanted to be like you; even said he wanted to be a spectre when he became strong enough. And those fucking geth..."

"We remember him," Marcus lamented, "He was a good soldier and could have done great things, but some synthetics didn't think he was worthy. We proved them wrong and sent Saren and his army to hell, destroying Sovereign in the process."

"I kept imagining what it would have been like had he survived," the soldier explained, "I imagined his thoughts on Liara when he rescued her from those geth on Therum. Saving that colony on Feros. Discovering those rachni on Noveria. Fighting Saren on Virmire. Losing Ash...," he drifted off, but continued, "The race on Ilos. Then the big fight! Fighting geth, killing Saren and blowing Sovereign clean in two. I bet Jenkins would have said, 'That was awesome!'"

The both of them shared a chuckle at Jenkins' expense, "He will be remembered. The Council might forget him, the Alliance will forget him, but we won't. In the short time I knew that soldier, I saw a light in him. He had potential and the geth took it from him. But don't worry, when the time comes, the geth will lose everything themselves. It's only a matter of time."

"I met Jenkins would have laughed at the idea of synthetics the size of skyscrapers," Kaidan shook his head, "Yet again, the crazy idiot he was, he probably would have believed it right on the spot. He always was a fan of the absurd. This one time, he told me that he told me turians were the descendants of dragons and that hanar were actual jellyfish."

"On the latter, I think I'd believe him," they both laughed.

"He also told me-" Kaidan had been about to continue their nostalgia, but a sharp beep from his omni-tool interrupted him, causing him to stumble out a apology before turning to his omni-tool and reading the message. After a few seconds, Kaidan's eyes shifted from curious to down right shock. Deactivating his omni-tool, his look snapped straight to Marcus. Noticing the rigidness of his posture, Marcus couldn't help but be curious, "What's wrong?"

"We need to head to the Avalon system, the Wandering Marauder nebula,  _ **right now.**_ " Kaidan said these words with pure iron in his voice, making it clear that he wasn't messing around. He immediately looked towards the nearest holopad.

"EDI?"

"Yes, commander?"

"Set a course for the Wandering Marauder Nebula, Avalon System."

"Any specific planet?"

Before he could respond, Kaidan cut in, "Human colony of Constantinople."

"Affirmative," the AI stated, "Jeff has been informed of this course correction. He is making best speed."

Marcus nodded, not even wanting to know why the AI was referring to Joker on a first name basis. Cutting the line, he turned to Kaidan, "What's going on Kaidan?"

"Hackett just informed me of a terrorist attack on Constantinople, the city of Byzantine. They're attacking the Subcommittee of Transhuman Studies HQ," Kaidan informed him, "These are  _biotic_ terrorists, Shepard."

"Why contact you?" Marcus asked, "If this is a dangerous situation, shouldn't he dispatch a squad of N7 infiltrators to deal with it? A few corsairs? Hell, what about the City National Guard?"

"He was going to until the terrorists contacted them with a list of demands, saying they were holding the people there hostage," Kaidan told him, before dipping his head down in contemplation, "Hackett contacted me because he's identified the leader."

"Who is it, Kaidan?"

"Shepard, can we just-"

"Kaidan,  _ **who?**_ "

Hearing the tone in his voice, Kaidan sighed, looking up to meet his eyes slowly.

"Rahna, Shepard," he responded softly, "The leader is goddamn Rahna."

**"Keelah, that must have been a shock."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"It seems the past wanted to slap Kaidan a few times across the face. Luckily, we were there to help him."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

_**A/N:** _

_**I could use the 'caught up in GTA V get out of jail free' card, but I guess everyone uses that now, and I do have more legitimate reasons. For one, I've been suffering a bitch amount of writer's block, whether it's from reading the GOT books, catching up on ME3 multiplayer and the Citadel DLC (yes, this is the tenth time I've redone it) while also doing school holiday homework. I know I promised daily chapters because it's the holidays, and I'm truly sorry, but that isn't going to be happening. Not at this rate. Hopefully, you can expect the next chapter to be out sometime this week, as I'm not working (YAY!)** _

_**And yes, this is Kaidan's loyalty mission.** _

_**And in response to starry eyes: I said that Lia and Kaidan were going to have loyalty missions of their own, not that they were going to be a couple. I'm not going to be throwing random people into couples and turning this into a times ten version of Twilight (except with character personalities). That being said however, Lia will be hooking up with someone during the quadrilogy. Not nessacarily during THIS story, but maybe in the next two to come.** _

_**And guess what? We've got two more unknown recruits incoming. But I think you know who they are. Why don't you have a guess in the review section? Virtual cookies and a cameo in a chapter to the person who guesses right (at least one right, anyway. Getting both is bonus points!)** _


	32. Off the Hook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in the present, Prometheus' new operation is in full motion. Members of the Normandy crew, past and present, fight back.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE:**

**OFF THE HOOK**

_July 16, 2251_

_1450 hours._

_Warden's Office, Hamlek'tor-Class Maximum Security Prison Vessel CSV Orbit of Glass, In Orbit over Grosalgen, Acheron System, Styx Theta Cluster, Neutral Zone._

_Terran-Rannochian War._

_Spectre Jessica Alenko, Warden Vaz'Gerrel vas Orbit of Glass, Superintendent Tax'Dor pav Rannoch, Captain Arthur Leat._

_"On other news, protests have sparked on the Citadel over controversy of Prometheus' so-called 'corruption.' Many Promethean officials have denied these claims, but have done nothing further to refute the oncoming wave of hatred towards their organization's political and militartistic MO."_

_"According to krogan ambassador Jorik Badd, the testing of a upgraded variant of the infamous Earthsplitter, near the city of New Haven on the world of Rannoch Prime was nothing more than a controlled military demonstration, going on to say that no harm was intended and that any complaints should be directed to the Citadel Admiralty Board, as they allededly the ones who sanctioned the action in an act of devising better weapons in halting Covenant advances in the raging Terran-Rannochian War._

"So the galaxy is going to shit. What else is new," Warden Vaz'Gerrel vas Orbit of Glass complained in his small office, immediately accessing the holographic remote on his desk and switching to the sports channel.

_"And its a goal! That's another six points to the Rannoch Avatars! This game of Biotiball is getting really intense! Just look at the Tuchanka Threshers' captain's expression! He looks like he wants to kill them! Stay tuned folks; and don't miss a single piece of the action! For those watching from the isles of the Anderson Stadium, we hope you're enjoying this intense game of wits; but, what do you expect? Quarians are always better at stuff like this!"_

"Fuck sports," he cursed, switching to yet another channel. Oh great, their airing another episode of 'Mass Effect.' It always pissed him off how they embellished Captain Shepard's story. Make him out to be some kind of fucking paragon. Currently, they were on advert break and seemed to be advertising a game called 'Grand Theft Auto: Citadel Stories.' Fucking gamers. Then Mass Effect comes back on, and he widens his eyes as he sees what he presumes to be a sex scene.

"Fuck me-"

He quickly changed channels, not wanting to see what happened next. Bloody horny developers. Can't keep their dicks in their pants long enough to not fuck up a decent flick. He changed the channel once more, the screen coming to rest on what looked to be a documentary called 'Lies and the Truth: Shepard and the Reapers.' Oh great, more media bullshit. Switching the channel once more, he landed on the children's channel. It was playing some kind of khelish cross krogan nonsensical crap.

_**"** _ _Hey Pugsy! You see that human over there?" the quarian asked, the english subtitles below making it clear to human viewers what he was saying._

_"Yeah, what about him?"_

_"He looks silly! Let's poke him with this induction straw!"_ He noticed in the translation it said 'straw' instead of 'port.' Smartasses.

_"Nah, let's gut him!"_

_"Pugsy! We have children watching this! We have to keep this strictly PG!"_

_"Oh, right. Sorry."_

Rolling his eyes, he turned off the screen just as one of the door sentries walked in, arms behind his back in standard pose. Vaz swerved around in his chair, turning to the face the young guard. The prison ship he wardened was part of a long line of ships built soley for the purpose of acting as hospital ships during the Post-Reaper War Crisis, but had been converted into prison vessels, basic expendable warships, stayed as hospital ships or were scrapped for their resources. This one was still a prison ship and was funded directly by the Citadel government.

The guards were largely raw rejects from the military or ones sent there to serve a militarily-served probation sentence, but some of them were mercenaries from many of the old merc companies, most notably the Death Banners group that went silent a decade ago.

"What is it, Burton?"

The guard quickly nodded, the human quickly opening his mouth to speak, "The Tali'Shepard just landed sir. Spectre Agent Alenko and Superintendent Tax'Dor of Rannoch's Republican Security wish to see you immediately. I think they said it has to do-"

"I know what it has to do with you moron," Vaz interrupted him, "And if it hadn't been for the fact that, one, they're from the Dominion and two, the Tali'Shepard is an ancestors damned battleship, they wouldn't be here. They want to check the security of one of the prisoners. I shall reassure them that the Dominion's investment in keeping him locked up tight. Show them in and then piss off back to your post. Go."

The man hurriedly nodded, leaving the room as the door shut behind him. The Warden's Office wasn't really all that fancy; it was a simple box with a vidscreen and a desk; the usual mishmash of grey and red lining the walls in the typical colors of Republican Security. He hated the Republican order of Rannoch and sometimes would have given anything for a parliamentary based system like the old Alliance or a federal complex. A federation sounds nice. Hell, even imperialism sounds enticing; at least an emperor would get something done. But nooooo...it's the fucking republic. A  _totalitarian_ republic. A glorified shithole. He was just waiting for someone fancy G-men to walk up to his door and inform him of the great PC's ideas about his prison service. Fuck the Prime Candidate. Self-righteous asshole.

His office door slid open once more and a quarian and two humans stepped inside, the Warden catching sight of four Citadel agents outside, all armed with carbine rifles. He examined the three of them; starting with the female. She had golden hair; it was hard to believe, but there it was, tied back in a ponytail with bright blue eyes, smooth ample cheeks and pointed ears. A scar curved around her neck and up her jawline to stop just at her nose, but he couldn't imagine what caused it. She wore the grey and red medium 'columbus' armor, with the unmistakable sheen of the spectre insignia on her shoulderpads; a quarian female's mask with a krogan thick sword arching from the center in the middle was a image of Earth; the three main races. It wasn't just the spectre insignia; it had been the initial Coalition symbol. And it still was. The initials 'JA' were on her left breastplate. Now that he thought about it; she had rather large breasts. He smiled pervertedly.

He moved his eyes over to the quarian. He wore what looked like an old quarian male's suit but without the helmet, along with no veil, which was replaced by armor plates and the insignia of a superintendent. Oh what a joy it'll be to deal with the republic's best and finest. The third was a simple marine, helmet hiding his features. His initials on his chest was 'AL.'

"What do I owe the pleasure, Spectre? Superintendent?" He grasped each of their offered hands, shaking them as he offered them a seat, but the marine shook his head, preferring to stand up.

"Spectre Jessica Alenko," the woman introduced, "And this is superintendent Tax'Dor. This man is Captain Arthur Leat. Don't mind him, he's been assigned as Tax's bodyguard."

"And like I said then," Tax spoke up, "I don't need one!"

"The senate disagrees," Jessica poked back, "And considering the circumstances of this visit, I'm sure Warden Gerrel will understand why you need one."

"Ah, my cousin always was an overprotective idiot," Vaz replied snarkily, "But no, I don't understand. Considering how 'priorty one prisoner' is locked up nice and tight and won't be escaping anytime soon. I have the most advanced security protocols in place to ensure it stays that way. So unless some trigger-happy friend of his has magic powers or a shitload of explosives, his chances of escape are pretty much zero."

"You're overconfidence isn't exactly reassuring, Mr. Gerrel," Jessica stated, "We need to be absolutely sure that this facility is locked up tight."

"You bloody repubs and your goddamn insinuations!" Vaz shouted, standing up and slamming two three-fingered fists into the desk, "You doubt my operation? Do I really need to show you? How the hell does this government keeping running if you doubt everyone all the time? It's like a fucking circus!"

"Doubt keeps the republic in one piece, Warden," Jessica stated firmly, "It keeps the peace. If we didn't doubt everything, we'd be waist high in batarian shit right now. We give you the funds, you give us results."

"And I given you fucking results!" Vaz retorted, "I've locked up all your psychos and war criminals and kept them nice and tidy for when you need them! Then you come marching inside  _my_ facility like you own the shit and start making insinuations about my MO and whether the prisoner is 'safe'? Do you I  _have_ to show the decompartmentalization wing? The area where we keep the top freaks and psychopaths? The terrorists and the wannabe Covenant neo-nationalists? Well fucking fine! I'll show you ever inch of this ancestors be damned facility and show you where you can stick your damn republican doubts!"

With that, he motioned for them to follow him, Tax raising an eyebrow at Jess. She simply shrugged, motioning for Arthur to order his men to follow them. He nodded, ordering them into a box formation around the group. As much as Alenko was perfectly capable and looking after herself, she was surrounded by mercenary rejects; either it be CAT6 degenerates or prisoners given community service, they were all mercs, if not underpayed ones. None of them had a sense of loyalty of patriotism; any one of them would easily turn on them for the promise of a better lifestyle. It was something Jessica was all too familiar with.

Vaz continued to show them down the nondescript hallways of the Orbit of Glass. The grey walls were not an impressive sight to see and the stains of blood and the stench of urine lingered on its walls. Beatings, interrogations, torture...the Orbit of Glass, and those of her line and duty, were horror houses. Jessica had to really block out the smell; the stench was that bad. Eventually, she just ignored it. She really wished she had brought her helmet now.

They walked past numerous mercenary guards, all with helmets, armor and weapons. Some carried SMGs and assault rifles, others pistols and shotguns, while some seemed to carry around what looked to be obsolete vindicator battle rifles. Most of them were quarians and humans, but the occassional few were drell, krogan, turians and even a few asari, whatever was left of their species, anyway.

A door opened and they moved through it and into what looked like the main detainee complex. Considering that the facility was now in break mode, prisoners were up and about; moving around at the many pieces of exercising equipment while others sat in the mess hall eating what food was provided by the cafeteria. Guards patrolled the area, making sure to stop brawls or any attempted prisoner escapes; but considering the location of the prison, the latter seemed unlikely. Vaz escorted them through it with ease, the prisoners avoiding them immediately or being roughly tossed aside by her guard escort. Finally, they reached a heavily sealed door guarded by a salarian and a turian, accompanied by a quarian tech.

"Laar, open the door," Vaz ordered. The quarian nodded, opening her omni-tool and began resetting the coding on the door. Vaz turned to them, smiling smugly, "This door is encoded with the best anti-hacking software and firewalls money can buy. It's been tested by the best geth and quarian techs in existence; even the great Tali'Shepard herself couldn't break through it. Well, she could, but she said it would take months just to neatralize the firewalls. Not only that, but incase of a attempted breakout, these doors are reinforced with yilladais poldoium."

"And just what is that?" Tax asked.

Vaz smiled, "The hide of a Reaper, my dear superintendent. The exact same material. Rumors say it's from the body of Harbinger itself, but I doubt it. That thing's locked so deep in Helmsdeep that noone could get near it. Anyway, that's the final bit of security for the prisoner. You should see the rest. This door is just the last line of defense."

Jessica noticed the khelish inscriptions above the doorway and it translated into 'Priority Prisoner Block.' With a nod to Vaz, they moved through the unlocked door, the hallway ahead being a blood red in color due to the lighting. As they entered, the doors behind them slid shut, flashing red. Upon moving further inside, they noticed security was much more heavily armed; with many carrying some of the newer geth spitfire miniguns. She knew this guy was dangerous, but she didn't realize that extremes like this were nessacary.

Vaz just continued to examine their impressed expressions.  _I told them that nothing comes through. But I guess they just wanted to be awed by the tech I hold here._ After moving through a seamingly endless hallway that ran the length of the colossal vessel's spine, they reached another door that was covered in the blue aura of a kinetic barrier, with two sentry turrets facing the door, accompanied by two geth troopers who seemed to be in idle conversation. Upon reaching the door, a blue beam of light swept over them before a beeping sound occurred, followed by the monotone voice of a AI.

"Good afternoon Warden Gerrel," the AI greeted, "Your guests have already been cleared through the system and any automated systems have been disabled for the duration of your visit. Should I inform the Vanguard Unit of your arrival?"

"Yes Earbleed, tell them. You know the damn procedure. Just open the door," Vaz ordered harshly and without replying, the AI complied, door sliding open as they moved inside. Arthur, who had before been terribly quiet, spoke up, "Who names an AI, 'Earbleed'?"

"I do," the warden answered, "We call her Earbleed because talking to her is just asking for one. Now come on, it's just down this hallway and to the left."

Finally, they reached the final doorway into the cryo containment bay. The 'Vanguard Unit' comprised of the only people who weren't mercs in this place; white-armored soldiers holding what looked to be Promethean Gladius shotguns; plasma-based. This guys meant business; and there was a whole squad of them. Talk about taking the initiative.

"Halt," one soldier ordered behind his black-visored helmet, face unseen, omni-tool out, "Stay where you are or we'll shoot."

Her guards didn't raise their weapons, instead moving to the side to allow Jessica, Tax, Vaz and Arthur through, although the latter stayed where he was, murmuring to himself, "Friendly bunch."

"I thought your AI told them we were coming?" Jessica asked the warden.

"Of course he did," Vaz aggressively replied, "Doesn't mean these guys will let you waltz on through. As thorough as our scanning systems are, they ain't top of the line. That's what these pricks are for. And just a question; are all prometheans such assholes?"

"You'll submit to scanning or I'm authorized to use lethal force," the soldier stated once more, bringing their looks back to him. With a nod, Jessica stepped forward, submitting to the initial search. Five minutes later, the scans were finished and the soldier looked over them. Finally done, he looked up and gave a five-fingered thumbs up, "You're clear. No funny business. You start anything and we'll toss you out on your ass; spectre or not."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jessica retorted, moving forward and inside, the others tagging behind. Once out of earshot, she looked around and saw the soldier's look leading her form. Upon seeing her look, he snapped back around, but she had noticed. She looked at Vaz skeptically as they approached the observation windows to the cryo bay. They looked much like the one on an old Titanic-Class vessel.

"I just caught that guy looking at me," Jessica asked, "What's up with him?"

Vaz sighed, "He's one of the new guys. And to be honest, he's kinda been tugging my strings. He's been asking for alot of weird shit, and he's pretty secretive about it, always pulling the 'classified' or 'I'm a high-ranking promethean' bullshit. He kinda creeps me out. But hey, who gives a fuck right? Prometheans are assholes; most g-men are."

"Yeah, I guess so..."

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_July 16, 2251_

_1520 hours._

_Cryo Containment Bay, Hamlek'tor-Class Maximum Security Prison Vessel CSV Orbit of Glass, In Orbit over Grosalgen, Acheron System, Styx Theta Cluster, Neutral Zone._

_Terran-Rannochian War._

_Unknown Soldier._

Upon seeing the spectre move through the door, he looked up, a smile breaching his emotionless mask. She quickly turned and so did he, pretending to return to his post. Watching the door closed, he made sure it was locked before keying his comm, "Kilo-Fox-Two-Three, targets just entered the cryo bay. How copy?"

He looked at the group assembled and they all nodded, two of them pulling out canisters of knockout gas and waiting for their orders. Finally, an answer broke through, "Solid copy. The PCV Gaius Julius has docked and we have a fully equipped platoon on standby. Waiting on your go, Dielheart."

Carter smiled behind his helmet, nodding to his men, "Deploying the gas now. Initiate assault." Without waiting on a response, he turned to his men, motioning for them to deploy the gas. Both nodded, ripping open the vents and popping the gas, releasing it into the vents and closing them shut once more. He ordered his quarian tech at the end door to destroy Earbleed and assume control of the defensive systems; turning them on the guards. They would take the prisoner by force and take him back to Promethean HQ.

Oh yes, their leader would be most pleased.

"Sir, what do we do about the Tali'Shepard? We're not going to destroy it are we?"

"Of course not you idiot," Carter ordered, "A prometheus stealth frigate against a fully-armed and capable military battleship? Why the fuck would you even insinuate that? No, we'll let them figure out everything. I've already had their AI hacked so their sensors won't know what's happening until this ship is long gone. Due to their sensors being offline, they'll barely notice us leaving!"

"Roger that."

Carter loved it when his plans worked. He looked towards his squad and motioned to the door, Okay, disable olfactory filters. They should be sleeping like angels now. We move in, free the prisoner from cryo, and stick him. Once under, we pick him up, take him back to the Julius, and high tail it out of here."

Nodding, they all raised their weapons, one of them readying a syringe. Carter smiled as the door opened.  _I'm glad that old hag came to take over my job of interrogating Shepard. Doing these jobs is just so much more fun._ With the door opened, they rushed inside and saw the unconscious forms of Jessica Alenko, the soldiers, the Warden and the superintendent. With a weary smile, he moved forward and smashed the glass of the observation windows, jumping down as his men moved the unconscious bodies into the corner. He approached the cryo cylinder, two of his strongest men, both biotic sentinels, flanking him as he approached the holo panel to end the containment. With a look of admiration of the machinery, he hit the button and a few pops and hisses ensued, the cylinder rising from the deck.

The cylinder came to rest on the ground, still hissing. Finally, its doors slid open and the frozen, human-quarian hybird form of a man appeared inside. Carter widened his eyes as he saw the name tag.  _Kaidan'Shepard pav Rannoch._ Then he smiled. The son of the great Mr and Mrs. Shepard. Now this was interesting.

With rapid effiency, he ordered two of his men to handle the restraints while two others prepared to carry him. The rest of his squad watched the exit while he stood and watched. They had Kaidan'Shepard, the notorious criminal, in cryo containment. The story was that the kid was exposed to crime at an early age and eventually began his life as an assassin, murderer and professional thief; all of them skills he had utilized from his family. One unsuccessful raid on a bank at Kaidan winds up in this place; in cryo no doubt.

_Why the hell would the boss want this little shit, anyway? What's a criminal going to do for the Ark Project?_

He ignored these thoughts. Whatever Prometheus' illustriatous leader wanted, he got. Anyone who didn't think so tended to disappear and turn up dead. It wasn't a line Carter wanted to cross; he had known the art of stealth and shadows for over a decade. He had perfected it and gotten used to how things worked. The galaxy could turn into a maelstrom of shit and Prometheus would always find a way to benefit from it. Carter didn't get to where he was by being soft and questioning his superiors. He did as he was told; plain and simple. It was times like this that known one gave a fuck about black and whites. Greys were just so much more fascinating.

The restraints came free and his troopers got a hold of Kaidan. His man with the syringe stuck him as he began to wake up, immediately putting him back into another long slumber, although probably not as long this time and not at freezing tempertures. At least, he thought so. With a nod to them, they began moving him outside, his troops not far behind. It wasn't long before the Julius quickly reported that the ship was secured, with the mercs not making much of a resistance for them. A shadowy smile crossed his face. All of it went well and soon they were back on the frigate, leaving the prison ship behind, not to mention a very unaware battleship.

He moved up to the bridge of the vessel, immediately shouting orders, "Captain, hit the relay and take us to the Omega 4 Relay." With acknowledgement of his commands, he headed for his quarters; the Shepard boy being taken to the brig. He sighed as he remembered just where Prometheus' HQ was.  _And the epicenter of the entire Ark project. I just hope it goes to plan. And to think Kaidan will soon meet the Traveller._

And if it didn't, then the galaxy would soon know just what the Ark project was.

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_July 16, 2251_

_1600 hours._

_Underground Complex, Northern Hemisphere, Trebin._

_Terran-Rannochian War._

_Warlord Urdnot Mordin._

Everything was a blur. And by Kalros did his head hurt. His body ached with pain, his back feeling like it had been bombarded by bricks. He could barely remember what happened to him. All the krogan warlord could remember was landing on Trebin in a wolverine and then travelling along the sands to some abandoned ExoGeni outpost from seventy years ago. That's all he could remember.

His attempts to remember the events that lead up to his blinding pain was cut short by clicking sounds surrounding the chamber he was in. Wait, he was in a chamber? Then he felt a presence in his head, urging him to get up, to open his eyes and  _feel safe._ But where was he? How could he feel safe if he didn't even know where on Tuchanka he was? Deciding to start with the first step, the lumbering beast opened his eyelids, one by one.

Upon opening his eyes, he examined the area around him, trying to limit the use of neck as much as was feasible. He seemed to be in a massive chamber; and it was artifically created. A matter of fact, it wasn't even a proper structure, just rock. Lots of rock. And sand. He could feel that under his body. It was vast; you could fit two krogan heavy cruisers in here, and krogan loved to build big. Their battleships were a kilometer bigger than sovereign-class reapers and packed the firepower to lay waste to a covenant battlegroup in seconds. If two heavy cruisers could be fitted in here, that was saying alot.

The next thing he noticed was the eery lighting of the space. It was dark, that was sure, but it wasn't pitch black; a pathetic attempt at light glowed dimly in the room, lighting it up in a blue essence. Next step; get up. He gave in to the urge in his head and stood up, noticing that the pain he had been feeling was gone. He remembered. He had been shot. Multiple shots from assault rifles, straight to the back. Thanks to his regeneration abilities, those disappeared fast. He groaned as he stood though, his legs being too used to laying around. He wandered how long it had been since he had fallen. He went to check his omni-tool, but found it wasn't there. He silently cursed under his breath.

_You are awake, Sings-Loyalty. This is good. We had been afraid that your song would be cut short. We are grateful that this was not an eventuality._

Mordin jumped at the sound, but quickly remembered it.  _Rachni._ He looked around the barren cave, finally noticing the creatures. There was scores of them, entire hordes of rachni, whether it be workers, soldiers or brood warriors. They were all there, going about their tasks. He suddenly realized that this chamber had been carved by the rachni; a city of bugs. Had it been eighty years ago, he'd have been ready to battle his way out. But this was definitely not eighty years ago. He turned his attention to the queen, who was only now taken notice of. He nodded, "I'm living."

_This is good. We had been afraid that the treachery-singers song of betrayal would have ended your song._

Rachni spoke funny, he thought to himself. Yet, he pushed on, "I am krogan. It'll take more than a few cowardly fleshies to kill me."

_Your song is strong. It sings of confidence, courage and determination. These are qualities the treachery-singers bore, but did not use wisely. Sings-Deceit has escaped with the blank-singer._

"Blank-singer?" Then it caught up to him, "You mean the human we found?"

_He sung of nothing. His songs were desolate, solitary, empty. They had no essence. They were too dark to be of true symphony. He was confused. But I sensed something in his song. Something we recognized. Something all rachni recognize._

"And what's that?" The krogan bellowed.

_We cannot be sure. Many decades have past. New songs have been forged, others forgotten. But this one the rachni did not wish to forget. It is a song that is impossible, but yet true._

"Why is it impossible?"

_His song should have concluded. But his song persists. His song will not be snuffed out. It is a song that will endure, but cannot be allowed to do so. For this song to continue, it would mark the return of the dark-song destroyers._

He knew what the rachni meant.  _The Reapers._ "And so what if he does? We've surpassed the Reaper's technology now, queen. Even if they were to return, we'd wipe them out."

_This is true, but this does not stop the circumstances of the current situation. Sings-Deceit will not waste time in taking the blank-singer to the treachery-singers._

Mordin sighed, looking around his surroundings, "How long have I been unconscious, queen?"

_According to your standard galactic time, your song has slept for nine-standard cycles._

Mordin widened his eyes at the revelation, "Nine days? By Kalros...I need to leave."

_This cannot happen. Do understand Sings-Loyalty that we would like to assist you, but the storms of this world have become very bad that any attempts to traverse it would result in the loss of songs._

"Traverse? Don't you have a ship?" Mordin asked.

_We do. But this is not our city. This is an outpost. The main city is many kilometers from here. But to begin our journey, we must wait for the storms to pass._

Mordin laughed, "I know you can dig tunnels. You bugs are notorious for it. You used it against the Covenant stronghold of Pixo'Tha that resulted in the Coalition's conquest of Kite's Nest. Just dig us there."

_We are aware of this tactic used against the harsh-singers of the enemy world. However, only our songs were allowed near the site. It is too dangerous for your kind. It would be safer for you on the surface._

He gave a sigh of defeat, plopping down on a rock, "Whatever you say, bug. Now I have rachni for company and a rock to sit on. I wish I had a weapon to clean."

Oh what a borefest this would prove to be.

**{Loading...}**

_July 17, 2251_

_1448 hours._

_Service Desk, Williams State Hospital, Williams, Virmire._

_Terran-Rannochian War._

_Senior Doctor Ashley'Raan pav Rannoch._

Ashley sighed as she leaned back in her chair, opening the fresh hardcover of the 'Tales of Heroes and Legends' book. It all the heroes and legends: Tross'Larik, General Robert , Ulysses S. Grant, Steven Hackett, David Anderson, Jon Grissom, Primarch Victus, Urdnot Wrex, and of course...her father and mother. She smiled at how they both shared a page, back to back and images of them during their younger years. Her mother held her favourite geth plasma shotgun while her father had his geth pulse rifle.

She knew most of it was crap; that all the stuff they were heralded for was embellished and overdone to make them look like the perfect invincible heroes, but she didn't care. These were her parents, a heritage of which she was proud of. And she could continue to be part of that heritage by, not nessacarily saving the galaxy or joining the military like that of her namesake, but help others.

Ever since moving to Virmire after her graduation, she had found herself enjoying the opportunities offered by the humid world. When she had signed up to the hospital, she had come across a quarian military general by the name of Zaal'Raan pav Virmire. That's how they met. Eventually she fell in love with him and they got married. She now wore the name of 'Raan' with honor, especially since her mother's aunty and her grandaunt, had been of the same clan.

She looked forward to her end of shift in a few hours. Zaal would pick her up and they would go the Beaming Unicorn resturatant for dinner. They didn't have any children, with Zaal not being ready for the responsibilities of being a father yet. She loved him and supported his decision, and for a while they had been entertaining the idea of finally having kids. It was only a matter of when and where.

"Ash!" A voice called from behind her and she dropped her magazine on the desk and spun around in her chair to the source of the voice. She was relieved not to find her boss, but instead one of her work colleagues.

"Yes, David?" Ashley replied half-heartedly.

"You've got two people here," he informed her, "One of them claims to be your brother and wants to see you."

Ashley, pleasantly surprised, got up from her chair and followed David to the waiting area where she found Thane sitting and talking to a quarian woman, presumably that friend of his, Reby; her cousin. Steadily approaching, she smiled at how Thane talked to the quarian; he never spoke like that unless he really liked someone.  _Reby's a nice enough girl. Brave, strong and packs a kick. But wait...isn't that technically incest? Well Kal wasn't brother by blood, but...argh..._

Coming to stop beside them, Ashley smiled, gaining the attention of Reby who immediately tapped Thane on the shoulder. The man looked at Ash and smiled standing up and grabbing his sister in a hug. One that Ashley quickly gave to Reby as they stood apart, David taking his leave.

"Thane," Ashley greeted, "It's good to see you. Thought you were on duty though."

"Would you believe us if we said we're stationed here?" Reby quipped.

"I honestly don't care," Ashley returned, "It's just good to see my brother."

"Feeling's mutual, sis," Thane replied, smiling, "You've been keeping in contact with mum, right?"

"Of course," Ashley retorrted, feeling hurt, "We all have. And if we don't, mum contacts us to make sure we do. She's doing well but she keeps telling me that, despite how silly it sounds, she's looking forward to dying. I don't think any of us truly realized how much dad's death killed her. She's only stayed alive because of us. If it weren't for that, she would have taken her own life by now."

"Dad used to tell me how depressed she was," Reby added, "How...empty she was. When she went into battle, she was a force to be reckoned with. People would ask how she did and she'd just say 'I imagined they were the ones who killed my husband.'"

"Come on. Mum's old and she deserves to die in peace and join dad in the afterlife," Thane replied, ending the subject, "I came to see you. Wanted to talk. It'll be the last chance we get before me and Reby are moved to Earth for reassignment."

"Cool. My boss should be okay with it," Ashley stated, motioning them down to the chat room. For hours they talked like friends. They talked long and hard, laughed and sobbed, but it was good. It was the little things that the family got to enjoy in a galaxy deep in war.

And in chaos.

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_July 17, 2251_

_1448 hours._

_Main Living Room, Shepard Residence, Savior's Canyon, Rannoch._

_Terran-Rannochian War._

_Mistress of the High Senate Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch, Commander Reia'Inas pav Earth, Interrogation Subject 001._

A ragged, weak three-fingered hand wrapped around his and he looked into Tali's eyes, smiling meakly. He loved her so much and the fact that he'd never be able to live with her again broke his resolve. Just recently they had halted their interrogation session and they had quietly talked while Reia worked over the data with a few of her analysts. Then the thoughts of Tali's life without him entered his mind and his resolve had shattered; he had wept. Wept long and hard and Tali had held him as best she could.

Now he sat up right, his wife wanting to make sure he was alright. He nodded, squeezing her hand in response to her gesture and she pulled away, leaning back. He imagined what his children were going through; the childhood they had lead without him in it. It wrecked at his heart to think about it. Eventually, Reia returned, holding a datapad in her hands.

"We've reviewed the data," Reia informed them in her usual emotionless, uncaring tone, "From what we've found, you're close to completing your memory, but not quite. You're almost halfway through it. But we'll need to recount events all the way to your death at the end of the Reaper War."

"The Reaper War?" Tali asked incredulously, "No, my husband will not live through that again! To be kept alive by you insensitive bosh'tets is enough, you won't hurt him any further!"

"It's okay Tali," He reassured his protective wife, "I'll do it. Besides, I'll be dead after this anyway. I don't want to be left alive in a world without my wife in it."

The quarian smiled at him, crinkled old lips spreading into the familiar position he adored. With a sigh, he turned to Tali ready for the next line of questioning. Before she could open her mouth though, a sound came from the other side of the house and they all turned to it.

"Sir, you're not allowed in here. This is a restricted military area."

"And I'm a member of the board of defense, you idiot," came an old but always familiar voice that made Marcus smile, "Now let me through." With that, the turian he knew as a friend came into view, framed by the doorway. Seeing him, Garrus moved forward and slapped Marcus in a bear bug, "Damn Marcus. They told me you were alive, but damn. I never believed it."

"I wish I weren't," Marcus replied, "But as soon as this is over, me and Tali are joining the ancestors. Life down here sucks."

"Tell me about it," Garrus responded, giving Reia a look of disgust, "With people like her down here, it makes it a living nightmare. Good to see you too, Tali. Haven't seen you since the museum."

"I've been busy," Tali respondes snarkily.

"Do tell at some point," Garrus offered, "I'm here to help in the interrogation. Wouldn't want you to do this on your own."

Finally, Reia spoke, "Just who the hell gave you authorization to be here? How the hell do you know about his operation, anyway?"

Garrus laughed, "I'm a government official; straight from the top. Where I go is my business and my authorization is a nice pack of letters called 'classified.' How do I know? Woman, I'm from the Board of Defense. So not only do I know everything about the army, navy, marines and special forces, but I know every dirty little secret you promethean skunks have been hiding. Finding out where you were was easy."

Defeated, Reia backed off, with Tali pulling out a seat for her turian brother-in-law. Taking a seat, Garrus motioned for Tali to start the session once more and the quarian complied, picking up her datapad and starting.

**"So, we were...?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Kaidan's mission to Constantinople. That and...another problem."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Elaborate?"**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"Miranda's sister. And this is where things go split."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

_**A/N:** _

_**Shepard's 'where things go split' is oddly convenient for what I'm about to say.** _

_**As of Monday, I am going on camp for a week until Friday. So incase you get annoyed because I'm not updating, I'm telling you I won't be active. If I brought my laptop, that might be different, but I'm not, so it won't be happening. I might be able to get the next chapter out before then, but I don't want to risk rushing it, so we'll see. No guarantees. Hope this chapter satisfies you until I return.** _

_**Keelah Se'lai.** _


	33. Terrorists and Family Matters, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miranda wants help relocating her sister, while Kaidan wants to prevent Rahna from doing something she'll regret. Shepard compromises.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:**

**TERRORISTS AND FAMILY MATTERS PART ONE**

_September 6, 2185_

_1628 hours._

_Mess Hall, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked with Illium._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko._

To say Marcus was shocked to hear that name from Kaidan's mouth was a understatement worthy of nomination. Marcus had to take a few seconds to realize the implications of just who Rahna was. He remembered his talks with Kaidan back on the SR-1; Rahna had been a childhood friend of Kaidan's when he was forced to train on Jump Zero. He even had a crush on her at one point. Then it went to hell when Commander Vrynnus, their turian drill instructor, attacked Rahna and Kaidan fought back, killing him. Afterwards, the program was shutdown and they went their seperate ways. Rahna had been scared of Kaidan ever since and never contacted him.

And now Rahna had jumped back into Kaidan's life without even realizing it herself; as a terrorist on Constantinople. The way Kaidan described Rahna, she had always seemed passionate and strong-willed, but never had the mind of extremism or terrorism. Why was Rahna turning to terrorism? Then he remembered that Rahna was a L2 biotic like Kaidan and that she had captured the Subcommittee...

Just a few months ago, Chairman Burns had denied the reparations for all L2 biotics due to it not being 'high on the priority list.' The fact that this attracted terrorists shouldn't have been surprising. The fact of the matter was that Hackett wanted them to stop Rahna...possibly kill her...

"Kaidan..." he spoke, "...what do you want to do?"

Kaidan's eyes locked with his and for a moment, they did nothing. Then, within an instant, Kaidan had pushed his bowl of soup away and shot up, "We're headed to Constantinople. I have to talk Rahna out of this. If this continues, people could get hurt...possibly killed. This could get ugly, Shepard. Fast."

Marcus nodded, immediately motioning for Kaidan to follow him to the elevator, "You heard EDI; Joker's been informed and we're on our way there. I know we can't bull rush in and shoot up the place, so we'll have to use diplomacy to its max here. I recommend-"

"Commander!"

Marcus and Kaidan stopped in their tracks, turning around to see Miranda rushing out of her office and running over to them. He noticed the features on her face were different; instead of her usual, icy demeanour, she appeared worried...scared? Desperate? He couldn't imagine the ice queen herself acting like this. He held up a hand, motioning for her to calm down.

"It's okay Miranda," Marcus reassured her, "What's wrong?"

"I know I shouldn't be dumping on you and that any concerns I have should be for the good of the mission," The cerberus operative explained, "But I have no where else to go. I need your help. It's urgent. Please."

He shook his head, smiling, "Miranda, you may be Cerberus, but you're a part of my crew. If you need help, tell me. I'll do my best. What's the problem?"

"Remember how I told you about my father wanting my sister and couldn't find her?" Miranda replied hurriedly, "Well he's finally did it; he tracked her down. I don't know how, but he has and now that he has her in his sights he'll do everything he can to get ahold of his 'dynasty.' I can't rely on anyone else for this Shepard; I'm begging for your help."

Marcus, noticing the urgency of this situation, immediately entered commander mode. Damn it, now he had two situations to deal with, "Okay, where's your sister now? What's her name?"

"Oriana Lawson. Her fabricated identity is Rebecca Richards," she explained, "She's on Illium. I've already arranged with a...old friend to have her moved, with her family, to a safer area offworld; she's going to Earth. It's big and it'll be the last place he expects her to go. He's moving her to the spaceport."

"Okay, well if he's got it settled, why do you need Shepard's help?" Kaidan asked.

"Because when my father is desperate, he resorts to lethal force to get what he wants," Miranda informed him with a grim look on her face, "He's hired an entire company of Eclipse mercenaries along with a flight of gunships under an asari named Captain Enyala. According to the information from Niket, my helper, they'll arrive within the hour. I need to save her Shepard."

"An hour? Shit," Marcus cursed, looking at Kaidan and noticing the frustration on his own face before looking back at Miranda. She looked confused, "Why? What's happened? Is it a collector attack?"

"No," Kaidan stated, "It's biotic terrorists. They've captured a Transhuman Studies building and are holding them hostage. The leader is a old friend. We were planning to go there to handle the situation, but then this happened."

Miranda looked truly desperate, "Please. This is my sister. I know you don't like me because I'm Cerberus, but I'm begging. I never beg."

"Noted," Marcus immediately turned to Kaidan before cursing as he hit the intercom, "EDI! I want a full-team assembly in the conference room! ASAP!"

"Understood commander," EDI's voice responded before it reappeared, but this time resounding throughout the ship, "All ground team personnel, please report to the conference room immediately. This is priority one. I repeat, priority one."

Marcus, Kaidan and Miranda quickly entered the elevator and within seconds, the doors to Life Support and both observation decks slid open with Samara, Thane and Kasumi immediately rushing into the elevator. He hit the CIC deck, not waiting for Garrus. He could catch up. After an annoyingly long ride, they reached the second deck and immediately filed out, moving through the armoury and into the conference room. Jacob and Mordin, being the closest to the area, were already inside and waiting. He noticed Lia was present.

"Where's Lia?"

Mordin shrugged, "Her presence wasn't requested. Explictly stated the presence of all ground-team members; Assistant Vael not a ground-team member."

"Well, as of now, she is," Marcus ordered, "Go get her."

Mordin nodded, moving out of the door and into the lab nearby to get the quarian. A second later, Garrus moved inside, "What's going on Shepard? More mercs? A collector attack? Another secret recruit I don't know about?"

"Neither. Well," he looked at Miranda, "Sorta. We'll get to that in a minute once the full crew is here."

"Well I'm fucking here," Jack greeted in her usual manner, closely followed by Zaeed, Grunt and Tali. Soon after, Mordin and Lia followed as well. He smiled at the sheer number of aliens and soldiers in the one room; the best of the best. He smiled in pride at what he had accomplished so far. He moved to the head of the table, where Tali and Garrus waited, nodding to him as he took position there.

"So you going to tell me why I was goddam disturbed?" Zaeed asked in his usual harsh but seemingly unhostile tone.

Marcus nodded, "You've been called here because of a dilemma. Two situations, both being emergencies, have risen to my attention and by obligation, I have to see to both of them, merely out of care of my crew."

"Is there killing involved?" Grunt asked.

"Yes Grunt," Marcus responded before glancing at Kaidan and rephrasing his statement, "Well, for one there is. The other, we surely hope not."

"Well, the suspense is killing me," Kasumi responded hypedly, "Spit it out, Shep!"

"Okay, first item on the agenda," The spectre informed them, "At 1627 hours, Kaidan here got a message from Alliance Command, Fleet Admiral Hackett. For those of you who don't know him, he's the one who personally lead the Fifth Fleet during the Battle of the Citadel and helped send Sovereign to oblivion. Anyway, he was informed of a terrorist/hostage situation in the city of Byzantine, the human colony of Constantinople. The terrorist leader is a friend from Kaidan's past."

"Well shit," Jack blurted out, "I guess that's the one that doesn't involve killing?"

"We're hoping so," Marcus informed her, "But if they prove beyond reason, we'll have no choice but to put them down. I hope it doesn't come to that. As for the second situation, it is an item of personal interest to my XO, Miranda."

"Ah yes, the Cerberus cheerleader," Jack hissed venomously, glaring daggers at Miranda from across the table. Ever since joining the Normandy, the convict and the XO had been at each other's throats and it had taken him to keep them from killing each other.

"Knock it off," Marcus demanded in his authoritive tone, "Miranda's sister is on Illium and being moved. I won't go into detail, but someone wants to abduct Miranda's sister and is doing so via a company of eclipse mercenaries. And before you label this easy, you'll find these mercs don't come ill-prepared. They have air support. And by air support, I mean a squadron of Mantis A-67 gunships."

"Sounds like goddam fun," Zaeed remarked.

"The Eclipse do not come light," Samara added, "The Blue Suns desire military precision and Blood Pack value brute force. The Eclipse's specialty in tech is what makes them a dangerous foe. It is not surprising they have gunships and considering their tech abilities, mechs should be expected as well. If this man is rich enough to purchase air support, he'll most likely be able to pay for YMIR mechs as well."

"Exactly. Now, this is where it gets dicey," Marcus stated, "I can't focus on both. As much as I'd love to be, I can't be in two places at once. It just isn't happening. Which is why I've reached the difficult decision of having to temporarily split the team to handle both situations. One team will follow Miranda's command and the other will follow mine. Understood?"

A row of nods met his statement and he looked to Miranda. She nodded, letting him know he could pick the team for her, "Okay. Grunt, Jacob, Zaeed, Samara, Mordin, you're with Miranda. You'll land on Illium via shuttle, neatralize all eclipse forces or most in the area and exfil Miranda's sister safely. Upon completion of your mission, you will wait on Illium until the Normandy can perform a pickup. I will contact Liara and see what intel or support she can give you; not that you'll need it, but its always better to know what you're dealing with."

The group nodded, "The rest of you are with me. We'll land on Constantinople in the Hammerhead and with any luck, we won't have to fight anyone. If not, then we'll bring our weapons just to be sure. Noone is to fire a single shot unless I give the order, are we clear? Good. I wish you all luck and I hope that soon, we'll be back together so that we can finish the collectors off. Miranda's team, head for the shuttle bay and get onboard the shuttle. You depart as soon as able. The rest of you, dismissed."

A few salutes followed but everyone else filed out. He felt a hand on his and he gently squeezed it with his other hand, smiling at his quarian girlfriend. He kissed her on the visor and Tali left, door closing behind her. He was left alone to his thoughts.  _Only just completed the team and already I'm splitting us up. At least Tali and Garrus are with me._

He sighed and made his way towards the armoury where the rest of Miranda's team was already getting ready. Moving through it, he entered the elevator and hit the button for his cabin. He sighed heavily as he leaned against the walls, thinking about what was ahead. Shoving away those thoughts, he keyed the intercom.

"Joker, what's our ETA to Constantinople."

"Nineteen hours, Shepard."

"Thanks," He said, "I'll be in my cabin getting some rest if anyone needs me."

Finally, the door opened on deck one and he stepped out, heading into his cabin. But as he entered, he noticed the entire room was completely dark except for the ethereal blue of the aquarium. Frowning, he immediately forgot about his shower as he took off his N7 hoodie and through it onto the sofa, followed by his cap and shirt.

"Well hello Marcus," a familiar voice rang through the darkness and he immediately focused on the source. Then he noticed the two glowing orbs piercing through the darkness and when he focused more, he noticed the slim form of his favourite quarian engineer, laying seductively on the bed. He felt a smile crease his lips.

"What's with the lack of lighting, Miss Zorah? Are you suggesting something?" Suddenly, all his worried evaporated. This was another one of the reasons he loved Tali; the more he thought about her, the more his troubles left him alone. She truly made him feel at peace.

"Well come over here and you'll find out," She then waved him over with a single finger. Now how could he resist that? He moved over towards and the bed and snuck under the covers next to the engineer, who immediately slid ontop of him, moving to whisper in his ear.

"I'm not sick anymore," and with that, Marcus suddenly didn't give a shit about anything. Seeing her fingers wiping over his face, he knew her intent. As soon as they passed over his eyes, he closed them, not wanting to break Tali's trust. With a smile, Tali sat up, immediately reaching for the clasps under her hood. Latching them free, the hiss of escaping air rushed into the room and she brought the mask free of her face and placed it on the bed, smiling. She wanted to kiss him. But she couldn't; well she could, but she didn't want to. She wanted him to see her face when they first kissed; so the time for that would be later. But for now though...

She moved down the bed, pulling the covers off of them and fiddling with his belt buckle. Unlatching it, she threw it across the bed and onto the sofa, quickly bringing his pants down to his ankles. She noticed the buldge in his boxers and smiled dirtily; he already had an erection. Grabbing hold of the boxers, she pulled them down with his pants, his throbbing manhood popping out as she wrapped a three-fingered hand around the shaft. He cooed.

Smiling, she stroked it for a few seconds before bringing her mouth around the tip and began to suck his manhood.

The moans of pleasure from the room were barely heard.

**{Loading...}**

_September 6, 2185_

_1700 hours._

_Cargo Port, Docks, Nos Astra, Illium._

_First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Soldier Grunt_ ,  _Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Justicar Samara, Professor Mordin Solus._

"...so we land and then provide cover fire for Niket while he gets Oriana and her family to safety. Are we all clear on what we need to do?" Miranda finished her debriefing, looking back in the skycar to see if they acknowledged her command. Zaeed, Jacob and Mordin were in one car with her while a second car behind them had Samara and Grunt. She was talking through the comms so everyone could hear her.

"I was clear ever since we took off," Zaeed grumbled, "I'm a mercenary, woman. You give me something to shoot and it'll be dead within a few moments. Escorts are fuckin easy. It's only when you're the one needing escort that it becomes the most painful fucking thing in the dam galaxy."

"Well, now that we're clear on that," Miranda drifted off, turning her attention back to driving the skycar. They had departed from the Normandy half an hour ago and had left the shuttle in the safe hands of Liara T'Soni. From there, they had taken two skycars, once again provided by the friendly information broker, and immediately headed for the docks. All seemed according to plan. She just wished it-

"Fuck, do you hear that?" Jacob explained, turning around. He must have seen something bad, because as soon as he turned back, she could see the wide-eyed terror in his eyes. His next words confirmed it, "Sweet mother of shit! Drive!  _ **Bloody drive!**_ "

Miranda didn't bother asking what it was and immediately complied, swerving to the right just as a maelstrom of machine gun fire ripped through the air where they had once been. Looking at one of her rear vision mirrors, she immediately saw the source of their problem; four Mantis gunships, all with the black and yellow insignias of the Eclipse. But they weren't meant to be here yet. Had they turned up early or was her intel sketchy?

"Don't fucking daydream!" Zaeed ordered, "Get us out of here! Take us lower into the docks, drop your altitude! It'll be harder for them to follow us because of how big they are!" Seeing the mercenary's logic, she dove into the docks, pulling up the last instant so they glided over the tops of dozens of steel containers. One gunship immediately matched their altitude, while the other three rained fire from above. Luckily, most of the shots missed, but Miranda almost pissed herself when she caught the trail of a missile glided past them, missing and ripping apart the container ahead. She initiated a barrel roll, narrowly avoiding the resulting debris as the mercenary gunship continued its pursuit of the skycar.

"This is why you don't let  _ **women**_ bloody drive!" Zaeed yelled.

"Do you have any better ideas!?" the operative shouted back.

"YES!" The mercenary shouted back, holding the butt of his rifle so it faced the window, "As a matter of fact, I fucking do!" With that, he threw his arm back and his rifle smashed the window casing of the car door, allowing Zaeed peek out and aim his rifle at the gunship. He was bloody crazy!

"You can't be serious!" Miranda screamed, "Your rifle can't penetrate armor like that!"

"Who said anything about armor?" Zaeed shouted back before aiming his rifle, "Keep this damn thing steady!"

Miranda, despite her fears of getting hit, complied and kept it steady. A minute later, three shots barked from Zaeed's vindicator and Miranda could hear the sound of shattered glass over the roar of both the gunship's and skycars engines. Looking behind her, she saw the glass canopy of the gunship had shattered and blood smeared the cockpit. The gunship spiralled out of control before slamming to the ground in a conglomeration of flames and molten debris.

Zaeed, with his usual smug expression, sat back around in his seat, "That, woman, is how it is-" His eyes suddenly widened, " _ **FUCK!"**_ And with that, he yanked Jacob's head down with him and Mordin quickly followed. Miranda turned only to widen her own eyes as she saw the skycar racing towards a container. And there was no time to pull up or hit the breaks. Shielding her head as well, she waited for the impact.

Pain shot through Miranda's face as the skycar slammed full force into the container and a airbag slapped into her face. The front of the vehicle caved in as they plummeted five meters to the ground with a massive thud, winding all it's passengers. Miranda felt like blacking out, but she resisted it long enough to rip the airbag out and kick the door open with her biotics, allowing her to get out. Stumbling slightly, she looked to see the front of the skycar alight with flame, the front bonet completely torn off. She was about to use her biotics to rip open the other doors of the car, but Zaeed simply kicked it open with his foot, allowing the others to get out.

Miranda quickly noticed that they had visitors. While they were recovering from the crash, the remaining gunships had deployed their troops and then flew off and awaited further commands. At least that meant air support was out for now. She motioned her team into position behind her, watching as a squad of the mercs approached her and the team, one human man in bright orange tech armor. The mercs raised their weapons but didn't fire, the human leader slowly approaching her. She smiled.  _So, they've recognized me it seems._

"Since you're not firing yet I assume you know who I am," Miranda stated, crossing her arms. She heard Samara and Grunt land nearby and move to join them, Samara making sure Grunt didn't fire first.

The leader nodded, "Yeah, they said you'd be in the car. You're the bitch that kidnapped our boss' little girl."

Miranda looked flabbergasted, "Kidnapped? This doesn't involve you. I suggest you take your men and leave."

The man scoffed, "You think you've got it all lined up, huh?" another merc, human male, with full body helmet, stood to the man's side, avenger assault rifle in lower parry, "Captain Enyala's already moving in on the kid. She knows about Niket. He won't be helping you."

Jacob was quick to step in; always the arbiter, "What do you mean, Niket won't be helping us?"

The eclipse merc waved Jacob off simply like he was annoying, "Nothing you need to worry about. Nobody's getting killed unless you do something stupid. You walk away now, the girl goes back to her father, and everybody's happy."

Miranda shook her head, not wanting to believe this man's deluded bullshit, "Everybody but my sister...and me."

Zaeed immediately moved up, "I know this Captain Enyala. Worked with her on a score before. Maybe we can arrange something."

"You don't want to talk to the captain," the man said, visibly shaken, "She's not...as polite as me."

"Trust me, I goddamn know. Like I said, worked with her," Zaeed moved forward until he was inches from the man's face, "But believe me when I say I make her look like the most modest woman in the galaxy. Don't test my fucking patience. I put down Vido Santiago, and I'll put you down just as fast."

"Vido?" The man's eyes widened in an instant, " _You're_ the one who killed Commander Santiago? So you must be the Zaeed Massani everyone talks about. The bounty hunter every merc supposedly fears."

The mercenary in question smirked grimly, "And for good reason, kid."

"Captain Enyala is the best commando I've ever seen. You won't be able to stop her," the leader declared, regaining some of his confidence.

"Oh really?" Zaeed asked incredulously, "And what are her chances against an asari justicar? Hell, how about Grunt, our krogan supersoldier back there? Not to mention me!  _ **Zaeed-fucking-Massani! The most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy!**_ I'll put her into the ground where the rest of her scum are still growing!"

The man seemed eerily confident, "Captain Enyala ordered us to give you one chance to walk away. But this entire time my men have been lining up shots. So I suggest you walk away nicely...right now."

Zaeed laughed hard and bitterly before leaning forward, "Lining up shots? Well, how about they line up on this!" Before anyone knew what was happening, Zaeed had grabbed the merc's head and snapped his neck, bringing his body up so it soaked up the merc's attacks. Before the leader's bodyguard could react, he was ripped to shreds by Samara's SMG. With a demonic laugh, Zaeed opened fire on another female human merc, following Grunt as they charged forward, ripping into the mercs. Meanwhile, Miranda, Jacob, Samara and Mordin just followed in the trail of their carnage.

"Mercs stood little chance," Mordin stated a matter of factly, "Battle was lost before it was begun. Pity. These men truly believed they were doing right. Irrelevant however. Must not dwell on such things. Find your sister. Move quickly. Time short. Recommend haste." Miranda nodded, looking forward to see that the merc squad had already been dealt with and it seemed Zaeed and Grunt had already moved on ahead. Cursing at her lack of squad leadership, she marched on ahead, the rest of them at her back.

Upon rounding the corner, she immediately saw Zaeed and Grunt plowing through another squad of eclipse soldiers; mostly engineers. If these were the best men her father could hire to abduct Oriana, then he wasn't trying hard enough. That or he never precedented the Normandy crew coming to stop him.

Seeing no more mercenaries and with only an elevator to greet them, they immediately took time to reload and patch any wounds taken, which for Grunt was a bullet wound to the thigh that he simply shrugged off. Just as she moved to palm the door interface, she felt a hand tug on her arm, and she was twisted around to face Zaeed.

"Just what the fuck is going on?" The bounty hunter grumbled, "What did that cunt mean by 'kidnapped the boss' girl?' Because if this is a fucking abduction, you can count me out. I may be a ruthless son of a bitch, but I don't bloody kidnap people!"

"I guess I owe all of you an explanation," Miranda said, glancing at Jacob, who simply nodded. Samara merely looked unfazed, as usual, "Oriana is my twin, genetically. But my father...grew her when I was a teenager. She was meant to replace me. I couldn't let my father do to her what he did to me! So I rescued her! If that asshole wants to call it kidnap, so be it!" the operative sighed, "She's almost a woman now," she said in a lower tone.

"Oh well that's just fucking wonderful," Zaeed complained in his usual sense, "I wasn't told we were saving a goddam kid."

Miranda shook her head, "She's not a child; she'll be nineteen this year. But...well, it didn't seem relevant at the time, I suppose. I'm sorry you weren't told sooner. You...deserved better."

"You're bloody right we did," Zaeed retorted.

"Does not change course of mission," Mordin piped in, "Whether kid or adult does not matter; she requires rescue. That's all that matters. Moral implications irrelevant."

"Professor Solus is correct," Samara supplied, "Saving your sister is what matters; not her age. We should continue and link up with this Niket."

Miranda nodded, palming the interface and opening the door to the plush looking elevator, "Everybody inside. We're on a clock here." The squad quickly acknowledged her; a krogan supersoldier, asari justicar, the perfect human, a cerberus operative, the most feared bounty hunter in existence and a brilliant salarian scientist all moving into the one elevator to save the perfect human's sister. Once inside, Miranda hit the Level 52 button, where they would rendezvous with Niket and her sister's family.

Miranda watched through the glass door of the elevator as the cityscape slowly dropped below them as they rose up the spine of the skyscraper, leaving Nos Astra behind, in a way. She thought of what Shepard was doing right now. The Normandy wouldn't reach Constantinople for a day at the most, and her team would be finished long before that. They'd be on Illium for quite a bit. She just wondered if he was safe.  _Safe? Safe because of his use to Cerberus or use to yourself?_

She shuddered at those thought and despised them, but she was forced to think for a moment. It wasn't the Illusive Man who offered to help her or even sent agents to rescue Oriana; it was Shepard. He could have said no; he's clearly stated his dislike of the Cerberus organization and its goals. She has shown him no good will since he joined the crew, but he still helped her like they were best buddies.  _Am I starting to actually like him?_ Someone like her shuddered at the thought. But despite herself, she couldn't find herself disagreeing with the idea.

_What if Cerberus really-_

She stopped as her ears picked up a distant sound. The distant thrum of engines; the sound of wind interrupted as it pounded against ascending metal. The reverbrating hum of mass effect fields as it lifted the unknown vehicle towards them. But as the sound got closer and closer, and her comrades-in-arms started to hear it as well, Miranda easily recognized it. And she suddenly froze. And as it rose from the city depths, she found herself in wide-eyed fear and completely unknowing of what to do. She was staring at death itself.

It was an Eclipse gunship.

It's chin-mounted machine gun twisted to face them and she was helpless as she heard a new sound among the thrum of the engines; the piercing screech of motors spinning as it prepared to unleash fire that would tear through her armorless body, leaving none of her left. And as the bullets poured out of the barrel, she could only think of one thing to do. She glowed biotically and watched as the bullets rammed through the glass to meet her. And in that instant, she realized a truth she knew had been coming for a while.

She wasn't perfect.

**{Loading...}**

_September 7, 2185_

_2208 hours._

_Skydock, Skyline, Byzantine, Constantinople._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Junior Assistant Lia'Vael nar Ulnay, Subject Zero Jack, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Assassin Thane Krios._

"Guess what, commander?" Marcus rolled his eyes as Joker's voice came through the intercom; in his usual sarcastic tone. It was something of a running gag for the Normandy's pilot, something he either grew up with or just learnt enough to piss off his commanders. If so, it worked. Sometimes Marcus would go along with it, but now what was not one of those days.

"This is not the time Joker, just give me the heads up."

"Are you always so damn grim?" Joker replied snarkily but before Marcus could really yell, the pilot cut to the point, "We're docked. Skydock workers are shaky but when I told them who we were, they immediately let us through. Apparently the whole city of Byzantine below us is on lockdown by the National Guard. Hackett sent them advanced warning with expectations to expect us."

"Has Garrus deployed the hammerhead?" Marcus immediately asked, moving through the airlock along with his squad and moving out onto the dock. Marcus immediately noticed the dull brown sky, placing a grim overset on the planet's inhabitants. He could feel the icy wind bite against his skin; the skydock was attached to the tip of the Skyline, which was a long tower stretching from the ground to above the clouds, stabilized by advanced human engineering and of course...mass effect fields. The platform top itself was a barren brown color; rusted by years of use and battering rains.

"Yes commander. I deployed him just before we docked. He should have hit the ground a minute ago and will be waiting for you at the bottom of the tower. Good luck, Shepard." With that, Joker cut the comms and EDI's voice replaced his, "I've done a thorough scan of the building, Shepard. Infiltration will be difficult due to the immense terrorist presence and a full-fledged assault will result in the deaths of many innocent civilians."

"So in other words, diplomacy's our only option," Marcus stated sarcastically, "This mission never involved killing anyone EDI. The hammerhead is merely for show. I don't want this to turn into a bloodbath."

"Affirmative commander," EDI responded softly, "I will update you on any relevant info I come across." Then the AI's voice too vanished, leaving him with his team as they entered the tower's elevator and selected ground level. The ride was long, but the elevator was much faster than the one on the Normandy. It had to be. The dull brown walls smelled of shipped produce; the mixture of the sweet aromas of fruits all the way to the smellless nutrient paste stores. There wasn't even a window to look down on Byzantine from above. Overall, the ride was done in silence. Marucs took a moment to check on Lia, who stood behind the group, with nothing but a single carnifex heavy pistol to defend herself.

He had been hesitant on taking Lia, but had eventually let military prowess get the better of him. Lia may be on the ship most of the time, but she needed to be ready incase the Normandy was boarded by the enemy at any time. If she couldn't defend herself, she would be killed. Just like Tali, he would be forced to turn Lia into a killer.  _That seems to be a running theme with you, doesn't it Marcus? Turning innocent people into killers?_ _ **Your**_ _killers?_

The very thought shook him to the core. It was true; the woman he called his lover, his chief engineer, hadn't been a killer before and now he had turned her into a soldier. She had lead that team on Haestrom and on Freedom's Progress. She had become a leader because of  _him_. A relentless soldier. Is that what Lia would become? Maybe she would design her  _own_ genophage?

But he couldn't think of that now. It was too late for second thoughts. Lia was here and she would get firsthand experience. If shit hit the fan, that is. He was hoping it wouldn't. He wanted to end this peacefully. And if it did go wrong...well, he just hoped the hammerhead could withstand biotic assault.

Finally, the elevator came to a halt at the bottom of the skyline spire. The door quickly slid open, and they were immediately greeted by a squad of National Guard soldiers.

"Are you Commander Shepard?" one of the troopers asked.

"That's me," Marcus offered, "I'm assuming direct command of the situation."

"Colonel Peterson has relinquished command sir," the soldier responded, "What are your orders on the situation?"

"Hold the city perimeter and make sure nothing comes in or out," the spectre ordered, "Enforce a restricted airspace policy as well. No civilian craft are to come within three kilometers or they will be shot down. I want a orbital guard unit on standby as well."

"The ORV Dream of Spring is on standby at Fort Garrong sir," the soldier informed him, "Word will be sent for it to depart. Any particular patrol vector, commander?"

"Have its captain assist in enforcing the no fly zone," Marcus demanded, "I don't want civilians coming in and making the situation worse. And by no means are any National Guard detachments to approach the Subcommittee building. I have official command and only my team will have authorization to approach said facility. Pull back any and all units to a safe distance of one klick. My team will proceed in a hammerhead."

"A hammerhead, sir?" The soldier asked, confused.

"Prototype tank," a familiar voice responded and Marcus turned to see Garrus waiting outside, "The tank is ready to go, Shepard. Waiting for you now." The spectre simply nodded in the turian's direction and motioned for his squad to follow him as they moved outside, National Guard troops moving aside to allow them passage. When they left the hub building at the bottom of the tower, they immediately emptied out into a large depot which had originally lead into a garage for trucks; now it was packed with Mako tanks and two Aligator APCs. There was also a parked mantis gunship, along with a few kodiak shuttles. The NG were here in force, it seemed.

Passing through the depot, they passed the main gate and erupted out into the main spaceport interior. It was eerily empty; it felt abandoned, even though he knew the city had been evacuated. Upon exiting the building, they found the hammerhead packed outside near the usual drop-off zone. Opening the hatch, he motioned for everyone to get inside before taking the turret, while Garrus drove. Once inside and the hatch was secured, the engines roared to life, and the hammerhead shot off down the street, heading for the Transhuman Studies building.

"So, Staff Commander Alenko," Thane asked in his usual croaky tone, "What do we wish to accomplish with this mission?"

"To convince Rahna to stop this madness," Kaidan immediately responded, shuffling in his seat. A bump coursed through the mobile platform as they moved up a ramp and realigned, "I hope to be able to avert any sort of combat. I don't want to kill her. She's a good reason. There has to be a reason she's doing this."

"It's probably got to do with that Chairman Burns asshole," Jack added, "He's recently denied the reparations for biotics with the old L2 implants. I've got an L3 for my biotics, so it doesn't bother me. But it must really piss off the L2s."

"I'm an L2," Kaidan replied, "And so is Rahna. Any one from the old Jump Zero Training Program is an L2. I guess that partially explains it. Either way, we have to convince her to stop. That might mean giving her what she wants. I know Rahna; she's kind and smart. She's not a killer. So, either the years have not been kind to her or something has made her desperate. I'd stake my life that this is the reason."

"So any particular reason the hammerhead is here?" Garrus asked.

"Like I said, it's simply for show," Marcus responded from his position in the turret, "A show of force is always a good way to make people think twice before pulling a trigger on you. I can't think of a better way to show our teeth then a nice, big cerberus-made mobile tank. Armor might not be the best, but the cannon definitely makes up for it. Anything that can carve through the armor on a geth dropship is worth something."

"I guess the weapons and armor are for show too," Kasumi finally added herself, "Be careful Shep. You might give the impression that you look for fights."

"Only the fun ones and I make sure Grunt doesn't miss out on those," Marcus bit back snarkily, "Besides, if I loved combat so much, then why didn't I go with Miranda? Her squad is the one fighting an eclipse mercenary company armed with a flight of gunships and god knows how much mech support."

"Because your blood flows with too much paragon in it," Tali replied.

"Hey, don't see you complaining," Marcus grinned.

"I don't need to," the quarian shot back, "Why complain about something you don't find bad?"

Silence followed. There wasn't much to talk about. So the squad simply sat in the back of the vehicle, not making a sound except for the occassional cough or sniffle from Tali. The hammerhead just rumbled on through the empty streets, the only thing disturbing the quiet that had settled on the city.

Marcus, deciding his presence wasn't necessary in the turret, climbed down from it and kneeled before Kaidan in his seat. The man immediately looked up, eyes meeting the spectre's. Marcus sighed heavily, "Kaidan, you do realize that if this doesn't go to plan..."

"I know," Kaidan answered almost instantly, as if expecting this conversation, "I just...I don't want to think about it."

"It's an eventuality. Nothing more," Marcus added, slapping him on the shoulder, "Don't fret about it. You know me; I don't think anyone could resist my charm."

Kaidan chuckled, "That charm of yours is why Garrus is driving."

"Hey, watch how you mock your superior," Marcus responded with a grin, moving to sit next to Tali, hand interwining with hers on her lap. She smiled behind her mask, feeling a sneeze build up in her sinuses. Before she could stop it, she sneezed, a slob of mucus erupting from her nostrils and coating the front of her mask. Her eyes looked at the disturbing liquid; so lumpy and close to her face. Luckily, the systems got to work cleaning it.

"How are you feeling?" Marcus asked, just a whisper in her ear.

"Don't worry," Tali whispered back, "Just some mucus buildup and a bit of a sore throat. My immune system is adapting to you, although its a slow process."

"That's good," he whispered in reply, "Garrus and Kasumi are getting alittle suspicious."

"Well, how could I not?" Kasumi's voice rose from beside him. He turned to see her leaning forwards with him, listening in.

"Damn you, Kasumi," Marcus felt a rush of red coming to his cheeks, but he quickly battered it back down. Tali however just let it rush out, her cheeks reddening a deep crimson. She loved the mask right then and there. Kasumi merely smiled, "Damn me all you want. I'm here to stay." With a wink, she leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes, deciding to take a power nap. Marcus simply got out his pulse rifle and started polishing it while Tali played tetris on her omni-tool. Thane prayed in the back while Kaidan looked blankly at a wall, almost like a machine without purpose.

Meanwhile, in the pilot seat of the tank, Garrus sat at the controls, moving forward with purpose, three-fingered talons tapping the screens fluidly. The area ahead was dim; dark brown skies beaming down on the city with tinges of red and yellow. The bright sun of Avalon was falling behind the horizon, the day coming to an end on Constantinople. He heard the door behind him open and Thane step inside, followed by Lia who stood in the doorway, looking aimlessly through the windscreen while Thane sat in the empty engineering section.

"Getting bored of Shepard's company?" Garrus remarked, a smirk creasing along his mandibles.

"No point when everyone is silent," Lia replied.

"Miss Vael is correct," Thane added, "Although I do enjoy peace and quiet, the purpose of company is to make use of it. Mister Alenko looks blankly at a wall, Miss Goto is napping, Miss Zorah plays with her omni-tool and Shepard plays with his pulse rifle. Not the best reasons to start a conversation."

"And Jack?" Garrus asked.

"Sleeping too," Thane added.

"That's a first."

"Even a psychopath must find slumber," Thane responded eerily.

"Doesn't make it any less surprising," the turian quipped, "The woman's a powerhouse."

"Y-yeah, she certainly is," Lia added.

"What's got you all stuttering for?" Garrus asked, not turning to face her as he continued driving.

"N-nothing," Lia stuttered once more, "Sorry. Just never held a gun before. I'm a biologist, not a marine."

"Don't worry. Hopefully you won't have to use it," Thane reassured her, "This mission is one of peaceful intent."

"Intent maybe," Garrus returned, "But sometimes we don't always get what we aim for."

"From what Mister Alenko has told me, this woman should not intend us harm."

"And yet, she has hostages."

"And yet, we don't know her own intent."

Garrus dropped the conversation and continued driving. The streets continued on for what seemed like miles, the same dormant sounds and colors. Skyscrapers and roads, left and right, abandoned skycars left on the road, their tank gliding over them. It was so empty and lifeless. The city felt like it was dead. Almost as if it had been for quite a long time. The whole thing just made the turian feel off.

"Hey much further to the Transhuman Studies facility?" Lia asked and the turian almost jumped, having forgotten his companions were even there due to their silence. Shaken from his posture, he looked over the vehicle's controls at the GPS map, "About seven minutes down the road. According to this, it's right across from the Great Bank of Constantinople."

"Who puts a research facility right next to a bank?" Lia asked.

"It's not a research facility, merely the HQ," Thane countered, "This building serves as the home for the chairman while the other facilities act under it's umbrella command. Only a fool would place such valuable technology and resources right next to a bank where a good criminal can kill two birds with one stone."

"You'd be surprised how many idiots exist in a world run by politics," Garrus replied, "Even all the way out here in the Traverse, you can never escape politics. Civilization exists everywhere; even in the damn Terminus."

The conversation was interrupted by a loud beeping sound eminating from the main console. Upon further inspection by the turian, he found it was a proximity alarm. He looked and saw a projectile heading straight for them. Before Garrus could shout a warning and begin evasive procedures, the projectile tore through the shield and impacted the bow section of the tank. All three of them closed their eyes, awaiting their deaths from the missile. But nothing came.

Except for the loss of sound. Opening their eyes, they found all the systems on the tank were dead. The orange, holographic light of the control consoles was gone, replaced by darkness. It was lucky that Lia stood in the doorway; it made sure the doors stayed open during the power loss. He noticed that the whole tank was effected. He suddenly came to a realization that they hadn't been hit by a missile, but an EMP.

"Shit," Garrus cursed before turning to his drell companion, "Get in the back cabin, you too Lia. I think we're about to get swarmed."  _And I think I know by who._ Garrus mused. Thane reacted in an instant, moving past Lia who quickly followed him while Garrus reached for his weapons. He knew trying to restore power to the vehicle was a lost cause, so he quickly readied himself for the eventuality of an enemy assault.

Marcus and Tali were among the first to notice the effects of the EMP a moment after it struck. Darkness filled the cabin, and if it hadn't been for Tali already having her omni-tool out, they'd be blinded. Kaidan was quick to notice as well, along with Jack, both jumping up and using their biotics to light up the room. Marcus did the same before shaking Kasumi awake. With the provided light, they were able to collect their weapons, along with Thane and Lia, before joining Garrus at the hatch, trying to force it open.

With all seven of them pushing it open, they managed to get the hatch open and they all rushed outside, weapons raised. They quickly managed to secure the area around the tank and found, eerily enough, noone waiting for them. It gave a tingling feeling in everyone; something just wasn't right. Who EMPs a tank and doesn't move to secure their victory?

"I don't like this, Marcus," Tali whispered into the comms and Marcus nodded in agreement, moving forward with his pulse rifle and checking the entire area. He quickly lowered his weapon and keyed his omni-tool, bringing up communications with the National Guard soldiers nearby, "This is Commander Shepard to National Guard Detachment Alpha-Bravo-Charlie Byzantine. Do you read? Been attacked by unknown assailants with EMP weapons. Approximated to be the terrorists. ETA on reinforcements, over?"

"We read you. We-"

The response was cut off as Marcus' omni-tool suddenly deactivated before his eyes. He tried to bring it back up, but apparently the main chip  _itself_ had been shutdown and couldn't be reactivated. He turned to his team to find they were encountering the same problems, with Tali getting increasingly frustrated, as was Lia and Kasumi. Eventually, they gave up. These terrorists were clearly messing with them.

He raised his rifle once more, only to find himself in biotic light. Completely trapped, he was helpless as he was yanked from his position and thrown backwards at high speed, slamming into the tank's armor and slidding to the ground, pulse rifle impacting the ground beside him. Dazed, he looked up in time to find a squad of armed biotics marching towards them, all wearing stolen alliance armor. The terrorists.

His team never got the chance to retaliate. Biotics pounded them hard and fast, and even Jack didn't stand a chance. Stasis fields filled the area, Tali and Kasumi being among the first to be hit, frozen in place by biotic fields and unable to move. Garrus was hit next while Thane managed to dodge the first, only to be impacted by a second. At the end of the not-battle, Kaidan was the last to be hit, after having rebutted four attacks, only to be hit in the back.

Marcus, seeing his only chance for retaliation, rose a biotic barrier around himself and picked up his rifle. One of the terrorists tried to knock him down, but he battered them aside with his rifle, for throwing another away. Finally, he lowered his rifle over that of a woman in crimson armor. But before he could pull the trigger, she was gone in a biotic flash, reappearing right next to Kasumi.

She pulled a phalanx heavy pistol from her holster as gracefully as any veteran commander, and just as casually, before pushing the barrel into the back of the inert thief's skull. Her voice was like silk and held no venom in it. A voice born of kindness and of no use as an intimidator. This woman was Rahna.

"Put the weapon down now or I kill your friend," she ordered.

He moved his weapon to aim at her head, "Please, you don't want to-"

"I'm not joking, I will shoot her," Rahna stated once more, "Put your weapons down, on the ground, and this won't have to get messy."

His military training to take his chances and pull the trigger, to kill Rahna. But his more rational side told him not to. Not only would he be gambling his squadmate's lives, but would Kaidan ever forgive him for killing Rahna? She wasn't a killer. Becoming a prisoner was a better way to get information from them. With an irritated sigh, he dropped his pulse rifle on the ground and unhooked all his weapons; missile launcher, grenades, thermal clips, SMG, and shotgun; all falling to the ground with a clash.

When he looked back up, Rahna nodded to someone behind him. Before he could turn around, he was knocked over the head, and he fell to the ground, vision blackening. He could hear the terrorists and Rahna in the background, moving around and picking up weapons while also knocking out his squadmates. They were their prisoners now.

"Take them to the building and keep them chained up," Rahna ordered, "Maybe the offer to exchange the great Commander Shepard will make them think more about my proposal."

That was all Marcus heard as everything went black.

**"I hated being a prisoner. Especially the prisoner of terrorists."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"Your memory must be outdated. Cause last I remembered, they weren't even terrorists."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

_**A/N:** _

_**I'm back guys! And yes, this is part one of two. And don't worry, the next chapter will be more interesting. This basically is just the 'hype' section of the two parts.** _

_**And I'm officially back in action! Don't worry, The Walking Dead shouldn't distract me too much. ;D** _


	34. Terrorists and Family Matters, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miranda's team run into trouble, and she suffers a betrayal. Kaidan tries to talk Rahna out of a terrorist plot.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:**

**TERRORISTS AND FAMILY MATTERS PART TWO**

_September 6, 2185_

_1721 hours._

_Elevator, Docks, Nos Astra, Illium._

_First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Soldier Grunt_ ,  _Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Justicar Samara, Professor Mordin Solus._

The glass windows of the elevator shattered as the bullets streamed in and Miranda simply stood there. But, without her realizing it, her body was already reacting. Her arm sprung up on reflex and instinct, bringing with it biotic power as a barrier appeared before the small squad. Heavy anti-infantry rounds battered against the field, but did nothing, having repelled the gunship's assault. Element of surprise gone, the gunship was now ripe for attack.

Waiting for a break in the gunship's attack pattern, she battered away two rockets and finally found the break she was waiting for. But before Miranda could even jump upon her advantage, Grunt had already moved. And his version of 'take down the gunship' was entirely different to hers. To theirs. It was crazy. Just like a krogan.

The eclipse pilot had made the brutal mistake of getting too close, and now he or she was about to pay for that mistake. With a loud war cry, one that could probably be heard through the howling winds all the way at the top of the tower, Grunt charged out the window and leaped four meters. The pilot, realizing the krogan's plan, tried to reverse but was too late. The krogan supersoldier landed heavily on the mercenary vessel, smashing into the right wing and leaving a massive dent, the weight causing the gunship to tilt and start spinning away. The whole time, Grunt just laughed like a psychotic child on a rollercoaster.

The elevator continued its ascent like nothing had happened, the only thing changed being the shattered glass and the sound of the howling wind outside. They all looked outside to watch the gunship continue to spin, Grunt's howls of laughter ever present. They heard a shotgun shot rip through the air and the form of the krogan leap into one of the offices below just as the gunship smashed into the building, but with no explosion, possibly crashed.

"Call him stupid, you might," Zaeed whistled, "But that little krogan is a badass, if you ask me. That was some Die Hard shit he pulled off just then."

"Krogan prone to stupid attacks," Mordin piped up, "But, term 'badass', oddly fitting. Foolish for salarian. Impractical, but effective."

"Indeed," Samara nodded in silent agreement.

"Come on, Grunt can catch up," Miranda ordered, "We're almost at the level where we meet Niket. We'll ensure the escort went well and then defend the take off from any of my father's hired guns."

"Killing Eclipse is like shooting fish in a goddamn barrel," Zaeed grumbled, "At least Grunt gets to fight through a swarm of them to get back to us."

"I believe that because of Grunt's reckless counterattack," Samara pondered, "That we may have just 'lightened the load.' Grunt will most assuredly deal with the majority of the eclipse company. And with us so far inside the building complex, the gunships will be unable to stop us. We've secured an advantage without us truly realizing it."

"Ever the words of wisdom," Jacob added.

"Heads up," Miranda interrupted, ending the conversation, "We're reaching the RV point."

The cerberus operative was true to her word. A moment later, the elevator ceased ascent with a ding sound and the doors slid open to reveal the top level of the docks building. The room was crawling with eclipse, but that's not what caused Miranda's jaw to drop. In front of them were two asari and a human; the human had a short beard along with light stubble. His black hair was cropped and his skin smooth but pale. He wore a fitting blue shirt, with matching blue jeans. One of the asari held a datapad and seemed to be talking with the other two, while the asari sitting on the crates was wearing standard eclipse body armor.  _Enyala._

But that's still not what made her jaw drop. It was the identity of the human that shocked her. She drew her SMG, aiming it at his head, "You  _traitor._ "

Niket turned around, his black eyes meeting hers in a nanosecond and his look changed to one of terror. Noticing the change in atmosphere, both asari turned to them, and Enyala's face turned grim as she leapt from her crate and extended her scimitar shotgun to aim at them. The asari dockworker just looked on in confusion while the rest of Enyala's mercs in the room pointed weapons at the group.

"Miri," Niket said simply, trying to back away and only seeming to bump into a crate behind him. Enyala showed no such fear, her features creased in concentrated...frustration? Her hands didn't shake, her shotgun aim was steady and precise. And ready to kill, she noted. Finally having decided the tension was too much for her, the dockworker attempted to run away, but Enyala quickly disposed of her with a single shotgun blast to the back before focusing back on them. Miranda's team already had their weapons raised and ready to fire.

"Niket," she greeted back emotionlessly, "You sold me out." Jacob moved to her side while Samara lead Mordin and Zaeed to her right, all weapons drawn and aimed at the group. Miranda just couldn't understand why Niket would betray her to the Eclipse and her father. He helped her escape last time! She need to know. She stepped forward, making sure her SMG was still aiming directly over the man that betrayed her.

"Why Niket?" she began, "You were my friend. You helped me get away from my father."

Niket shook his head, "Yes! Because  _you_ wanted to leave. That was  _your_ choice. But if I'd known you'd stolen a baby-"

"I didn't steal her! She's not property!" Miranda snapped, "I rescued her!"

Niket's face was skeptical, "From a life of wealth and happiness? You weren't saving her! You were getting back at your father! Nothing more, nothing less."

"How did Henry get you to defect?" Jacob asked, knowing her father's name.

"They told me you'd kidnapped your baby sister all those years ago. They said I could help get her back peacefully. No trauma to the family. I told them, you'd never do that. That they could go to hell. Then you finally told me what you'd done. I called them back that night."

Miranda scoffed, "Why didn't you call  _me,_ Niket? We've been through a lot! You could have at least let me explain."

Niket shook his head, stepping forward to punctuate his next statement, "I deserved to know you had stolen your sister, Miri. I deserved to know you were with Cerberus. But I had to hear it from your father first."

Zaeed laughed unempathically, "I bet Enyala's getting paid a shit load for this little job. This Henry sounds like a rich bastard. So come on, spill it out. How much?"

"Zaeed," Enyala greeted.

"Amazing girl," Zaeed greeted back with a shit-eating grin.

Enyala seemed about to answer when Niket answering the merc's question, "He offered me a great deal. And I rejected it all. I took the job because Oriana deserved to be returned home."

"Damn it Niket!" Miranda shouted back.

"He's getting paid the exact same as me," Enyala added, "Nine hundred thousand credits. And that's just me."

"Always were the bitch to kill for money," Zaeed grumbled.

"Not like you're any different," Enyala spat back.

"Difference is that I picked the right side," the bounty hunter growled, turning his rifle to aim at Enyala, who's grip stiffened on her shotgun, "What that man is paying you can't be worth fighting me. You know what happens to people who fuck with me."

"I fucked with you, and I seemed to not only get pleasure out of it, but I kept my head too," Enyala grinned.

Samara, Mordin and Jacob seemed to raise eyebrows at Zaeed simultaneously. The bounty hunter noticed this and simply shrugged, "So, I bedded her. She offered it first. It just means I'll get some nostalgia out of raping her fucking corpse."

"Never knew you for a necrophiliac," Enyala hissed in disgust.

"You didn't know me at all," Zaeed growled back, "You can bed someone without having to know them. That's why sluts exist."

"I'm not going to let you kidnap Oriana, Captain Enyala," Miranda declared.

"So you're okay if I rescue her? Oh, well that's nice," Enyala bantered before turning to Niket, "Let's just get this kid and empty a shell into this bitch. My men grow impatient."

"Take your best shot," Miranda bounced back.

"I was just waiting for you to get dressed," the asari chaffed, "Or does Cerberus really let you whore around in that outfit?"

Jacob need to end this, "If Henry knows about Oriana's new relocation coordinates, then we need to find a new solution. I'm sure the Illusive Man could find a new location. Somewhere discreet."

"That's not entirely true," Niket admitted bashfully, "I never transmitted any updated information because I didn't see the need. We thought you'd be delayed by Enyala's troops long enough for Oriana to be taken to your father. We didn't anticipate you bringing friends. Your father doesn't know about the reallocation. The only way he'd know, is through me."

Miranda grimaced grimly, tears welling in her eyes, "Then that makes you the only loose end," the grip she'd been loosening was now tightened, SMG rearing back to aim directly at Niket's forehead, "I'm sorry it had to end this way Niket, I really am."

Before she could pull the trigger however, he felt a hand shove it down, and looked to see Jacob holding her hand down, "Don't do this, Miranda. Niket's a reasonable man, you know that. He'll see reason and discover that Oriana is better off on Earth than with him. You don't have to kill him."

"He's right," Niket piped up, drawing looks from both of them, "This isn't...I only wanted to do what was right. I'll tell him that we failed."

Enyala was furious as she spun to face Niket, "But that wasn't the deal! The deal was that I turn in Oriana and I get paid! The Eclipse never turn down a deal!"

"You'll have to today," Niket declared, turning to face her, "Because I'm not handing her over to Henry."

"Fuck you," Enyala spat, levelling her weapon on him, "Fuck the whore. Fuck the kid."

Enyala was violently shoved into a crate by Samara, sending her tumbling. Niket turned to the justicar and nodded silent thanks before turning to Miranda, features softening, "Miranda I-"

"I never want to see you again, Niket."

A shotgun blast echoed through the room and Niket's head exploded in a maelstrom of gore, body tumbling to the ground dead as Miranda looked on in shock, blood smearing her usually milky white uniform. She quickly escaped her stupor, turning to face the source. It had been Enyala holding the shotgun in one hand, "Done. Now if you don't mind, I've got a shipment to deliver."

Miranda was enraged as she charged the asari, biotics flaring, barrier forming infront of her, " _ **YOU BITCH!"**_ Miranda boomed as she crashed full on into the asari commander, knocking her shotgun aside and entering a biotic stranglehold with the asari. The rest of the eclipse in the room didn't need an invitation; they immediately opened fire on the team, and the squad quickly retaliated. Bullets tore through the room, hitting walls and crashing into flesh and shields as both sides sought cover.

The Eclipse seemed well-trained, but it was obvious they weren't prepared to fight veterans. The first squad that tried to cross the room quickly found themselves butchered by Zaeed and Jacob as they mounted a coordinated defense. A salarian engineer was killed by a cryo blast from Mordin and three asari battled Samara, all three ending gruesome ends with Samara suffering a single bullet wound to the chest, barely missing her heart.

During this, Miranda and Enyala continued to fight in a biotic brawl, occassionally attempting to kill the other with a biotic fist, but being repelled by a barrier. They knew the two of them would have to tire eventually, but they knew it would be Miranda who fell first. Asari were always more powerful in terms of biotics.

Seeing a human merc about to rush over his cover, Jacob leapt up to meet her, grabbing her by the collar of her armor and throwing her into the ground, omni-blade activating has he did so. With a downward slash, he drove his energy blade deep into her throat. Ripping it out, he merely watched as her blood boiled from the molten hot energy and the woman choking on her own blood from her crushed windpipe. He barely heard the sound of maniacal screaming from the room beside them.

But Zaeed heard. And when he did, he immediately turned to the source just in time to watch as the wall exploded in a storm of nice, debris, explosions and the screaming of coughing engines. Samara immediately leapt out of the way as the wall caved in on itself and a mantis gunship, eclipse colors, impacted the ground, it's right wing being crushed from the weight of the impact and its nose slamming into the ground as it slid across the ground, crushing multiple mercs before they gained the wits to leap out of the way. When the gunship had finished crashing through the wall and had slid across the ground, it came to a stop at the edge of the room, flames trailing its path, engines dying. It left a path of destruction in its wake.

And emerging from the wreckage, covering in soot and scorch marks and laughing sadistically, was Grunt.

Enyala and Miranda barely seemed to notice the carnage; they simply continued fighting. Grunt wasted no time, immediately pouncing on a nearby salarian and crushing him under the krogan's immense weight, before lifting his claymore and ripping apart his human comrade. Pretty soon, the fight continued. This time, it didn't last very long.

Grunt had been busy apparently. Upon joining him, Grunt had explained how he had survived the first crashing gunship, had used its ripped off main gun to tear apart an eclipse response team, used C4 to blow up another gunship and finally used this gunship to smash into the room. Without realizing it, Grunt had gone on a blood rage; a nearly unstoppable state for a krogan. And in that span of time, he had decimated Enyala's forces. Zaeed loved that krogan. Within a minute, the remaining eclipse forces were either dead or on the retreat, discovering that Miranda's father's money wasn't really worth tackling a krogan on a blood rage. When it was over, Grunt stood tall over the corpse of a dead asari Samara had killed.

"Battlemaster promised blood!" Grunt cheered, kicking the mutilated body, "He did not disappoint! This battle was glorious!"

A final shout echoed through the room and everyone turned to see Enyala thrown back and stunned. Before the asari could recover, Miranda had shoved her onto her knees and rose a biotic fist. The asari tried futiley to get up, but whatever Miranda had done had worn out her remaining strength. With a cry of fury, Miranda's fist descended and Enyala's death was marked with a sickening crunch as the asari's skull most likely exploded from the impact, body falling limp to the ground and purple blood oozed from her broken nose.

Breathing heavily, Miranda turned and almost collapsed, if it hadn't been for Jacob catching hold of her, "When did Grunt get here?" She asked through ragged breaths.

"Via the express route," Zaeed pointed behind him to the gunship's wreck.

"The Illium's city council won't be happy that we literally turned the docks into a post-war battlefield museum," Jacob stated.

"I think its an improvement," Zaeed expressed.

"Recommend we leave," Mordin piped in, "Before police arrive. Awkward questions to answer. Much prefer not to answer." With a nod, the group left the building, heading for Oriana's transport, leaving what's left of an evacuating eclipse mercenary force to answer for what happened. Eclipse would have a few less mercs now.

**{Loading...}**

_September 6, 2185_

_1753 hours._

_Docking Cradle 106, Docks, Nos Astra, Illium._

_First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Soldier Grunt_ ,  _Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor._

There she was. Oriana Lawson, Miranda Lawson's sister, with her family. She really was growing up to be a beautiful young woman. She had short brown hair, with lopped unchecked around her head, with loose strands falling into her face that were now tucked firmly behind her ears. She wore a fitting long red dress, that was far more modest than Miranda's, doing better to hide her sizable cleavage. She had shining blue eyes and smooth, ample cheeks to fit her kind personality. Just like Miranda, grown to be perfect. And yet she wasn't. Noone was. And unlike her sister, Oriana didn't know or particulary care.

Miranda watched from a hidden bench many meters away. Oriana talked happily with her mother and father, saying goodbye to friends and residentual family as she and her family prepared to leave Illium. She giggled, laughed and gossiped, completely oblivious to the betrayal, deaths and destruction that were done to ensure her leave was safe. That her unknown father had tried to abduct her with Eclipse mercenaries and failed. All because of a sister she couldn't remember. Tears stung Miranda's eyes once more and once more, like the well-trained operative she was, she bit down on her lip to keep from crying.

Jacob sat with her, Zaeed taking Mordin, Samara and Grunt to wait at Eternity. They would be stuck on Illium for a while yet and Liara had contacted them, letting them know that she was going to let the group rest the night at her personal apartment complex. Miranda had thanked the asari over vidcomm; she was very helpful for someone she didn't know. The operative sighed as she watched Oriana prepare to board the transport, walking with a positive bounce in her step; an exuberance Miranda knew she could never possess. Oriana had a life she wish she could have.

An elbow nudged her in the ribs. She immediately turned to face Jacob, who looked at her with a smile, motioning to Oriana, "Go."

"'Go' what?" Miranda asked.

"Don't, just don't," Jacob stated sternly, "You've never talked to your sister in proper conversation. God Miri, the last time you saw Oriana was when she was...what? Five? She's a grown woman now; she deserves to know who her sister is. Go talk to her. Say hello. Hug her. Anything."

"I can't just waltz into her life like nothing happen," Miranda replied, tears once again stinging her eyes. A tear streaked past, "What do I say? 'Oh, hi Ori! I'm that big sister you knew nothing about and didn't even know existed! I just saved you from a company of eclipse out to kidnap and return you to a psychotic father who grew you from a test tube!' That's one hell of a greeting."

"Did I say to give her a summary of unknown events?" Jacob stated, "Just go up and hug her, tell her you love her. It'll do Oriana good to know she has a sister looking out for her."

"A sister working for Cerberus?"

"Who cares?" Jacob asked, "If Oriana really who you say she is, then you won't give a fuck whether you work for the damn fish and chip shop. Go. Otherwise I'll have to go all Cerberus Emergency Protocol #196 on your ass."

"Okay, okay. You've made your point," with that, the woman nervously stood up and began moving towards Oriana and her family, who had their luggage and were preparing to go onboard. Miranda's steps were slow and disjointed, awkward and off. She felt like a poorly-handled puppet, the master trying to move the strings but not doing it well enough. Her mind battled over whether this was the right thing to do.  _Should I just walk away?_

The intercom decided for her, "Final Boarding Call to all passengers. The MSV Saratoga leaves in seven minutes. Final takeoff checks being made. Board when ready." With that, a swarm of people converged on the ship and Miranda knew it was now or never. Damn whatever logic dictated.

And suddenly she was jogging, jogging hard and fast until she erupted out of the air infront of Oriana, the surprised look on the woman's face causing a smirk to break on her face.

"Um, hello? And who might you be?" Oriana asked in her usually cheerful voice, reaching out a hand to her, "My name is Rebecca Richards."

 _You think it is,_ "My name is Miranda Lawson," she took the woman's hand and shook it before hugging her tightly, surprising Oriana even further, "And I love you, sis."

Oriana quickly pushed her away, "Sis? I don't have any sisters..."

"Not that you know of," Miranda addressed, "Your real name is Oriana Lawson."

"That's not true!" Oriana shouted, suddenly angry, "How dare you-"

"It's true, Rebe-I mean Ori," her foster mother interrupted, causing Oriana to whorl on them, "Rebecca Richards is a name we made up so you would be safe from your father. Your real father. He wants to do bad things to you, but this woman saved you."

Oriana immediately turned to Miranda, tears in her eyes, "You saved me? Your my...sister?"

"Yes, Ori. Yes I am," Miranda smiled hugely for what felt like the first time in a decade.

Oriana laughed happily, "I have a  _ **sister**_!" The young woman suddenly leapt forward and embraced Miranda, and the operative did not hold back. She kissed the top of Oriana's scalp, smiling the entire time, "Yes, Ori. And I will protect you for as long as I live."

And for the first time, Miranda forgot she worked for the Illusive Man. For Shepard. For Cerberus.

She was with her sister. And she was a woman now.

**{Loading...}**

_September 8, 2185_

_1109 hours._

_Offices, Parliament Subcommittee of Transhuman Studies Headquarters, Byzantine, Constantinople._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard._

The blackness that had been Marcus' slumber was abruptly interrupted, and it wasn't forced. As his eyes fluttered open, he drunk in his surroundings; The office was small and cluttered, with pale yellow walls, and messy terminal desks. The air was stale and without smell, so stale that it almost made him gag at first. He blinked three times to clear the bluriness that had covered his sight, the world becoming much clearer in an instant. He noticed a single man guarding him, one of the human biotic terrorists, back to him and hands clasped behind his back firmly, not wearing the armor he had been before.

Trying to move, he became abundantly aware of the cuffs binding him to the office desk and that he was no longer wearing his armor. With a groan, the stiff pain in his back came back to him in an instant, and he groaned. His captor merely gave him a passing glance before turning back to stare at the same wall once more, letting a bitter laugh escape his lips. The captured spectre took no notice of him, instead focusing on the present. He quickly realized that his squad was nowhere to be seen.

_Got to get out of here. And what about Tali? Is she safe? If they've hurt her, I swear I'll kill them..._

A overly generous voice, not one befitting of intimidation, rudely broke through his musings, "It would seem the great commander has finally awoken. You sleep fast; you're other comrades still slumber."

He turned to the source of the voice and saw his guard standing aside as Rahna strode in. Her steps were graceful, fluid and scripted, moving with a grace he had only seen in Tali and Liara. Her hair flowed like a river down the back of her body, brown locks glistening in the room's lighting. Her eyes were sapphire blue, with rose red lips. Her skin was smooth, with a scar along the side of her head.  _Obviously tried to rip out her implant._

"Rahna," Marcus groaned, his voice hoarse.

"You know my name," Rahna responded, sitting cross-legged infront of him, "A prisoner who knows his captor's name. Good. You'll remember who captured you then; Commander Shepard, Hero of the Citadel and Slayer of Saren Arterius."

"You're not very intimidating Rahna, so don't bother," Marcus responded more harshly than he had intended, "I didn't come to hurt you. Only to settle this situation."

"The Alliance sent you to clean up. I know how alliance operations work," Rahna hissed, eyes narrowing.

"Normal Alliance operation, you mean. This is above and beyond the usual MO," The spectre replied, "Why else would they send me after you? What, a young girl terrorist? You think the man who defeated hordes of deadly synthetics, destroyed a Reaper and killed the greatest spectre to serve the Council would waste his time killing a frightened girl? How low do you think I am? I came to help you. Well, more so to help a friend help you."

Rahna raised both brows at this, "A friend? I fear I do not know of this friend you speak of. All my friends are here, with me, fighting for a good cause."

 _A good cause, but risking your lives too,_ he thought, but thought better of mentioning it, "His name is Kaidan Alenko."

The name caused a spark of recognition for Rahna; he could see it in her eyes. She seemed to freeze for a second, not knowing what to say, before hiding the emotion behind an emotionless wall and moving to quickly stand, looking down on him. With a shake of her head, she turned to his guard, "Uncuff him and bring him outside. Order the National Guard representatives to meet us outside. Bring all our hostages, including Shepard's team."

The guard nodded and Rahna departed, sparing Marcus a dismissive glance before disappearing, the spectre feeling the man's hands uncuffing him before roughly picking him up. Marcus had superior biotic training and augmented muscles, but Marcus thought better of killing this man. He was doing what he did to make his own life better; to end his pain. Marcus could understand that. He didn't deserve death. Marcus let him guide him along as he was taken outside.

Upon moving outside, he noticed that Constantinople had moved into its night cycle, but it was the next day, he knew that for sure. This planet's time tables could really get to his head if he wasn't careful. Pushed along, he waited there, his hands left unbound as the guard stood behind him, pistol unholstered. These terrorists were pretty confident, he'd give them that much. It wasn't long before the hostages joined him, followed by his crew. They were lined up single file and Thane quickly joined his side, with Garrus next to the drell. Looking further left, he spotted Tali just past Garrus and they both met each other's eyes, Marcus giving the quarian a warm smile to reassure her before turning back.

The National Guard took their time arriving. They stood there for a full hour before they finally arrived, and in force. A convoy of Makos arrived, but neither side opened fire. Marcus noticed the troopers keeping their distance and glanced behind him, seeing that every one of the prisoner's had a terrorist behind them, weapon ready. He turned back around and gulped.  _If this goes downhill, they're going to execute us._ He looked for Kaidan among the prisoners, but couldn't find him.  _What has Rahna done with him?_

His question was quickly answered. As quickly as the thoughts had been voiced in his mind, he heard the familiar voice of Kaidan's grunt coming from behind him and the man was quickly thrust in front of him, Rahna personally leading him forward with a pistol. He only stopped once Rahna grabbed him by the arm, using the other to press the pistol barrel into the back of his spine.

"Which one is the leader of this little band of soldiers?" Rahna demanded, her voice reaching an extremely loud crescendo as she spoke so she could be heard across the main yard. Many moments passed before the phalanx like formation of troopers in the yard parted to let a single soldier out, the group commander.

"That would be me," the woman declared, "Commander of National Guard Detachment Byzantine Station. To who do I address?"

"That is of no consequence and is not important," Rahna stated firmly, "I've come to make a demand. I've got your great commander on a leash. If you want him released, you'll give us the reparations. You'll also find our parents and send us back to them. Conatix Industires must pay for what they did to us."

The woman hesitated, but Rahna noticed this, immediately turning to his group and ordering one of them pulled out, "If you don't," Marcus watched in horror as Tali was brought out and shoved onto her knees, the man guarding her shoving a pistol into the back of her head. Fear shot through his muscles as he contemplated what to do.  _What if Rahna kills her as an example? No, she won't. She can't._

"If you don't, I will start to kill the hostages, one by one, starting with the great Tali'Zorah," Rahna declared, not even smiling. Marcus gave a silent sigh of relief, thanking hashem for sparing the love of his life. He looked up and his eyes met Rahna's, but she quickly looked away. She had seen his reaction to Tali being taken and she knew what it meant. He silently cursed himself. Before anything else could be said, Kaidan's voice spoke up.

"Rahna, don't do this...," he begged, "You're not a murderer and you're not a terrorist. You can get the reparations, but you don't need to do this to get it."

"They won't listen to us! That's just it!" Rahna shouted back, both confusion and anger in her voice. She was battling her own logic within, "I had to do this because they refused us! That son of a bitch denied us what we rightfully deserved! It was ours! You, of all people Kaidan, should understand this! Conatix destroyed us!"

"Of course I know. I killed Vrynnus to stop him from hurting you," Kaidan responded, "But there's always another way. Violence isn't the answer. You know this Rahna; you scolded me for killing Vrynnus!"

"Are you calling me a hypocrite?"

"Yes, I am!" Kaidan scolded, "Don't do this! Shepard can help you!"

Rahna rounded on Marcus, looking him deep in the eyes, before waving a pistol dismissively at him, "I don't think so. The only way they'll listen is if they have their own people cuffed up and tortured until they do listen. And because of your unwillingness to answer, we will now inflict the first injury. Joffrey," she turned to Tali's captor, "Shut off her bacterial filters. Make her a little bit sick."

Marcus whirled on him in an instant, realizing what this would mean. Tali was already sick from their pre-mission activities; if she got any more bacteria...he had to stop them from killing her. He immediately all the strength he had in his biotics and shoved a warp field at the guard. Just as he reached the quarian, the warp threw him into the ground with a grunt. One of the guards tried to grab him, but he quickly knocked him back with his cuffs, heat burning his face from the omni-cuffs.

He fell to the ground, dodging a warp field as best he could as he rushed towards Tali. He slid to her feet, raising a biotic field around them.  _Good she's safe. Now-_

"I imagined you being smarter than that, Shepard," Rahna's voice threatened. He turned and saw her holding Kaidan, pistol pressed to the side of his head. He heard Lia's sobs and turned to see the rest of his team in similiar positions.  _You fucking idiot._

"Drop the field or I'll kill him," Rahna demanded. Tali had stopped trying to rip off her cuffs, stopping all movement and looking blankly at Rahna. Marcus felt the fear he felt before vent out, realizing Rahna was bluffing. He'd have to take a risk and call her out on her bullshit. It wasn't risky, but there wasn't a viable alternative.

"No you won't," Marcus stated. Tali's look shot to him, but she trusted him. He had a plan. She could tell. She just hoped her faith in him was enough. She coughed.

Rahna's eyes widened. He knew it, " _Yes_ , I will."

"No you won't," Kaidan replied, realizing Shepard's plan, "You won't shoot me because I'm your friend. I saved you from Vrynnus. I even loved you. And you? I was your best friend Rahna! You had a big circle of friends, but I was your number one!"

Rahna seemed to be fazed. Her grip faltered on Kaidan, but it was still strong enough to control him, "That doesn't change a thing."

"It does," Kaidan corrected, "I know what you've been through. I've learnt to live with it, but I'm not asking you to do the same thing. I'm asking you to do the right thing. You won't kill me because I'm the only high-ranking alliance member who knows what you went through. The only one who could make a difference. You won't kill me, because I can make them change their minds."

That destroyed the remainder of Rahna's resolve. The pistol collapsed from her grip, clattered to the ground like a broken toy. She let go of Kaidan and the biotic, the only one without cuffs, turned towards her, opening his arms, "I can help."

Rahna burst into tears, dropping what was left of her terrorist act. She collapsed into his arms, crying hersterically into his shoulder, the words 'I want it to stop' and 'make the pain stop' occassionally being said through the sobbing. Marcus dropped his field and turned towards the National Guard, who had backed off, weapons raised, but were now lowering them. He turned to Tali, "Are you okay?"

"Only my dignity has been pained, Marcus," Tali responded, smiling behind her helmet as the spectre chuckled. He stood up, helping the quarian to his feet before approaching the duo. Rahna had stopped sobbing, motioning for her friends to release the hostages. As soon as he was released, Chairman Burns ran towards the Guard unit and hid behind the commander, pointing at Rahna.

"Kill her! She's insane! They're all feral! If you don't give them what they want, they become uncontrollable!"

"Then give them what they want."

Burns immediately turned to Kaidan, who looked at him in silent fury. Burns hesitated for a second before responding, "Excuse me?"

"You fucking heard me," Kaidan growled, "Give them the reparations. Its what they deserve. Quit playing around and give it to them."

"You don't give me-"

"What would happen if Admiral Hackett heard of this?" Marcus queried.

"Admiral Hackett does not own the Transhuman Studies industry," Burns dismissed.

"No, but his friends in parliament do," Marcus responded, "And what about Councilor Anderson? I'm sure he'd be absolutely pissed to hear about this. See that they get the reparations, or your career as a researcher is over, Burns."

"You're bluffing-"

"Don't call it," Marcus hissed and an awkward silence followed. Neither side said anything but before he could break it, Burns spoke, "Very well, you will get your reparations. Did I mention how much I hate biotics?"

"Did I mention how much I hate politicians?" Marcus responded.

Burns was outraged, "No, you didn-"

"That was rhetorical," the spectre replied harshly, "Now get out of here."

Burns, annoyed, turned and left, along with the other hostages. Marcus nodded to Kaidan and allowed him some time with Rahna to say goodbye. He followed his squad back to the hammerhead; sure that the vehicle's power would be restored by now.

Seeing Marcus and his squad leave, Kaidan turned back to Rahna, "You're welcome."

"Shut up," Rahna replied, but there was nothing left of the harshness in her voice, only playfulness, "This is...just so sudden. I haven't seen you in ages, Kaidan. I admit it...I missed you. It wasn't right how I treated you..."

"I had just killed our teacher," Kaidan said with no humor in his voice or on his face, "I'd be scared of myself too."

"It's good to see you again," Rahna admitted, holding an arm bashfully, "Really good. I know the situation isn't exactly the best for a reunion, but...I figured I'd just say it. You know...for old times sake."

"Touche," Kaidan replied, smiling, "Look, about what I said about loving you. I did mean it, but that was years ago."

"I know," Rahna replied sorrowfully.

"I met someone else, and I loved her too," Kaidan admitted.

"Can I meet her?" Rahna asked, a warm smile on her own face.

Kaidan smiled weakly, "Wish you could. She's dead. Her name was Ashley Williams, Heroine of Virmire."

"Oh...," Rahna said, hugging him, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Kaidan responded equally, returning the warm embrace, "It's a well-healed wound, two years in the making. I've come to terms with it. I really loved her, but I never got the chance to tell her in person. I wish we could talk more, but I've got a mission with Shepard to get back to. People to pick up on Illium and an army of collectors to stop."

"Collectors?" Rahna asked, breaking off her embrace, "Aren't those just a myth?"

"I wish they were, but I've fought them Rahna, and they are real, and scary. They abducted an entire colony in a ship so massive, I think it eclipsed Sovereign by a kilometer," Kaidan thought, turning to the hammerhead, "I-I should get going."

"Of course," Rahna stated, turning back to her own team, "I should get these guys out of here before Burns decides to do a 180 on us."

"Trust me, with Shepard watching him like a hawk, he won't. And if he does, it won't end well for him," Kaidan joked, "We'll keep in touch via the extranet?"

"Old exmail address?" she asked.

"Old exmail address," Kaidan asked in turn and before he could turn and leave, Rahna grabbed his arm and turned him around, "Yes?" he asked dumbly.

He didn't see it coming until it happened. Rahna moved forward, pressing her lips against his. Lips locked for a second before Rahna pulled away, "Something to remember me by. I've wanted to do that for a while you know."

Kaidan was shocked, "You actually felt the same way?"

"Yep," Rahna winked, "Maybe you'll remember that." Before he could say anything else, she was gone, headed towards her group, a new bounce in her step. He chuckled as he headed back to the hammerhead, smiling the entire way. The day had turned out better than he imagined.

And all thanks to Shepard.

**"I do remember Rahna after that."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"Wasn't it during the Reaper War?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Indeed it was."**

**\- Interrogation Subject 001.**

**"Must we keep calling him this? We already know his name. Enough with the pseudonym."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Whatever."**

**\- Commander Reia'Inas pav Earth.**

**"So, what happened next?"**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"The Collectors did."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

_**A/N:** _

_**WHERE ARE YOU GUYS!? I only got ONE review last chapter! Did you read it and not review, or not at all? If the latter, PLEASE COME BACK. I need reviews for sustenance. I need my fix of feedback, positive or negative. GIVE ME. GIVE ME GIVE ME GIVE ME.** _

_**This chapter didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, Kaidan's loyalty mission wise. Miranda's conclusion felt satisfying, but Kaidan's...I don't know, I felt like I rushed it. I went back and tried again, but nothing came to mind. So in the end, this is the final copy. I hope you like it either way.** _

_**So, as you can gather from Shepard's cryptic words, the Collectors are up next. What do the collectors have prepared this time? And yes, Lia has a loyalty mission, although it isn't anything big.** _


	35. Insect Hive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Collector cruiser is disabled: the Normandy is quick to take advantage.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE:**

**INSECT HIVE**

_September 9, 2185_

_1021 hours._

_Dock, Business District, Nos Astra, Illium._

_First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Soldier Grunt, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Justicar Samara, Professor Mordin Solus._

It had been a day. A day too long. The Normandy should have returned from the Constantinople mission a day ago, and yet it hadn't. So for two days, they had slept in Liara's apartment and just visited the nearby shops. Jacob had bought a smart choke for his shotgun, Mordin had bought an upgraded omni-tool and Zaeed a Vindicator Mk X. Overall, the entire team was happy, Miranda most of all.

The mission to save her sister had been extremely successful, and still lay heavily on her mind. Jacob encouraging her to talk to Oriana had been the best thing he had done for her since the end of their relationship years ago. Oriana had welcomed Miranda with open arms and now she knew who her sister was. Miranda looked forward to a point in time where she'd be able to visit Oriana on Earth, but she knew this wouldn't be for awhile, or at least not until the collectors were defeated. Maybe Shepard would let her...

She had been warming up to Shepard's command and now she knew her loyalty to him was absolute. She knew she was still loyal to the Illusive Man, but Shepard had earned her respect, trust and loyalty. The thing he had just allowed her to do...a terrorist attack and he took a small portion of the team just to let her have a chance at saving her sister. And if there hadn't been a attack, Shepard would have accompanied them. She owed him for this.

Before her thoughts could continue, the roaring thunder of the Normandy's engines could be heard. She turned and at that moment, the stealth frigate swooped in, moving to dock. Her team moved backwards, the force of the vessel's landing causing a gust so powerful it was moving them from their standing positions. Standing back, they watched as the Normandy docked, only moving towards the airlock when the Normandy's hover thrusters were the only thing still operating.

They quickly approached the airlock, entering it and awaiting the decontamination cycle's conclusion state. When EDI finally spoke up to inform them that the sequence had finished, the door shot open and they were greeted by the cross-armed form of Commander Shepard. He smiled warmly, but pain was evident on his face.

"Commander?" Miranda asked in concern as her team filed back into the ship, moving to the armoury to drop off their weapons and armor, "Did something go wrong?"

"Nothing we didn't handle," Marcus informed her, "The mission was successful; we talked down Rahna and her group and got them the reparations they deserved. Kaidan seems alot happier for it. How went your mission?"

Miranda nodded with a smile, "Oriana's safe and the Eclipse taken care of. My father doesn't even know where my sister is. Niket..." Her smile suddenly melted from her face, tears building up. She bit her lip, choking back a sob as best she could before meeting Marcus' eyes once more, "Niket betrayed me. Father didn't know and Niket was happy to resolve the situation, but Enyala killed him. I should have seen it coming. How couldn't I see the obvious?"

He put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't blame yourself. All that matters now is that your sister is safe and your father is none the wiser. Also makes my life easier, somewhat."

Miranda laughed at that, "My very purpose here is to make your life easier, as I recall."

"True that," he smiled.

"I wanted to thank you," the operative stated, shrugging her shoulders, "Allowing me to do that...I never thought you'd let me. I thought your vision of Cerberus would have clouded your judgment on the matter and you'd turn a blind eye to it, but...you helped. Split up the team to allow me to save my sister. This is a debt forever unpaid."

"Forever must last five seconds then," Marcus snarkily commented, "You owe me nothing. I don't do this so that everyone an rush me with promises of oaths and help in the future. I do it because I care about those under my command. Tell me Miranda; who would win? The man with a massive army? Or the one with a small, but loyal army? One willing to die for him and never betray him?"

"The man with the loyalty," Miranda responded, as if it was obvious.

"Indeed," The spectre complimented, "That's why I'm so successful. Its not because I can kill better than everyone else, its because of the loyalty I inspire. Now I better get to my cabin before my ego gets ahold of me."

Miranda allowed herself a bigger smirk, "We'd never get it under chains again."

With a final chuckle, both of them parted ways, Marcus heading into the elevator while Miranda headed into the armoury to unburden herself of her weapons. Marcus quickly punched the button for Deck One, impatiently waiting for it to arrive. When it finally did, and the doors opened, he quickly vacated the ascendable box, moving into his cabin and immediately inside, to find Tali at her table, on her terminal, looking at engineering readouts. He moved down into the cabin, falling into the sofa next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"What you working on?" He asked.

"Engineering readouts," he had guessed that answer already. He was amused to find he was right, "But I'm not anymore." Closing the terminal she turned to him, smiling. Suddenly, he found her hands moving to his pants, and unbuckling them.  _Really Tali?_ The Tali he remembered had always been nervous or stuttery when it came to the mention of sexual activities with Marcus. Now she did it like it was a casual thing.  _She's still adorable and cute though. That'll never change._

His thoughts were interrupted when a three-fingered hand wrapped around his manhood. Before she could begin stroking it though, his terminal beeped. They ignored it, and Tali continued her fluid motions. The second beep arrived when Marcus was about to hit his climax and EDI spoke this time, "Sorry to interrupt commander, but there is an urgent call coming in from the Illusive Man. He has marked it as a priority one."

He sighed in irritation, as did his quarian engineer, as Tali let go of his manhood and allowed him to pull his pants back up, buckling it up once more, "I'll be there in a minute." He then turned back to Tali, smiling sadly, "I'll be back, and we'll continue this. If you want." He kissed her on the top of the hood.

The quarian shook her head, "I'm going to run some diagnostics in engineering, then I'm coming back here to get some rest. I have a feeling the Illusive Man will have another dangerous mission in store for us. Since I know I'm coming, I want to be ready."

Marcus shook his head as he moved to the door, Tali right next to him, "Oh, do you now?"

"Of course," Tali replied, smiling, "You don't want to wake the dragon."

As they entered the elevator, there was a moment of silence before they both burst out laughing. "You've been catching up on that Game of Thrones."

"Watched all nine seasons," Tali beamed behind her mask, "Don't you fault me. Kasumi's watched them all, five times."

"And I'll be on my eleventh soon," he chuckled. Before long, to their misfortune, the elevator quickly arrived at the CIC. He turned to Tali and smiled, kissing her on the visor once more time, "See you later."

Moving out into the CIC, he heard the elevator door close behind him as he moved through the armoury, everyone except Zaeed and Jacob now gone, and went into the conference room, waiting for the call to connect. He sighed once more.  _He better have something worth interrupting my time._ The call, as usual, didn't take long to connect, with the darkened room of Cerberus HQ quickly appearing, the Illusive Man being in his usual seat.

"Shepard. You got here quickly," TIM stated, taking a wiff of his cigar.

"Whatever. Just get to the point," Marcus hurriedly announced in frustration. The Illusive Man looked barely fazed, but continued.

"We've caught a break," he quickly declared, "Cerberus just intercepted a distress call from a turian patrol. Take a wild guess as to what they stumbled upon."

"Oh, I don't know, the collector homeworld?" Marcus asked dryly.

"Sarcasm isn't necessary," TIM deadpanned, "They stumbled upon a collector cruiser in the Relic System of the Eagle Nebula."

 _The same nebula we recruited Grunt._ Marcus noted, but the Illusive Man's statement had his attention, "So...what? Are we going to save these turians? Why do you care?"

He took a sip of his whiskey before answering, "Despite the majority of my organization being racist, that is not my intent. I have no interest in superiority over others in terms of race, merely human evolution. As for the turians, they were wiped out, but they managed to cripple the collector vessel."

Marcus' eyes widened, "Bullshit. How the hell did they manage to cripple that monster?"

"The people with the answers are spaced or inside the hull of a dead ship. Ask them," TIM responded dryly, "I need you to board that ship and get some hard data on the Collectors. Find us their homeworld. We already know it lies beyond the Omega 4 Relay, but we need to know just where the relay leads. The data on that collector cruiser will do more to help our cause against them. I'm not asking you to destroy it, its crippled already, I just need you to clean up and steal some intel."

Marcus still wasn't buying the crippled theory, "I still don't see how a turian patrol could even scratch a collector ship, not with the weapons on that beast."

"Reports indicate the hull is intact but all its systems are offline," TIM responded cooly, but this only reinforced Marcus' opinion of it.

"Sounds like a trap," The spectre stated.

"That it may be," TIM responded, "But we still need that info, and I'm sure your team can handle another trap. You escaped the one on Constantinople pretty well."

"How did you know about that?"

"Everything on the Normandy, I know about."

"And what about the turians? If the patrol is destroyed, wouldn't the hierarchy be sending a recon team to investigate?"

"They would, if they even knew the patrol was in trouble," TIM grinned smugly. It was small, but you could see it, "I intercepted the distress call and for now we're feeding them false reports. We don't need the turians getting involved yet. We need the data first. As soon as the hierarchy saw that warship, they'd stake claim to it and we'd never get near it."

"True," Marcus conceded, remembering just how much of a cynical asshole Councilor Sparatus was, "Send EDI the exact coordinates and I'll set a course immediately. If this is a trap, I'm going to be ready for it."

"I wouldn't have brought you back if you were incompetent. Good luck, Shepard," The Illusive Man quickly cut the connection, the holographic connection vanishing instantly, simple particles in the area as the spectre stood off the platform and the table rose back into place. Before he could speak, EDI had beaten him to it.

"Coordinates sent and set commander," the AI informed him, "ETA is twenty hours from current position. Recommend you get some rest, as I do the rest of the crew."

"Noted EDI. Inform the crew they are to get at least four hours of sleep before the mission. I'm not sending in a zombie team," with that, Marcus exited the conference room and headed back up to his cabin.  _Their_ cabin, he corrected in his mind. When he moved through the cabin door, he noticed Tali already asleep and he simply smiled, quickly getting a change of clothing before sliding in with her, arms tightening around her form. She appeared to hum and her arms tightened around him, sensing his presence.

He fell a asleep with a grin on his face.

**{Loading...}**

_September 10, 2185_

_0610 hours._

_Access Hatch, Collector Cruiser, Relic System, Eagle Nebula._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Professor Mordin Solus, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Justicar Samara, Assassin Thane Krios, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Subject Zero Jack, Soldier Grunt._

The shuttle landed with a thud and the hatch slid open, Marcus moving forward, pulse rifle raised. He stepped from the vehicle, already smelling the foul stench of rotting corpses and that of alien smells entering his nostrils. His feet made contact with the organic, yet artificially created, ground of the colossal warship. As he looked around in awe, the rest of his squad rolled out of the shuttle, assuming positions around him, weapons raised. The collector ship's interior was like nothing he had ever seen; networked tunnels of honeycomb and organic layers of an unknown substance covering the walls. It was like...

"It's like a giant insect hive," Tali's voice stated off to his side and he nodded. Considering how much the collectors had in common with insects, he shouldn't have been surprising. But it had been anyway. The only thing not organic was the dull, grey titantium blast doors that covered each tunnel. The other thing that unnerved him was the dead silence; not a sound could be heard except them and the silent humming of emergency ship power. It made him feel uneasy. The collectors hadn't even come to fight off the boarders.

He quickly turned to his team, "Someone needs to stay here and guard the shuttle while we march off to investigate the giant bug dreadnought. Jacob and Miranda, you'll stay here and protect it. The rest of you are with me. We'll find what we came for and get out; we're not here to destroy this ship. If we can, we might, but no guarantees. EDI, you'll guide us to the necessary console."

"Affirmative commander," EDI replied.

"The Normandy will sit right here waiting for you," Joker spoke up, "...in this exact spot."

With a roll of his eyes, his team moved forward and towards the leftward tunnel; considering there was two; one leading up, and one down. They headed through the downward tunnel, which was currently locked by a sealed blast door. He reached it, motioning for his squad to halt before comming the Normandy, "EDI, get this door open."

The door slid open without a response and the team pushed forward. They were greeted by a long corridor, the walls covered in the same organic material that the rest of the cruiser was formed around. Whether actual bulkheads were situated behind the material, he didn't know, but it was highly likely. The Reapers weren't ones to make mistakes, especially if they were controlling the Collectors. And just like before; there was nothing but silence. Not a single collector body or greeting party. Just dead silence.

That silence was quickly broken by EDI, "Shepard, I've uncovered something while scanning the vessel."

"What is it EDI? Is there a Reaper inside?" Marcus asked dryly. He honestly wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't.

"Positive," EDI replied and the whole team froze. Then the AI's voice spoke up once more.

"That was a joke."

"The AI...making jokes?" Tali asked, confused, "I must be dreaming."

"Keep the jokes till later EDI," Marcus ordered, "What do you have?"

"I shall work on my humor processes," EDI declared before continuing, "I have compared the EM signature of the cruiser to all known collector ship profiles. It is the exact same vessel responsible for the abduction of Horizon."

Marcus froze once more.  _Coincidence? Possibly. The Reapers might be numerous, but I doubt the collectors could construct many ships of this size. But what if the colonists are still onboard? Could I save the rest of them?_ Then what EDI said really hit him, and it wasn't the Horizon part, "Wait, known collector ship  _profiles?_ Do you mean to tell me the collectors have a fleet?" Fuck. One of these behemoths was enough.

"A fleet would be an exaggeration," the AI stated firmly, "The Collector possess a minor naval group of approximately four ships in total, all out beyond the relay, based on ships monitoring the relay itself. All four are cruisers, confirming our suspicions that the collectors possess only one classification of warship."

"Four?" Marcus asked, "And where are the other three?"

"Beyond the relay, most likely performing the same task that this ship has been set out to do. Abduct human colonies," the AI explained, "And according to further data derived from the ship's databanks, this vessel has not returned to the Omega 4 Relay for two years. To be precise, it began its abductions on December 25, 2183. The same most likely goes for the other three. It is possible to suggest that this cruiser was to gather a full cargo of human captives before retreating beyond the relay to drop them off before leaving to collect more. This ship must be close to capacity."

"Can you find out more?" Marcus asked.

"Not without more elaborate access to collector systems," EDI stated, "I'm being blocked. Collector firewalls aren't advanced enough to keep me out, but there are enough that I would be severely hampered in my efforts. Reaching the central command console for the ship would break down all firewalls and allow me full access."

"Very well," with that they pressed on.

"Maybe those defense towers on Horizon softened it up for the turians," Zaeed grumbled.

"It's been too long since the Horizon attack for those wounds to still be dragging it," Garrus added, "Besides, those cannons barely scratched the kinetic barriers of this monster. The GARDIANs barely slowed it down. I don't think the turrets did much help in helping to cripple it."

Marcus remained silent as they moved through the seemingly empty ghost vessel. Turning left, they came across a line of pods, exactly like the ones the collectors used to transport the colonists on Horizon, all empty and opened.

"The Collectors must use these to transport the colonists to the ship, then transfer them to proper holding cells," Tali theoried.

"That's a horrible place to be trapped in. Unable to move...," Kasumi shivered.

"The Collectors are truly ones to be feared," Samara added.

"Come on. We can't save them standing around here," Marcus implied and they continued, leaving the 'room' they had stumbled across, if it could even be called that. For a while, the same annoying stench wuffed up his nostrils. But just as he rounded a corner and was about to lead his team down another corridor into the bowels of the ship, an overwhelming smell threatened to gag him into unconsciousness. It was a terrible smell, one that even forced Samara to cover her nostrils. It was a familiar smell.

It was the stench of death.

Turning to the source, they found a massive pile of human bodies, all skinned and left to rot. It was an ugly site; some of the corpses were melded together while others were mutilated or mangled; almost to the point of gender differentiation being rendered unrecognizable. It was just a pile; rotting, smelling, left for...nothing. Is this what the collectors did to the colonists? Is this what they did to those they captured? Marcus cringed when he saw one of the corpses with a dogtag around its neck.  _Even Alliance marines. That's bastards..._

"Keelah...," Tali exclaimed, eyes scanning over the pile, "How could the collectors do this. Its so...its disgusting! Horrible!"

"Possibly failed test subjects," Mordin piped in, "Collectors possibly abducting for this purpose. Reapers studying humans. Possible experimentation. Failures left to rot. Horrible fate. Battlefield death much cleaner."

From behind him, he heard someone vomit. Turning around, he saw Kasumi, bending over, away from the pile, vomiting out onto the ground. Mordin went to check on her, but she waved him off, "I'll be fine. Just...that's horrible. I just can't look at that." The thief vomitted once more, unable to keep her breakfast down.

"Well if I have anything to say about it, their tests will be stopping, and soon," Marcus boomed, furious at what he saw, "My people. Kidnapped; men, women and children. And used for some sick experiment that the Reapers ordered upon them. Then their corpses left to rot like some kind of example of their power. This is repulsive. I've seen the dogs of war; and none of them were even capable of doing this. This ends."

"I can't imagine what you're going through," Tali sympathized, rubbing his shoulder with her left hand.

"I've known the collectors to be ruthless, but never cruel," Thane stated.

"All the more reason to wipe out these bastards," Garrus added.

"Come on, let's go," Marcus ordered, moving away from the dead pile of human flesh and pushing forward, his team close behind and Tali at his side, giving him concerned looks. He smiled weakly for her, but it was simply to reassure her. He was in no way recovering. That dead pile would probably haunt him for a week. Even the Akuze incident hadn't been as...nightmarish as what he had just seen. What other horrors lay in wait within the heart of the collector warship?

The deeper and deeper into the cruiser they got, the more paranoid Marcus became, even going to the point of having to check every corner to make sure a seeker swarm wouldn't pop out of the vents or Harbinger wouldn't leap out at him, or worse, a Praetorian. The ship just felt unnaturally dead. Where the hell were the crew? After a few more minutes of exploring, they reached what passed as a collector laboratory. Three pods lay on steel grey tables, the pods all closed except a middle one, each with a organic looking terminal next to it. He ordered Kasumi to check it and she moved forward.

When she reached it, the thief let out a gasp and waved them over. As Marcus peeked over the pod, he saw the one thing he didn't expect to be inside it. He had expected a colonist, but not this. Inside the pod, was a collector, eyes wide open but not awake. A matter of fact, according to the terminal, the collector was dead. Wait, how the hell could he read the terminal? It wasn't in english or any known language.

"Fuck," Jack exclaimed looking over the pod at the creature, "Why the shit would they be experimenting on their own?"

"EDI, I'm giving you a data uplink to this terminal via my omni-tool," Tali informed the AI, opening her omni-tool and creating the connection in a few short seconds, EDI's blue sphere hologram appearing on the console. Tali deactivated her omni-tool, looking down on the collector with awe.

"EDI, tell us what they were up to," Marcus ordered.

"Analyzing," EDI declared and a few moments passed before the AI spoke once more, "The Collectors were running basic genetic comparisons between their species and humanity."

He frowned, "What are they looking for? Similiarities?"

"I have no hypothesis for their motivations," EDI replied simply, "All I have are preliminary results. They reveal something remarkable. A quad-strand genetic structure, identical to traces collected from ancient ruins. Only one race is known to have this structure..."

"What EDI, what is it?" A sense of forboding washed over the group.

"Commander," EDI hesitated, "The Collectors...the collectors are the Protheans."

Silence fell over them, but everyone wore similiar expressions; shock, horror and fear. Marcus knew the Reapers had wiped out the protheans during the last cycle; so how were the collectors possible? Then he realized it. Now he understood why he could understand the collector terminals and why, when he initially encountered them, why he recognized them. The truth shocked him to the core.

"My god...," Marcus exclaimed, "The Protheans weren't wiped out...the collectors are just the last of the Reaper's indoctrinated protheans."

But EDI disagreed, "These are no longer protheans, Shepard. Their genes show distinct signs of genetic rewrite. Your body has alot of Reaper cybernetics holding it together, while the collector bodies are completely formed around it. Without it, the prothean aging cycle would have killed them off 50,000 years ago. Because of this, the collectors are more synthetic than they are organic, although they are still considered a hybrid of the two. All intelligence structure is gone, leaving most of them as mindless drones with a hive mind. Whatever was left of the protheans was purged when the Reapers repurposed them. The Protheans are truly gone, Shepard."

"Collectors just walking corpses," Mordin finished.

"And to think nobody knew about this," Zaeed quipped.

"Noone has had a chance to study a collector's genetic code in detail," EDI shot back. Marcus was sure he heard some annoyance in the AI's tone, but he quickly dismissed it. The AI continued, "I have already matched two thousand alleles to recorded fragments. This collector likely descends from a prothean colony in the Styx Theta Cluster. But there are signs of extreme alteration. Three fewer chromosomes. Reduced heterochromatin structure. Elimination of superfluous 'junk' sequences."

"The Protheans weren't wiped out but turned into a race of mindless servants for the Reapers to play around with," Garrus stated grimly, "Give me extinction any day of the week. I'd rather die than be a Reaper's plaything."

"We still have to stop them," Zaeed stated firmly, "It's a mercy anyway. We'd be doing them a favor, even if they don't have the brains to realize it anymore."

"And if these Reapers try the same fucking thing to me," Jack glowed with biotics, "I'll rip 'em to fucking shreds."

"The krogan will die before they suffer such a fate," Grunt declared.

With a nod, they continued out of the room, door sealing behind them. So, the ship was from Horizon, colonists still onboard, collectors use humans for test subjects, collectors turn out to be prothean zombies. This day just got better and better. At least they had even more motivation to wipe them out now. So they continued down the dead halls, still not encountering any collector resistance or even a collector itself. Not even a single husk or the sound of Harbinger's booming voice. Just nothing.

And as they moved through, more of the rooms became aligned with pods.

"Look at those pods on the ceiling," Garrus pointed out.

"There must be hundreds. How many do you think are full?" Kasumi pondered.

Marcus' answer was simple, "Too many."

More empty halls, more empty corridors, and no signs of life.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, they finally reached a huge ramp leading upwards and into the main bowels of the ship. His team clumbered up it, not even bothering to check the corners anymore as their were no collectors to be found. Suddenly, his comm crackled again, and Joker's voice came through instead of EDI's.

"Commander," Joker whispered worriedly, "You gotta hear this. On a hunch, I asked EDI to run an analysis on this ship."

EDI's voice broke in, "I compared the EM signature against data recorded by the original Normandy two years ago. Commander, they are an exact match."

Garrus, Kaidan, Tali and Marcus all froze for a second before continuing. That was creepy, "We're infiltrating the same cruiser responsible for destroying the SR-1? Now I really want to find the reactor to this thing and blow it up, but this seems beyond coincidence. This  _has_ to be a trap."

"I was thinking the same," Joker answered, "Be careful, Shepard."

When they finally came to the top of the ramp and moved right to the outside, they were greeted by a jaw-dropping sight of both shock and horror. The belly of the beast was  _enormous._ The room ran the length of the ship and was circular in manner, them being situated in the middle of the ship. The ceiling must have been thousands of feet above them; the room could fit the entirety of Vancouver City and still have enough room for a few towns. And all along those walls; were  _pods._  Hundreds. Thousands. Millions. Probably even  _trillions._

"Sweet mother of shit," Zaeed exclaimed.

"They could take every human in the Terminus Systems and still not have enough to fill this ship," Kaidan added before hitting his own realization, turning to Marcus in terror, "Marcus, they're going to target  _Earth_."

A new film of determination crossed the spectre's face, "Not if we stop them." And so they continued along the...whatever they were on, towards the ship's command console. According to EDI's waypoint marker, it should be located at the center of this massive complex. Actually, it reminded Shepard more and more of a Mausoleum, now that he thought about it. The thought didn't make him smile.

Marcus' could hear their footsteps echoing through the mausoleum as they move down a ramp and into a secure area. According to the marker, this was the ship's 'bridge'. It was a hexagonal like platform, with many barricades set up around it and a central command console. Moving forward, he motioned for Tali to begin hacking it for EDI and for Kasumi to back her up as they watched their backs and stepped onto the platform. It wasn't made of organic material; but more of a black metal.

Tali didn't take long hacking into it, quickly opening her omni-tool, "EDI, I'm opening a bridge between you and the collector ship. See if you can get anything useful from the databanks."

Marcus could hear EDI's response, "Data-mine in process. This will not take long."

Sighing, he prepared to turn back around when a screeching static sound entered the team's comm systems before abruptly stopping replaced by foreboding, booming voice he easily remembered,  _ **"Welcome to your new home, Shepard."**_ Harbinger.

Tali gave a squeak as the console infront of her suddenly switched off, the sound of power turning off. But while that happened, power everywhere else was humming back to the life. Marcus knew it. This had been a trap.

He immediately tapped his comm, "What's going on!? EDI! Give me a damn sitrep!"

"EDI?" He heard Joker ask as well. Just as it seemed lost, EDI responded.

"I'm sorry for the delay in my response," the AI apologized, "The collectors attempted to seize control of the Normandy and I was forced to force them out of my systems. In retaliation, they attempted a power surge of the ship, which I rerouted to non-critical systems. It was not a malfunction, this was a trap."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the platform they stood on disconnected from the ground and shot up into the air, taking them with it. It began to hover, gliding across the room. They were being directed further into the ship, and to their deaths. His team managed to regain their balance, having been taken off guard by the sudden departure.

"We need help, EDI," Garrus demanded.

"One moment," the AI replied. A moment later, "I have gained control of your platform. I am directing you to another part of the vessel. You must extract from this vessel with best possible speed. This ship was never crippled commander, the collectors simply faked the distress call to lure us here; power is being restored and it won't be long before the cruiser will be able to power up weapons. I recommend haste."

Just as their platform was gliding towards their destination, a similiar platform appeared and connected with theirs, and it was not empty. Four collector drones and two husks, all lead by a single captain, charged onto their platform, weapons firing sporadically. And there was their missing crew.

"Take them down!" Marcus barked as his own rifle barked to life, ripping apart the skull of one of the unlucky drones. Just as he was about to move to another target, one husk tackled him, and it wasn't a normal husk. This one had glowing eyes that were alight with a blood red glow. Now that he looked, actually, it's entire body was alight with fire, eerily familiar to how Harbinger controlled collectors. The husk screamed, and the light intensified. By instinct, he kicked the husk off of him, sending it tumbling into the captain whose beam had been ripping into Kaidan's cover. The husk's demise was followed by a terrific explosion, the creature exploding into a red inferno that consumed itself and the captain.

"Exploding husks. That's new," Garrus quipped, his rifle barking once more and taking down the other red husk before reloading. A single shotgun blast echoed through the room as Jack took down the last drone, reloading herself. Peering over, he saw that it wasn't it. Another platform approached, this time with a scion, more drones, two captains and alot more exploding husks. A joy, he thought to himself.

Seven minutes later, they arrived. They had fought four waves of collector troops to get there. As they landed, EDI spoke up once more.

"I have found information on how to safety navigate the Omega 4 Relay, along with the official location of the collector homeworld or base of operations," the AI informed them.

"Anything else?" He asked as they continued down the corridor, EDI unlocking doors for them as they moved.

"I have discovered something unusual," EDI added, "The collectors were the source of the distress signal, yet the Illusive Man could not have believed it genuine."

"Why?"

"The Illusive Man knows that turian communications contain secondary encryption. It is corrupted in the message. The Illusive Man knows this."

"How can you be sure of that?" Marcus asked. He didn't exactly trust TIM either, but why would he send them into a trap knowingly?

"I found the anomaly with Cerberus detection protocols," EDI supplied, "He wrote those  _himself._ "

Marcus felt fury pent up in him. He knew the Illusive Man was extreme, but that was over the limit. He sent them into a trap willingly and endangered his life and the lives of his crew. The life of Tali. He put her in danger because he didn't know this was officially a trap...

"That son of a bitch sent us right into collector hands!" Marcus slammed his fist against a wall in anger, "I'll give him a nice good lecture when we get back! Let's  _ **move**_ people! Double time it!" He quickly contacted Miranda.

"Commander!"

"Miranda, what's the situation?"

"I don't know, husks just started coming out of nowhere! One minute the door's closed and the next, husks are streaming through it in an endless swarm. Jacob and I are holding them off, but we don't know for how much longer we can!"

"It was a trap Miranda, the collectors lured us here! The Illusive Man knew it was a trap, and he sent us in anyway!"

"I'm sure he-"

"Now's not the time for fucking optimism! We'll be there in five! That shuttle better be ready to leave when I get there or I'll be using my arms to fucking  _throw it._  Shepard out." And with that, the fight for their lives began as they plowed through collector forces to get to the shuttle. Drone after drone fell, with numerous husks, including the exploding ones, along with scions, also blocking their path. Just as they were about to reach the shuttle however, a Praetorian decided to make its appearence.

"Oh, fuck me!" Zaeed cursed.

"By the goddess..." Samara exclaimed.

"Move! I'll take care of this! Get to the damn shuttle, all of you!"

His team seemed to hesitate a second before rushing forward, Marcus drawing the Praetorian's attention as his team snuck past. But two other pairs of fire joined his and he turned to see Garrus and Tali firing with him. Of course, "Go! I'll deal with this!"

"But Shepard-"

" _ **Garrus, get your ass on that fucking shuttle! This isn't up for debate!"**_ Marcus shouted at the turian and Garrus finally acknowledged, moving past and grabbing Tali, who wasn't budging, "No! I need to stay with Marcus! I won't leave him!"

But despite his best attempts to move her, Tali wasn't budging. Wiggling out of his old, he rejoined the fight.

"Tali, get out of here now!" Marcus barked, peppering the praetorian with fire. He couldn't keep that monster distracted forever. He tackled Tali to the ground as twin crackles of purple energy wizzed past, narrowly missing them. He stood up, helping the quarian up, "Leave. That's a damn order."

"I outrank you!" Tali shot back.

"Then as your unionmate, I order you, my love, to get the  _ **flying fuck out of here!**_ "

"Not without you," Tali stated, tearing up, "I won't lose you again."

His features softened and he kissed her on the visor, "You know I have no intention of dying again. It sucked the first time and with a lack of you there, it'd get boring, quickly. Go, I'll be right behind you, I promise."

Hesitantly, she nodded, tapping her visor against his face and leaving with Garrus while Marcus renewed his assault against the monstrosity he faced. It finally leaped, managing to catch him off guard as he turned to retaliate. But just as it rose a leg to cut him in two, he easily grabbed it and snapped it, breaking it off as he grabbed a grenade and wedged it inside the praetorian's hanging jaw.

Leaping back just in time, he watched as the praetorian exploded in a shower of black gore, allowing him to run forward to the shuttle. But before he could reach the ramp, he heard a deep, monotone behind him,  _ **"Shepard. You cannot deny your destiny."**_ With an exasperated sigh, he turned to see a Harbinger controlled drone charging at him, wreathing with glowing orange biotic power.

"Bite me," he said simply as he unlatched his missile launcher and lowered it over the charging drone. Before Harbinger realized this and tried to break off, the missle took off, ripping the drone apart. Harbinger's words were nothing but wind as Marcus dumped the launcher and ran down the ramp, seeing the shuttle in sight and his team waiting as they held off the collector hordes,  _ **"You cannot deny me forever, Shepard. You will submit."**_

He noticed Tali looking at him and he gave her his best smile, nodding to reassure her, "Everyone in! Move!" He keyed his comm, "Joker, bring up those engines! I want us to hit FTL as we land!"

"Got it, just hurry commander!" Joker said with concern, "The collector crusier's weapons are almost charged!"

Everyone swarmed into the shuttle, Marcus noticing that Miranda had claw marks on her face and a bullet wound to her side, and Jacob was coughing, Miranda explaining that a husk had stuffed it's hand into his mouth and tried to choke him. When everyone was onboard and the hatch closed, the kodiak sped off the ground, shooting outside and into the Normandy's awaiting shuttle bay. When it closed, Marcus could feel the Normandy learching as it began its escape. He rushed out of the shuttle and into the elevator, hitting the CIC deck.

Upon reaching the deck, he rushed across, Kelly gripping the railing with fear. Alarms sounded all over the ship, bracing the crew for a narrow escape. He rushed up the flight deck and stood right next to Joker's seat as the cruiser disappearing from sight. Just as they became ready for FTL, Joker learched the ship to the right, narrowly avoiding a bright, molten hot particle beam from the collector vessel. EDI's voice peaked up.

"Which destination would you like commander?"

Joker and Marcus spoke at the same time, " _ **Anywhere that's not here!**_ "

EDI acknowledged immediately, and the space around them distorted as they entered FTL. Marcus let out a sigh of relief, leaning back. No ship could track a ship in FTL and its destination, not even the collectors. They had only just narrowly escaped that trap and Tali had almost died trying to help him. Then he remembered who had sent them there in the first place.

"Joker...set a course for the Citadel," Marcus ordered before turning and leaving, "I've got a talk with the Illusive Man to handle."

"Tell him that I value my life and hated trapdoor spiders as a kid," Joker shouted after him. Entering through the tech lab, Marcus entered the conference room and waited for the call to connect. It took longer than usual, but eventually he connected, the Illusive Man appearing before him.

"Ah, Shepard, glad to see you-"

"You bosh'tet!"

Marcus immediately turned to see Tali, Garrus, and, to his surprise, Miranda and Jacob, entering the conference call, all with angry looks on their faces; Tali with just an angry pose and fury evident in her tone.

"Ah, Miss Zorah, Mister Vakarian, and unexpected pleasure," The Illusive Man greeted, with his shit-eating smile.

"Piss on your greetings," Garrus growled.

"Look, I understand why you're angry-"

"No you don't! If you did, you wouldn't have sent us into a trap, you bosh'tet det kazuat!" Tali hissed, staying close to Marcus. It was evident that it wasn't the sending into a trap that made her angry; it was that the life of her mate had been put in danger.

"It was necessary to get the information we needed."

"You could have told us," Marcus added.

"Telling you would only have alerted the collectors to our plan," The Illusive Man said.

" _Your_ plan," Garrus quipped, "Our plan wouldn't involve waltzing into a  _known_ trap."

"You endangered the lives of my crew-" Marcus began, but was interrupted by TIM before he could rant.

"...and your mate, Tali'Zorah. Do not think I'm not aware of this. But this is war Shepard. Sacrifices might need to be made if we're going to win. Besides, noone was hurt."

"The potential was there," Marcus angrily snapped, "And I will not have my crew sacrificed because you need some information. I will not lose my friends because you wanted to obtain intel based on god knows what. What if the info had been useless? Would the sacrifices be useful then? Would have losing my friends...Tali...been worth it then? I don't think so. Do not think that because I fly under a Cerberus banner that you can command me. That you control me."

"Miranda, please tell Shepard that I did not risk the lives of his crew unnecessarily."

"No."

"Excuse me?" Marcus smiled at the genuine look of shock on TIM's face.

"You heard me."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Wrong with  _me_?" Miranda repeated incredulously, "You almost got me and Jacob killed! If this is how you're going to treat me, then you can consider this my resignation. I trust you, sir. I basically herald you. But to put my life on the line as well? Are you insane? We could have  _died._ What use are we then?"

Marcus quickly backed her up, "You claimed you brought me back so I could stop the Reapers. But how can I do that when I've been killed in a trap you knowingly sent me into. How can Cerberus help me then? How can we work together if I can't even trust you?"

"Trust was never in question," TIM snapped back cooly, "There was no love lost between us, was there? You said yourself; you'd never trust us. I'll never trust you. Trust is something you earn; you know that more than anyone. That's why I brought you back. To use that trust to build armies, fleets and defenses to prepare for the Reaper invasion and to destroy the collectors and the geth."

"How about we start that alliance without getting me killed?" Marcus deadpanned, "I can work miracles, but doing it from the grave is pushing the limit."

Miranda nodded in agreement. TIM shook his head, "I expected better from you, Miranda. You of all people."

"Funny, I thought the same of you. Don't worry, I won't resign, for now. But if you pull a stunt like that again."

"I don't regret doing it, and if I had to, I would do it again, but I'll make sure not to do it again unless the galaxy is falling apart and its absolutely necessary."

"See that you do," Garrus stated with finality.

"And you, bosh'tet," Tali pointed a finger accusingly at him, "If you ever endanger or threaten the life of my  _Yish'kla_  again, I will personally pilot a liveship and drive it so far up your ass, you'll be shitting grass. And then, I'll grab my shotgun, and give you a mouth full of grenades, one of which I'll loan to Shepard so he can blow up Cerberus while I use the rest on you. Are we clear? You don't want to wake  _this_ dragon."

"Abundantly," TIM stated, "Despite the predicament, I recommend you-" He never got to finish as the connection was severed, Marcus having ordered EDI to do so. He was surprised when it complied, but he shrugged it off and turned towards Tali, "Remind me never to piss you off."

"She's a fiesty woman," Zaeed piped up as the door opened and the squad piled in, "Remind me never to get on her bad side either. My memory is worser than yours."

"She is worthy of being my battlemaster's mate," Grunt declared.

He shook his head, moving to the end of the table, which had risen back up, "Cut the chatter people. I know you're still pissed about what the Illusive Man pulled on us and believe me, I am too, but we need to push that aside and think of the mission now. We've already ranted to him about it, so the matter ends there. We'll be heading to the Citadel so I can inform the Council of what we've learned. They need to be told. We'll also hold another temporary shore leave. These last few days have been hectic, and we all deserve some rest."

Everyone nodded before Marcus turned to the center of the console, "The show's all yours EDI."

"Thank you Shepard," the AI didn't waste a second before continuing, "I have found the approximate location of the collector homeworld based on navigational data on their vessel." With that, the galactic map popped up and a homing beacon began tracking the location. It immediately landed in the one place noone expected, and once again let everyone in bewildered shock; it landed directly on the galactic core.

"That can't be right," Kaidan questioned, "The AI must be broken or something."

"This information is genuine and has been ripped directly from the collector databanks."

"It just...can't be," Jacob pointed at the location, "The galactic core is just black holes and exploding suns. There are no habitable planets there."

Mordin shook his head, "Assuming its a planet. Could be a artificial construction. A space station protected by powerful mass effect fields and radiation shields."

Samara shook her head, "Even the collectors don't have that kind of technology."

Tali quickly added her own part, "No, but the Reapers do. They built the mass relays and the Citadel. I think something like this would be child's play for them."

"And now we know why people never return," Garrus added, "If the exploding suns don't vaporize them, then they'll be crushed by black holes."

"Its likely a safe zone exists beyond the relay," Thane added his own voice, "One that, with certain Reaper identification, the collectors can access, but other ships cannot."

"So we know where they live but we can't reach them without dying," Jack deadpanned, funnily enough, without a single curse word used.

"Its better than what we had before," Marcus assured them, "And in time, we will find out how the collectors use it. EDI, did you find anything else on those four collector ships?"

"I did," EDI supplied, "One of them has already been destroyed."

Garrus whistled, "Who the hell managed it?"

"An alliance marine by the name of James Vega," EDI explained, "He was stationed on Fehl Prime when it came under attack from the collectors and their cruiser landed. They captured all the colonists but his squad. They tried to retaliate, but this team was picked off quickly. Eventually, he was forced to choose between valuable data to stop the collectors and saving the colonists trapped on the collector cruiser, who's mass effect fields were disabled somehow and was plummeting towards the planet. He chose the intel. The ship subsequently fell to the planet and the resulting crash and explosion let a massive crater."

"And the other two?"

"One is not being used and is still docked at the collector base," the AI explained, "The other is currently performing abductions, much like the one we encountered, although it is unknown where in the galaxy it is now."

"Very well," he turned to the crew, "You are all dismissed."

"Commander," Jacob asked as the crew filed out and he was surprised when only Tali and Jacob were left in the room, "Yes, what is it?"

"Something to help with the mission," Jacob handed him a datapad, "Before we left for the collector cruiser, I discovered a way to thicken our armor so it can withstand more punishment. Not only would it, in theory, be able to withstand an assault from a collector ship's particle cannon, but it might just withstand a thanix blast from a Reaper. Eggheads are calling it Silaris Armor. It's prototype technology, but my agent says Cerberus can attain it for the Normandy. We can have it equipped when we get the thanix cannon."

"Sounds good," Marcus complimented before Jacob saluted and left.

"I have something similiar," Tali supplied, handing him her own datapad, "Remember in our cabin, when I said I was working on engineering readouts? I lied. Its not armor or a fancy cannon, but its something to strengthen our shields. I'll save you the technological details, but it will basically fortify our shields to withstand more punishment and allow us to impact other objects without taking too much damage. I've called it Cyclonic Barrier Technology. I came up with it myself. Took me two years to finalize the plans for it though. I've already sent it to Daro'Xen so it can be constructed and once finalized, the Moreh will install it on the Normandy. What do you think?"

"I think you're the most intelligent and brilliant woman I've ever met," Marcus embraced her and kissed the top of her hood before letting go, "Let's go get some rest."

Tali pushed him away playfully, "No can do. Work in engineering to be done. Meet you in a few hours though." She winked at him and left, and Marcus could only imagine the smug grin behind that opaque visor of hers.

**"That's where it all went downhill for 'ol llusive, wasn't it?"**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"Started there, for sure, but wasn't where it ended."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"So next?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Sorry to bore you, but this is just nice fluff my friends. But hey, your my wife, and your my brother, so I'm sure you'll listen."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

_**A/N:** _

_**REVIEWS! THEY HAVE INCREASED, BUT I NEED MORE! YES GUESTS, EVEN YOU ARE NEEDED! REVIEW! DON'T JUST READ. REVIEW!** _

_**Oh, oops, I seem to have left caps lock on. Anyhow, this story is getting closer to the end. Won't be for a while yet, but the end is in sight, I promise you that. Even if you have to look through binoculars to make it out. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I always wanted Tali to put the Illusive Man in his place. I LOVE FANFICTION!** _

_**I'm also writing my first fiction called 'Earth Schism' on FictionPress, mostly inspired by Game of Thrones. Won't be released for a while (Soon, I might release the basic backstory/story introductory credits, much like the mass effect summary at the start of each game) but I still need support for it. I'm looking forward to it, and I hope you guys do to, if you're into the whole...fantasy, type...thing.** _

_**Anyway, Prophecy Chapter 34 will be around soon! For now, Taliho!** _

_**Ha! Get it? Tali...ho? AHAHAHAHAHA I'M FUNNY!** _


	36. Polite Affairs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Blood Pack merc kidnaps Lia in an attempt to extort Shepard. Its the last mistake he'll ever make.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR:**

**POLITE AFFAIRS**

_September 11, 2185_

_1543 hours._

_Main Dock, Level 27, Zakera Ward, The Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian._

"So Shepard...it's just you and me. What do you want to do?" The turian asked as they passed customs and entered the streets of the Zakera Ward. He had wondered if Tali wanted to go on another date, but she had said she wanted to go shopping with Kasumi (wanting being the term she used for 'Kasumi forcing her to go') and she promised to hook up with him later. He simply gave her a smile, a kiss on the visor, and they were off. He had decided to hang out with Garrus; do crazy shit while he could.

"You up for some sparring?" Marcus asked, raising his omni-tool to show the turian a boxing stadium located in Shalta Ward.

"Getting bruised up before going to a date? What will Tali think?" Garrus snarkily asked and Marcus merely hit him on the shoulder, a broad grin crossing his face, "Do you want to go or not?"

"Why the hell not?" Garrus accepted, "Might be fun to beat up my commander."

"Watch that mouth of yours, Vakarian," The spectre warned, "You might be eating those words, soon enough."

"We'll see," Garrus whispered back softly and alluringly, "I'm still looking forward to knocking you into the dirt." Before Marcus could form an equally flippant response, the familiar croaky voice of Thane startled them as they stopped moving across the yard to face it.

"Do you mind if I join you?" The drell assassin asked, hands firmly clasped behind his back, black, lidless eyes staring back at them. Garrus seemed to think this through for a moment, but for Marcus...well, he never really payed any mind.

"Of course Thane," He told the drell, motioning for him to follow them, "We were just going boxing. You want to join in?"

"I believe I'll have an unfair advantage," Thane gloated with a smile, "I shall watch from the sidelines."

"You hear that? The drell assassin thinks he's better than us Shepard!" Garrus exclaimed in pheined insult, and Marcus let out a chuckle. He could even hear Thane laugh, as low as it was. They quickly reached the skycar, unlatching the door and moving inside and sitting down, engien and controls roaring to life as Garrus took the pilot seat. The turian suddenly laughed as they took and Marcus turned to the turian with a frown, "Something funny?"

"I just remembered something," the turian reminisced as they flew towards their destination, "Remember two years ago? When I had just joined your team and we went to rescue Tali in that alleyway? That car chase we had?"

"Ah yes," Marcus nostalgiaicallly remembered that, "That was crazy. Fist sends mercs to stop us and we just shoot them down. That was intense."

"My thoughts were; that's awesome!" Garrus joked, "Now that I look back, that was the best part of this war. Now we're off fighting the collectors. And to learn they were the protheans? Just...damn. That's a horrible way to go."

"The same won't happen to us," Marcus gloomily presented back, "We'll destroy the collectors and said the Reapers a message; we'll die before you do the same to us. Now, let's just forget about the Reapers and the collectors for now. We're on shore leave, and I intend to make the most out of it."

The rest of the ride was done in silence and Marcus looked aimlessly out the side window of his door, thinking about all that had transpired. He had assembled, by far, the most out of place team in the galaxy, yet the most lethal. The deadliest warriors, all in one team, fighting an enemy none dare face. It was even more troubling, the more you thought about it. Yet Marcus had faith in his team; especially those from his original squad back on the SR-1. Kaidan he trusted, but Tali and Garrus? They had been with him since the beginning and stuck by him until the end, ready to jump into hell with him. He trusted them with his lives, and he trusted noone more than them.

Yet, he felt a special bond to this new team of his. Kasumi was light hearted and also seemed to be perputually cheery. Jacob was a soldier, but not a diehard Cerberus loyalist. Ken and Gabby were nice people. Zaeed, although ruthless, was fun to talk to. Mordin, although always talking to fast, was always fun to talk with. This new crew wasn't just crew to him; it was like he was building a whole new family out of the old one. And even though Liara wouldn't be rejoining it, and possibly Wrex as well, it would still be family to him. It would still feel like old times...just with Cerberus...

Memories of the MSV Fedele came to mind. He remembered it all clearly. Garrus had come up to him asking to fix the past and kill a mad scientist selling people's body parts. It seemed simple enough. What they didn't know, however, was that Cerberus had forced Saleon to work for them and they had been forced to fight Cerberus commandos. Cerberus had condoned Saleon's experiments and that only reinforced his opinion of the already hated terrorist organization.

His thoughts were interrupted when Garrus brought the skycar to land outside the boxing arena, the engines going silent and doors clicking open. With a grunt, Marcus pulled himself out of the vehicle, quickly followed by Thane and Garrus. A massive sign stood vigil over the arena, pronounced in massive crimson letters, 'Shalta Ward Boxing.' Upon reaching the entrance, they were immediately greeted by a young krogan with green eyes. Upon seeing them, he held up a three-fingered talon to stop them.

"State your names," the krogan bellowed, holding up a datapad.

"I'm Commander Shepard," Marcus stated before pointing to his friends, "This is Garrus Vakarian and Thane Krios. They're with me."

"Commander Shepard, battle brother of the notorious Urdnot Wrex?" the krogan exclaimed, smiling a toothy grin, "Come inside! Hold the credits! The Hero of the Citadel and Wrex's battle brother shouldn't have to pay! Come, come!" the krogan motioned for them to follow him, and with a raised eyebrow to Garrus, Marcus followed, along with his two friends. Once inside, they were lead down a dimly lit corridor into the main arena, where two people were already fighting; a turian and a human.

"You here for some boxing?" The krogan asked.

"Sure am," Marcus stated, pointing towards a second boxing arena, "Garrus, you go fetch yourself some sweaties. Let's see if you last an hour against me."

"What about you?" Garrus asked, nodding to his attire, "Stretching the cybernetics to the max, are we?"

"You bet," Marcus grinned, nodding for Thane to follow him as he leapt up onto the small box, stretching his arms and cracking his knuckles as he got ready. He quickly took off his cap, followed by his hoodie and his shirt. When he was done, he was wearing nothing but his shorts and shoes. Cracking his neck, he patiently waited for Garrus to arrive; Thane taking a seat nearby to spectate.

Finally, the turian decided to arrive, in a similiar state as Marcus; no shirt, just shorts and shoes. Garrus laughed as he patted Thane on the shoulder, a huge grin on his face, "Thane, I want you to video this. I want the whole crew to know that I beat the shit out of the greatest human N7 to have ever lived!"

"And I'd like the crew to know that he said that," Marcus added himself, "So that when I do beat him, he can eat his own words."

"Not going to happen, pal," Garrus declared, watching as Thane chuckled, the drell raising his omni-tool so they were in the video feed. With a laugh, Garrus leapt into the ring and faced Marcus, hands raised before him in a defensive posture. Marcus did the same, eyes meeting the turian's immediately.

"You ready, Shepard?" Garrus asked with a smirk creasing his mandibles.

"What took you so long to ask?" Marcus countered and that was all Garrus needed. The first punch came hard and low, but Marcus strafed it easily enough. The next was a left hook kick, but once again, Marcus evaded it with ease, not even moving to retaliate.  _I don't want to hurt Garrus. He has no idea just what I can do now._ He wouldn't tell anyone, but there had been one point after the Illusive Man's stunt on the collector ship where he had punched the bulkhead. He had bloodied knuckles afterward, but they quickly healed, and he had left a massive dent in the wall.

For a few minutes, Marcus continued to either block or dodge the turian's strikes, swipes and kicks; even his occassional footsweep. After a while, he noticed Garrus was starting to get annoyed with Marcus' lack of spirit and was breathing lightly; turians couldn't sweat, so it was hard to tell whether or not they were fatigued or not.

"Come on Shepard!" Garrus encouraged, launching another strike at his head which was, once again, effortlessly swatted outside with incredible speed, "Spirits be damned attack me!"

Those five words were all Marcus' psyche needed. When Garrus went to kick his head again, Marcus ducked and executed a right footsweep, taking the turian by surprise and knocking him over. Garrus was quick to get back on his feet, but Marcus was on him in seconds. The assault renewed; but this time Marcus was the one delivering the blows. Strikes hammered the turian, and Garrus would seldom block one of them. The turian tried to defend himself, but it just wasn't happening; the speed of the spectre's attacks was frightening, to say the least. Even Thane was looking on in wide-eyed awe.

Finally, Garrus wiped his brow, feeling three bruises on his fringe, "I yield! I damn yield!" Marcus concluded his attack, and not a bead of sweat collected on his forehead. He wasn't even heavily breathing, it was just the occassional intake of breath.  _These cybernetics really do have their uses._

Regaining his composure, his turian friend looked at him in shock, "Fuck, Shepard. You move like a damn ghost. Those cybernetics turn you into one hell of a killing machine."

"I fear for any stupid mercs wanting to fight you in hand-to-hand," Thane added, pushing stop on his recording and deactivating his omni-tool, "I don't think we'd find anything left of them."

"To hell with the mercs, pray for the collectors," Garrus smirked, grasping Marcus in a one-armed bear hug before both jumping off the ring, Marcus getting dressed back into his civvies. Fitting his cap back onto his head, he turned to Thane with a smile, "Could you send that to the crew? I want to see their reactions. Especially Tali's," he then quickly turned to his turian companion, "And as I said before, I do believe you just ate your own words, just like I said you would."

"Oh...go eat a bowl of dextro soup," Garrus growled playfully, walking alongside the spectre, with their drell friend running up to catch up. They walked towards the skycar, "Besides, I didn't account for your...enhancements."

"A soldier who doesn't account for all his enemy's strengths and weaknesses is a soldier asking for a quick death," Marcus quoted.

"Fancy. Who's quote is that?" Garrus asked.

"Admiral Joseph Garrong, Battle of the 314, First Contact War," Thane replied, "I believe he was referring to the turian's overdependence on human ignorance towards military prowess. They soon learnt the hard way when Garrong fired a shot directly into the spine of the turian flagship and crippled it. A lucky shot, a lucky victory."

"Thane, didn't know you knew of human history," Marcus quipped as they entered the skycar.

"I know my bits and pieces," the drell replied cryptically, "Comes with being an assassin. You read things, learn things."

"So, what next, oh Commander Shepard, our fearless leader and human patriot?" Garrus asked with that same stupid grin. Marcus had an equally stupid grin as he remembered something he had wanted to do on the Citadel for quite a while.

"Anyone want to go see Blasto?"

**{Loading...}**

_September 11, 2185_

_1551 hours._

_Galactic Fashion Clothing Store, Level 3, Kikowani Ward, The Citadel._

_Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Master Thief Kasumi Goto._

Tali decided she hated shopping. She loathed the very essence of it; wasting time searching for these items, talking about it, trying them on only to find they don't fit and repeating the whole process...it was just completely tedious to the quarian. The engineer had mentioned it to Kasumi, but simply smiled, said 'you're not girly enough. We'll soon change that' and off they went once more, to continue the charade of boredom. Tali wished Marcus was there to save her. Suddenly she almost wished she was in an alleyway again. Fighting mercs was easier than your own friends; especially one as determined as Kasumi.

So they searched lane after lane of the store, luckily finding nothing. Tali didn't even understand why she needed to shop for clothes; she wore a  _suit._ At what point in time was she going to need clothes? Kasumi didn't even seem to bother answering the unspoken question, almost like the thief needed to be reminded. But it was clear Kasumi loved shopping, and Tali wasn' gonig to ruin this experience for her.

As much as she tried not to.

Then they had arrived in the skirts section and Kasumi had walked off, lost in the many different clothes on offer. Tali felt ridiculous. An entire fleet of genocidal starships from dark space ready to invade and human colonies being abducted and here she was, looking at women's skirts.  _This is the oddest squad in the galaxy, afterall..._ She continued to slide her three-fingered hands through the numerous skirts with an uninterested look, but that was until she fell upon a certain skirt.

She picked it out and pulled it down, clotheshanger still hung around it. It was a purple, Tali's favourite color, and had swirls similiar to that of her veil. She smiled at it, comparing it to the skirt section of her veil on her suit. They looked so much alike, it wasn't even funny.  _What if I buy this one? Will that appease Kasumi?_ Tali didn't know if she should. It would only collect dust as Tali would never be able to use it; she was stuck in her suit, unable to free.  _And if I do get free of it, I won't spend that time walking around..._ Tali blushed at the thought and moved to put the skirt back, when a light-hearted voice spoke from her right, addressing her.

"What are you doing, miss?" Tali turned around to see the voice belonged to a human woman with red hair and black eyes. She wore a bright smile, but Tali could tell it was practiced and faked, and her hands clasped infront of her like some exuberant child waiting for a present.

"Just looking at these skirts," Tali informed her, moving to put it back, "Its very pret-"

"Why?" the human interrupted, frustration in her eyes, along with confusion.

"My friend and I-"

"There's another quarian in here?" she asked.

"No," Tali put the skirt back and turned to face the woman fully, "No. My friend's a human, like you."

"I'd like to refrain from touching what you cannot use," the human informed her, no venom in her voice, "We have strict rules about theft-"

"Who said I was going to steal it?" Tali couldn't keep the anger from rising in her voice. Another one of these racist bosh'tets.

"You didn't need to," the human responded with that same plastic smile, although it was falling apart, "You merely have to stand here and be what you are. A vagrant. A liar. A thief. A beggar. Oh, the list is endless! So why don't you run along before I have C-Sec arrest you?"

"You can't just arrest me for looking at skirts!" Tali replied furiously.

"No, but I can have you arrested for vagrancy and attempted theft," the human smugly responded.

"I never stole anything and neither was it my intention!" Tali snapped, jabbing a finger in the woman's chest, "And I'm not a vagran-"

"Keep your hands off me suit-rat!" The woman spat, literally, the saliva dripping down her veil. The human quickly spun around, "C-Se-"

The words never finished leaving her mouth as they were suddenly muffled. Tali was confused at first but quickly noticed the shimmer in the air infront of the human. The quarian smiled smugly. Shimmering into existence with a  _tsk tsk_ was Kasumi, hand clasped over the woman's mouth and another hand placing a finger over her own lips, "Are you picking on my friend here?"

The woman backed away from the thief, ripping off Kasumi's grip, "Yes I was! And what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing," Kasumi responded simply walking closely to her, "Do you realize who this quarian is?"

"Don't particularly-," the woman tried to speak, but Kasumi made a loud 'brgh' noise from her mouth, sounding like a buzzer from one of those 'Q&A' TV shows, "Wrong answer. No, that is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Heroine of the Citadel. And I think she'll be wanting an apology."

The human shrugged her shoulders, apparently unimpressed, "So? She's some suit-rat who helped the  _real_ hero of the citadel. Big deal."

Kasumi smiled, "Should I also tell you that she is also Commander Shepard's girlfriend?"

The woman guffawed, slapping her knees and bending over, "That's the funniest bullshit I've ever heard. Am I meant to believe that?"

"From someone who spies on him daily and serves on his crew? Yeah, you should. I know this. Maybe I should contact him," Kasumi raised her omni-tool, smiling all the way. She still didn't drop it when the woman gave her response, "Go ahead."

Kasumi did just that and Tali just wanted to facepalm.  _This arrogant bosh'tet is bringing it on herself..._

Marcus' face finally popped up on Kasumi's omni-tool and Tali moved to see it, moving behind Kasumi, smiling behind her mask. Seeing Marcus always made her happier. Marcus smiled at seeing her and turned to Kasumi, "What's the problem, ladies? Tali miss me already?"

"You can rest easy, Shep," Kasumi assured him, grinning as the human woman pushed Tali out of way and waved happily at the commander. Tali barely acknowledged the shove, just moving to the other side of Kasumi. Tali's military training screamed at her to demonstrate her dominance over her mate, but she calmed herself. Noone would be impressed by a quarian military commander decking a shop owner, "No, just got a racism problem. This girl seems to not believe that Tali and you are more than BFFs."

"Really?" Marcus sighed heavily and Tali could see Garrus and Thane conversing in the background, with numerous people around them. The spectre quickly turned to the woman, "What's your name?"

The woman giggled happily, "Rachel Pattery! It's so good to-"

"Okay, Rachel, let's get this straight," Marcus interrupted sternly, his emotionless mask wiping away the human's smile in an innocent and Tali would have laughed at the expression, but managed to contain it. Tali was no sadist, "Miss Zorah is my girlfriend, period. Got that? Good. With that settled; if you harass her again and I hear of it, then I will make sure my spectre status is used to get you in trouble with people you just wouldn't like. Best to tell your friends as well. Are we clear?"

"Y-yes," the woman stuttered.

"Good. Now fuck off," Marcus sternly dismissed and the human walked off, arms shaking off. Tali felt slightly sorry for her, but quickly remembered the things the woman had called her and all sympathy quickly dissolved. She turned to the screen and waved, "Thanks Marcus. Oh, one more thing."

Marcus' smile returned, "Yes, sweetheart?"

"I'm standing right here. Just...you know, letting you know," Kasumi reminded them.

Tali ignored her, "Can you come and save me? I-"

Kasumi caught on quickly, "Oh no you don't! She says she loves you Shep, bye!" With that, she switched off her omni-tool, Marcus' confused expression the only thing left in Tali's mind as it switched off. Kasumi turned to her and crossed her arms, "What kind of girl doesn't like shopping so much that they ask their boyfriend to save them?"

"This kind of woman!" Tali shot back, "I'm an engineer! A quarian! I don't have a need for clothes, I live in a suit for crying out loud!"

Kasumi looked about ready to give a snarky comeback, but her omni-tool suddenly beeped and she turned to see what it was. Tali couldn't help but notice Kasumi's eyes widening more and more as she read it and at the end she turned off her omni-tool and looked up, a blank expression on her face. Tali swore she saw water collecting in Kasumi's eyes, but didn't get time as the thief's eyes locked with hers and the blank expression disappeared, replaced with Kasumi's usual grin. Tali had to ask, "What's happened, Kasumi?"

"My day," Kasumi responded simply, "The day I get my revenge. I've just been waiting for the right moment, and now that it has come, I'm going to get Shep to help me. Tali, will you accompany me in a mission into the Men's Clothing Systems?"

Tali guffawed at the overdramatica placed on the small task, "Why are we going into the men's clothing section? Do we need to get Marcus something?"

"He's going to a party. Come on! You can pick out the suit, being your boyfriend and all!" With a blush on her face, Tali's arm was grabbed by Kasumi and she was dragged off to the men's section. The entire time, all Kasumi could think of was that the moment to take back the last memory of Keiji was here.  _I will take back what was rightfully yours, Keiji. I promise, my love._ Memories of her old lover hurt, but she pushed them out. She had to focus.

For Keiji.

**{Loading...}**

_September 11, 2185_

_1551 hours._

_Wonders of the Galaxy, Presidium, Shalta Ward, The Citadel._

_Junior Assistant Lia'Vael nar Ulnay._

That looked promising. Lia looked at the long row of things to buy in the store and smiled inwardly behind her mask, eyes trailing to the credit chit in her hand. _100,000 credits. Professor Solus is so generous! But...should I have accepted this gift?_ The quarian biologist was finding it hard to get used to life on the Normandy; it was so different from the flotilla, it made things seem much...different. Yet again, Lia was getting so used to it and so fast. She had always dreamed of Daro'Xen taking her up as her apprentice, but now she thought the professor was a much better option.  _Is this is how Miss Zorah felt when she first joined the Normandy?_

It wasn't necessity, but Lia knew the lab would require extra test tubes and another terminal for the lab. Mordin had finally entrusted Lia with a terminal of her own, even going as far as to devote a part of the lab to the quarian, saying she was officially his protege. To hear this from the salarian made butterflies flutter in her stomach. She smiled once again. She may have been useless to the Commander on the battlefield, but in the lab? Well if the salarian thought she was good, who's to say she wasn't?

Finally, she decided on purchasing the new X Dualcore VII Titan terminal; the latest on the market. Once purchased, she took the terminal and the various other items she had purchased and took them to the counter, where a, boring as ever, elcor stood there, awaiting her. The elcor didn't take long in greeting her.

"Extreme surprise; you actually decided to buy these products. I hope you have the credits to pay," the elcor's montoned was like prolonged torture to the young quarian's ears.

"Oh, I have the credits," Lia shot back, "And I wouldn't let stereotypes get through to you so easily. If you actually talked to some quarians, maybe you'd learn we aren't all the vagrants and thieves your ignorance makes us out to be. Now, I'd like to buy these." Lia motioned towards the items and got her chit ready.

The elcor tried a pathetic motion towards the credit scanner, but Lia was already there, scanning the chit. 83,642 credits. When she was done, she gave the elcor a fake smile, despite him not being able to see it, and she took the items in a bag and walked off and out of the store. Once outside, she looked at the chrono on her omni-tool and saw the time was 1602 hours. Good, still got some time to do what she wanted. Walking around, she looked at all the different stores and species aligning the streets, marvelling at the sight of modern society.  _So many people. Allowed to walk around, free of any suits, allowed to feel the wind on their skin. I feel so out of place here...I miss the flotilla._

Deciding that lamentation was useless, Lia started to make her way back to the Normandy. But as she rounded the corner and prepared to find her skycar, she bumped into a large krogan in civilian clothing, male by the looks of it. Lia yelped as she dropped her things and quickly picked them up, looking to apologize. But before she could, the krogan was gone. She looked around frantically, but found nothing of the krogan. With a shrug of her shoulders, she moved back up the stairs, looking forward to returning to the lab. But as she did, she couldn't help but feel eyes on the back of her head.

She was walking past a shop that sold mirrors and that's when she saw it. In the mirror, right behind Lia, was the exact same krogan, trailing behind her and talking into his omni-tool.  _Oh keelah. He's going to kill me._ She knew krogan were quick to provoke, but she didn't know they reacted this quickly. Lia quickly sped up her pace, not knowing what to do. As she rounded the corner, she headed away from her skycar and into an alleyway, bringing up her omni-tool as she did. She needed help.

"Assistant Vael," Mordin responded immediately, "When will you return?"

"Professor, I'm being followed by a krogan," Lia whispered, terrified, "I don't know what to do. I think he wants to kill me. All I did was bump into him but you know what krogan are like! Please. I need help."

"I see," Mordin responded quickly, "Will send word to nearby team members. Location?"

"The Presidium," Lia replied hurriedly, "Please hurry. I don't want to die."

"Do not panic. Help on the way. Lieutenant Taylor and Zaeed Massani on their way to your location."

Lia continued down the alleyway, her breathing picking up and heavy. As she looked behind her, she noticed that a turian and two human males had joined the krogan in pursuing her. Her head snapped back around as she was now truly panicking. Despite her best instincts, she broke into a run. Feeling as through her purchased items were slowing her down, Lia dropped them and let her pilgrimage training kick in; she ran as fast as she could, just like her drill instructor taught her.  _If they outnumber or outgun you, don't fight them like a fool, run like a coward. Better to live a coward than die an idiot._ So she sprinted; all her quarian speed brought into action as she ran.

Her pursuers were close behind. The krogan was huge, but he was fast and the humans were close to catching up to her. The turian was right at her heels. Her breathing became ragged and heavy, and a stitch was forming in her side, but she ignored it.  _Pain is good. Let's you know your still alive. If you had to choose pain over death, which would you choose?_ Lia just smiled and kept running, not stopping to look if her captors had caught up to her.

But just as she thought she had escaped them, two salarians appeared ahead of her, followed by a hanar, and Lia's escape was blocked off. She tried to double back and slip past her pursuers, but the turian already had her by the arms, pinning her to the ground. Lia struggled and wreathed under his weight, but it was hopeless; she was a non-combatant.  _In war, the only known evil is a pacifist._ The krogan loomed over her and Lia was brought to her feet, a salarian and a turian holding by the arms and the rest of them standing before her. The krogan chuckled.

"This is the great Tali'Zorah?" the krogan gloated, spitting at her feet, "I expected more from the so-called 'Heroine of the Citadel.'" Lia was surprised by the mixup.  _They think I'm Tali. And I'm not dead, so that must mean they want me alive._ Lia kept up the act. If she pretended to be Tali, she'd live alot longer.

Lia shivered visibly when one turian hand began feeling her up, three-fingers attempting to cup one of her breasts while another held onto her arm. She tried to ignore it.  _Or they could rape me._ That thought made Lia breath heavier. The turian's hand drifted down from her breast and settled inbetween her thighs, poking at her opening. As much as Lia tried to ignore the feeling, she couldn't ignore that she found it arousing.  _These people want to hold you prisoner and some turian is going to rape you! This is_ _ **not**_ _arousing._

"She may not be a great fighter," the turian replied, his voice flanged and highpitched, still feeling her up, a turian mandible leaving a peck at her neck, "But she's got a body on her."

"The boss wants her alive," the krogan stated firmly.

"Alive," the human backed up his turian buddy, eying Lia with malice and lust in one, "Noone said we couldn't fuck her. I know how this shit works; some antibiotics and we can fuck her for as long as it lasts."

"If that's so, then I'm sure the boss will want first dibs," the krogan bellowed, "Ganar wants the quarian taken to him immediately. Shepard will pay for what he did to Garm on Omega, and I'm sure capturing his quarian slut will lure him in. It'll be a bonus. Imagine the headlines? Shepard's girlfriend fucked by Blood Pack and Shepard killed by Ganar Yulaz, CEO of the Blood Pack. Oh yes, that'll be a sight to see. Come on."

Before Lia could protest, she was hit in the back of the head and everything went black.

**{Loading...}**

_September 11, 2185_

_1617 hours._

_Debriefing Room, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked with the Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard._

"Commander," The Illusive Man greeted as the holographic projection fully actualized.

"Illusive Man," Marcus greeted, although it was half-hearted and completely without euthusiasum. He was not in the mood to talk to the Illusive Man after what happened on the collector ship.  _Especially_ after what happened on the collector ship, "You have information for me or have you come back to preach more about how that trap was 'for the betterment of the mission?'"

"I hope we can put that business behind us," TIM said optimistically before taking a draw from his cigar, "I have some important information for you. Its mission critical and an absolute necessity if you want to hit the collectors."

"I'm listening," Marcus declared firmly, crossing his arms.

TIM stood up, walking around his chair and looking out aimlessy into the bright star before him, seemingly ignoring Marcus, "EDI confirmed our suspicions. The Reapers have given the collectors an advanced Identify Friend/Foe system that allows them to travel the relay and land in the safe zone; outside the influence of the black holes and what other dangers await those going through. All the collector cruisers require these IFFs to safely pass through, or, no matter how colossal or powerful they might be, those black holes will rip them apart. All we need to do is get our hands on one of those IFFs."

Marcus was less than impressed, "Oh goody. We were just on the  _fucking collector ship,_  and you didn't even tell us it was there so we could extract the damn thing. We could be raiding the collector base right now if it wasn't for that fuck up."

"Like I said, EDI only just confirmed it," TIM stated before continuing, "Besides, you wouldn't have had time to extract the IFF without Harbinger or the collectors realizing what you were doing. Now, do you want to find out where we  _can_ get the IFF?"

"I don't have much of a choice," Marcus unpleasantly agreed.

TIM barely acknowledged it, "An alliance science team recently determined that the 'Great Rift', on the planet Klendagon was an impact crater from a powerful mass acellerator weapon," he took a sip of his whiskey before turning back to Marcus, "A very  _old_ mass acellerator. I sent a team to find either the weapon or its target. They found both." Marcus raised an eyebrow at this.

TIM quickly continued, smiling at Marcus' peaked interest, "The weapon was defunct, but they managed to plot the intended plot point of the weapon to its target: a thirty-seven million year old Derelict Reaper. We found it dead and trapped in the gravity well of a brown dwarf. So far, the only thing keeping its orbit is its powerful mass effect fields, which are still online and fully operational. The rest of the Reaper however was confirmed to be dead. A massive hole punched right through it by the weapon."

Marcus whistled in impression, "Whoever made that weapon were true badasses. I saw what Sovereign did to the Citadel and Alliance fleets  _combined._ Hard to imagine anything could stop something that powerful, let alone punch a nice hole through it."

TIM nodded in agreement, slipping back into his seat, "This dead carcass is a relic from a battle taking place when mammals were still taking their first steps on Earth. When quarians, turians, asari, humans and all the other species of the galaxy were probably still atoms waiting to be born. I wouldn't be surprised if the same could be said for the protheans," slipping out of his nostalgia, he quickly got back to the topic on hand, "There's no trace of the species that took the shot or manufactured the weapon. Its possible the weapon's firing was a mere 'show of defiance' before being wiped out. That, or this Derelict Reaper was a vanguard, much like Sovereign, that was discovered before its prime."

"Aren't brown dwarfs stars that didn't quite make it?" Marcus asked, awed by the weapon that destroyed the Reaper, but suddenly curious as to the contents of the killing machine's planetary scale prison.

TIM nodded, "Simply put, but accurate. They're gas giants that don't quite have the masses of stars. Expect gale force winds and extremely high temperatures. As for the Reaper's mass effect field, I'd call it stable, but not safe. Don't rely too much on it."

Marcus sighed heavily, "I'm only believing because I doubt you'd try to get us killed again this soon after the cruiser trap."

"Time is no longer waiting for us, Shepard," TIM announced, "I recently lost contact with Doctor Chandana's team on the Reaper, not long after they boarded. Initial reconnissance revealed no clues and it was too risky to devote more resources to it. I'd send in a commando unit or one of my cruisers, but yet again, time is of the essence. But...now we need that IFF. I'll forward the coordinates of the IFF to Joker and EDI. Approach when ready."

"When ready?" Marcus asked in confusion, "You don't want us to do it now?"

"You could, but I believe you have 'loyalty' issues to sort out," TIM replied, "Rest assured I understand and this mission can wait. The Reaper isn't going anywhere and the collectors seem to have died down in their abductions, possibly because they are paying a close on you. They perceive you as a threat and that's good; it means they'll devote more resources to eliminating your crew then they will colonies."

"I feel really reassured, thanks," Marcus deadpanned, "If that's all, I'm going to get some sleep."

"Good luck Shepard," TIM said in goodbye, "And godspeed." With that, the holographic projection disappeared and the lighting returned to normal, table rising back to its normal position. With a sigh, Marcus leaned heavily against, rubbing his eyes.  _So close. We are so close to finally taking the fight to the collectors and ending this charade. But the Illusive Man was right; this all business with Jack? Kaidan? Miranda? Zaeed? Who's next? Until I know my team is fully commited, we aren't going anywhere. That and I need those upgrades for the ship. That Thanix Cannon, Silaris Armor and Cyclonic Barrier could really come in handy._ With a sigh, he moved to exit but Joker's voice over the comm interrupted him.

"Uh, Commander," the man's usual sarcastic tone was completely absent, "We've got a bit of a situation on the Citadel. You better get up here, and fast. Bring a gun."

He didn't need telling twice. He immediately rushed into the armoury and grabbed his pulse rifle along with a few thermal clips before rushing outside and fast walking towards the cockpit. Was it terrorists attacking the ship or mercenaries? Did Garrus get himself attacked? Was Tali being attacked by more racists? No, Kasumi would have told him. Unless she was unable to...

He moved into the cockpit and watched as Joker took notice, immediately turning around. Mordin quickly joined them, followed by Jacob and Zaeed at the airlock. Confused, he turned to Joker, awaiting an answer.

It wasn't far away, "It's Lia."

"She's been abducted," Jacob spoke up.

"By Blood Pack," Zaeed added.

Marcus frowned, "Lia kidnapped? By Blood Pack? Why?"

"They sent you a message, Commander," EDI informed him before playing it over the cockpit speakers just loud enough that only the flight deck workers could hear it.

"Commander Shepard," a male krogan voice boomed, "I have your quarian, Tali'Zorah. If you want her alive, you'll send Archangel to the coordinates provided in the message. Fail to do this and I'll not only fuck her bloody, but I'll cut off her head and sent it to you in a box."

"End of message," EDI stated.

"Well fuck," Marcus shook his head. If it were Tali in danger, he'd be hyperventilating or having a panic attack. Luckily it wasn't. No, instead, it had to be a terrified quarian girl on pilgrimage. Kidnapping her to get to him. But how did the Blood Pack know Archangel was alive or, for that matter, know he was serving on the Normandy?"

"I'll do it," a flanged voice declared and everyone turned to the airlock to see a newly arrived Garrus, sniper rifle clasped at his back and assault rifle in his hands. But he wasn't entering the airlock after returning, he was entering and  _leaving_. Marcus quickly caught up to him and spun him around with a hand gripped on his shoulder.

"You can't tell me no, Shepard," Garrus growled, "This is my responsibility-"

"Who said I was stopping you?" Marcus asked, pointing back to the ship, "Your just not going alone. Jacob, Zaeed, get your weapons. EDI, I want you to give me the coordinate and, at the same time, give a schematic of the complex we're looking at. If you can, hack its network and help us in anyway possible. And by no means are C-Sec to get involved. We don't need this guy killing Lia because he thinks we brought the cops with us."

With that Marcus headed back into the ship, Jacob and Zaeed hot at his heels. Tali quickly contacted him via omni-tool.

"I heard about Lia!" she exclaimed before he could say anything, "I'm on my-"

"No," he interrupted, opening his locker and grabbing his blood dragon armor, "We can handle this. I've got Jacob, Zaeed and Garrus going with me. We'll get Lia out of there. You continue shopping with Kasumi."

"About that Shepard," Tali began, "Kasumi...she needs to talk to you. I think its something important. Something to do with the expectations of Cerberus' contract with her."

"We'll worry about that later," Marcus stated, pulling on his helmet after fitting on the rest of his armor before grabbing his SMG, his other weapons and some more thermal clips, all while talking, "Right now, I've got another damsel in distress to save from Blood Pack mercs."

"Be careful Marcus," Tali said, concerned.

"Don't worry, I will," Marcus reassured her, "Have fun with Kasumi. I'll be back soon." With that, he closed down his omni-tool and looked to Jacob and Zaeed. Seeing them ready, he moved outside with them at his back and out the airlock, EDI contacting him with the coordinates. Sending his thanks, they moved into the skycar Garrus had parked outside and immediately took off, heading towards the coordinates marked.

**{Loading...}**

_September 11, 2185_

_1632 hours._

_Lower Ward Ruins, Chora's Den, Shalta Wards, The Citadel._

_Junior Assistant Lia'Vael nar Ulnay._

Lia woke to find herself on the floor in a very dark room. Thankfully, because of how bright quarian eyes were, the darkness was of no obstacle to her and she managed to get to her feet, looking around her non-descript cell. It was a small room; much smaller than even quarian quarters, and those saying alot. She looked around the room, and found only blank, grey walls, nothing worthy of description. A single door barred her escape and nothing much else. Lia sighed as she leaned against the wall and slopped to the ground, entering a fetal position.

She thought about what had happened.  _Blood Pack has me prisoner, and only because they think I'm Tali. They're thinking of raping me and want to use me to lure Shepard in. Keelah..._ Lia was so scared, she didn't know what to do. She could sit here and wait for her doom to come to her, or she could try and escape and risk the consequences. It was better than being mounted by a krogan. Or a turian. Or a human. Or anyone, against her consent. Knowing she didn't want to be left to her fate, she got up and decided she'd try and escape at the very least.

Looking through an empty window, she found that she looked to be in an abandoned bar complex. Where the original bar had been was now cleared out and used as a store for weapons and ammo, along with other things. The surrounding stools and tables were removed as well, mercs moving about with purpose. Without a sound, she moved to the door and moved to open her omni-tool, finding it still on her wrist.  _These mercenaries aren't very bright. And if they can't remember to do that, then their security must suck too._ Opening her omni-tool, she activated one of her basic overrides and the door slid open, Lia smiling in triumph as she stepped outside, forgetting to look for mercs.

"I see you've saved us the trouble of having to get you," came a grizzled voice from her left and two krogan warriors with shotgun quickly ushered her into a wall, the quarian once again captured.  _My freedom didn't last very long._ Those two krogan were quickly joined by a few more vorcha and the same turian from before.

The source of the krogan voice came into view as Ganar Yulaz. He wore the blood red armor of the Blood Pack, with a cyan white skull adorning his breastplate. Like most krogan, he had many scars on his face, and his crest was a deathly red. His eyes were black and red, a scary multicolor for a beast who was already terrifying to look at.

A toothy grin crossed Ganar's face, "Your time has come, Tali'Zorah. Shepard will bring Archangel here and I will finish what Garm, Jaroth and Tarak couldn't. The Battle on Omega was a damn catastrophe and made the Blood Pack look bad. But with Archangel dead...and at Blood Pack hands...we will grow strong again. Even the Blue Suns and the Eclipse will fear us."

"Who are you?" Lia asked without thinking. A vorcha hissed at her but Ganar raised a hand and silenced the beast, turning towards her with no evidence of a grin on his face being left.

"I am Ganar Yulaz, current leader of the Blood Pack," the krogan introduced, "My father, Ganar Wrang and founder of the Blood Pack, died a year ago and I've been running this organization after him. With the Blood Pack at my heels, I won't just rule the mercenary world, but I'll finally put that Urdnot Wrex xeno lover in his place. But it all starts with Archangel's death."

"What do we do with her until Shepard arrives with Archangel?" The turian asked, moving closer and causing Lia to shift uncomfortably, "Could we have some...fun with her?"

"You won't fuck her, if that's what you're asking," Ganar immediately refused and the turian turned to him in unspoken annoyance. Lia smiled, silently thanking the ancestors for their mercy. But as quickly as her hope had rekindled, it had died again when Ganar pulled on her arm and towards him.

" _I_ will," Ganar announced and the turian simply pouted, "As Commander of the Blood Pack and she being my prisoner, she is mine to mount and mine only. I might share what's left of her with you afterwards, but that's about it."

Lia felt tears form on her cheeks as Ganar pushed her towards his quarters at the back of the club. The turian simply mumbled under his breath, moving away while the mercenaries returned to their duties. The walk to Ganar's quarters were like the death march to an execution. Lia could feel her own heartbeat as Ganar opened the doors and shoved her inside, locking the door behind him. The very situation decided to only  _then_ hit her in the face.  _I'm about to be raped by a_ _ **krogan!**_

She was shoved onto the bed front first, and before she could resist, she was pulled up and forced back down, on all fours. She gripped the covers, feeling the krogan's hand exploring her lower torso, trying to find the access area to her thighs. She prayed to the ancestors he wouldn't find it.

The Ancestors answered with a righteous wrath.

An explosion was heard outside that shook the building and Ganar immediately forced her down, activating omni-cuffs and chaining her to the bed so she couldn't escape. With a growl, he picked up his shotgun, and looked at her, fury in his eyes evident. He pointed a finger at her to punctuate his following statement, "We shall continue when I return." With that, Ganar left through the door, once again locking it behind him.

Lia was just left there to think about her situation. If the explosion truly meant an attack, then she hoped it was rescuers.

She didn't want to think of the alternative.

**{Loading...}**

_September 11, 2185_

_1640 hours._

_Lower Ward Ruins, Chora's Den, Shalta Wards, The Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani._

"Go."

The door exploded inwards with a bang like a clap of thunder. The door barely withstood the attack as it was ripped apart by the blast. Marcus raised his weapon and lead the charge inside. EDI's coordinates had lead them into the abandoned Lower Wards of Shalta, along with the equally as abandoned Chora's Den, which C-Sec still hadn't gotten around to cleaning up and properly restoring, although without Fist, it would lack management. Either way, it didn't matter to him. He suddenly had memories of two years ago; when he had raided Chora's Den to rescue a certain quarian with information on Saren...

_And now she's my girlfriend...the love of my life..._

His rifle barked with fury as it caught a charging vorcha in the chest, ripping him wide open. He noticed a krogan merc charging him, so he quickly sent a biotic singularity behind the cover of a few more vorcha, lifting them into the air and allowing Jacob to pick them off one by one as they dangled helplessly. Turning to combat the krogan, he side stepped inhuman speed before slamming down hard on the back of the krogan's skull, causing him to reel forwards before his throat was slit by Marcus' omni-blade.

Shots slammed into his shields, but they held long enough for him to address the threat; a vorcha with a blood pack punisher SMG; they were notorious for being powerful weapons, but with massive recoil. He raised a biotic barrier, deflecting the shots and quickly shifted into a biotic charge, slamming into the vorcha at post-light speeds and sending it slamming into a wall, spine broken. Breaking his comrade's equilibrium, the vorcha's shot missed, allowing Marcus to dive his omni-blade into the creature's neck, killing it. Turning, he saw Garrus engaging in hand-to-hand with another turian in blood pack colors and Zaeed and Jacob struggling to keep back an advancing line of four krogan mercs. With boosted strength, he charged forward, barrelling into the nearest krogan.

The three turned and fired, but Marcus' omni-shield was up in a flash, deflecting the shots before he rammed it into the downed krogan's face, caving it in with a sizzling pop and crack. With the krogan dead, he turned to face his other three enemies, an SMG shot catching him in the arm as he grunted in pain. But he didn't waver, quickly moving to counter with a biotic push. The three krogan off balance, Marcus and his two squadmates fired on them, quickly killing them. Reloading, they turned to find Garrus putting a bullet in the turian merc's head. With a nod to them, Garrus turned, only to bump into a large krogan; almost Garm's size.

"Well, hello again Archangel," with a grin ear to ear, Ganar grabbed Garrus and threw him into a wall, spurring Marcus into action, along with Jacob and Zaeed. He rounded around the bar, striking Ganar from the back. The krogan spun around to face the new threat, apparently only expecting Garrus. Jacob and Zaeed's fire joined his, pinning the krogan down.

"Hello Ganar!" Zaeed greeted with a shout, "Long time no fucking see!"

"Zaeed?" Ganar spat on the ground, moving towards them with a grin, "I'll put you into the ground. This'll be easy."

"Wrong," Garrus said from behind Ganar, causing the kroga to whorl around to the sight of a Mantis sniper rifle in his face, "Archangel has one more merc to kill." With that, the turian pulled the trigger, Ganar's face exploding, gore coating the walls. His dead body fell into a heap and Marcus found himself, disturbingly, slightly disappointed.

"I expected a whole fight and everything," Marcus mumbled.

"What, like a boss fight?" Garrus asked, harnessing his mantis rifle.

"Um...what's that?"

"Oh, right. Don't play video games, do you? I seriously need to rectify that." With that, Marcus followed Garrus to Fist's old quarters. They found the doors locked, but even Garrus' basic tech skills broke through the nonexistent encryption and they moved inside. They looked to the left to find Lia cuffed to a rather large bed, and upon seeing them, Lia shouted to them for help. Marcus nodded, aiming his rifle at the cuff emitters and blowing them apart, freeing the young quarian of their aura.

She moved forward, nodding to them, almost in confusion, "What?" Marcus asked.

"Nothing. Its just...well, you saved me. Why?" Lia asked, "You knew I wasn't Tali, yet you came anyway. Why save me? I'm not important or anything."

He put a hand on Lia's shoulder and squeezed, causing her to look up into his eyes, "Never say that, Lia'Vael. You are as important as Mess Sergeant Gardner. You are as important as anyone else on the ship. You are a member of my crew, and I will make damn well sure my crew is safe. Do not think that because your a quarian I'll treat you any less. Besides, if that was the case, why would I have Tali as my girlfriend?"

Lia giggled, "You have a point. I just...I don't know how to thank you. I should repay you for saving my life."

The words sparked memories from long ago. They were Tali's exact words to him just after saving her from Fist and his thugs on the Citadel two years ago. He shook his head, mostly to shake his mind of these thoughts, "You don't need to repay me. I saved you for  _you_ , not because I wanted a reward out of it. I'm not that kind of man. Now, come on. Mordin was actually worried sick about you. Warned me that if any harm came to you I'd be in for it. I think he's grown attached to you."

Lia laughed, letting Jacob guide her outside, Zaeed quick behind him. Marcus surveyed the room, shaking his head as he quickly joined Garrus at the door and they left, heading the for the skycar parked nearby. With Lia back safely, that meant he could enjoy what little he had left of his shore leave. As they crossed the alleyway seperating the main lower wards from the lower markets, he received a message and smiled. His day just got better.

_To: Marcus Shepard._

_From: TheNaughtyQuarian7_

_Subject: I'm ready._

_Just finished shopping with Kasumi. I've got something special planned for this evening. I think you'll like it. Look forward to seeing you. Meet me outside the Dark Star Lounge. I miss you. XOXOOOOXXXXXX_

In the skycar, Marcus hit an epiphany.  _Wait, she knows how to symbolize hugs and kisses in emails now? Who taught her that?_

**{Loading...}**

_September 12, 2185_

_1259 hours._

_Port Observation, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked with the Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Master Thief Kasumi Goto._

Entering the young thief's was like entering a bank in preparation to rob it. That was the feeling that filled Marcus every single time he entered this room. He knew Kasumi was a good person, and they both had become close friends, not to mention that the thief had become quite attached to Tali, who saw the thief as a best friend of sorts. He even heard Kasumi refer to Tali as a 'little sister she never had.' He laughed. They were all becoming one big family now.

The date with Tali had been amazing. He didn't know how, but the quarian managed to find a holodeck simulator that put occupants into a room and used quantum entanglement from deep space cameras in the Serpent Nebula to simulate them being  _in it._ They had both laughed and enjoyed themselves as they ran through the nebula, seemingly gliding through the stars. It had been beautiful. And when they got the time, they would do it again. It reminded Marcus of his old childhood memories of wanting to run through the clouds; well he had found something better, and someone even better to share it with. Someone he cherished.

He found Kasumi lying on the sofa, looking thoroughly engaged in a book she was reading. Upon seeing the commander however, she closed it and plopped it down next to her, "I'm gathering that Tali told you about my latest...encounter with the past?"

"Something to do with the agreement of contract," Marcus answered, sitting in a sofa across from the thief's, "You had a mission you said was absolutely personal."

"Yeah, well I just got confirmation," Kasumi said, turning to him and sitting up in a fetal position, her usual smile completely absent, "I should probably tell you what this is all about. I owe you an explanation before getting you to a mission I made. I don't believe I've ever told you about Keiji Okuda."

"On occassion you have," Marcus corrected, "But you never went into who he actually was."

"Well, he was a professional thief, much like me, although he much preferred hacking everything, unlike me, who hacked and then did the rest physically. This one time, we ran into each other during a heist both of us had been operating. I was going to steal a painting, and apparently Keiji had heard of me. He stole it before me, but left a note saying 'better luck next time.' After that, I did everything to track him down, and I did. But we didn't fight. No, we partnered up. And together we became the best team this galaxy ever witnessed. Well, apart from yours." A small smile creased Kasumi's lips, but it was met with a tear streaming down her cheek.

"What...what happened to him?" Marcus asked, already knowing the end of this story.

"We were on the Citadel," Kasumi admitted, "It was shortly before the Battle of the Citadel. I was...spying on you and Tali, along with Keiji," Marcus raised an eyebrow. Kasumi barely noticed, "And I watched you admit your feelings to her too. After that, we headed up to our quarters. But then Keiji told me that we were in danger; and that I had to run. Have you ever heard of a greybox?"

"Yes," Marcus had heard of them, "They are like the black box recording devices of a tranport ship except buried deep inside a human brain. I've heard only one out of a thousand survive the treatment. Others die of brain scarring that don't heal or internal bleeding. They record your memories like data files, allowing another to access it upon the host's death."

"And that's ultimately what killed my Keiji," Kasumi sobbed but quickly held back a second and continued, "He had found out information he wasn't supposed to. Information, that if it got into the wrong hands, could mean the very end of the Systems Alliance. One that could have the batarians and humanity in a state of war."

Marcus widened his eyes, "What was this information?"

"I can't tell you. I...it wouldn't be right," Kasumi told him, "But I will at some point. Anyway, he said that a man named Donovan Hock wanted hold of the information and had sent Eclipse mercenaries to kill him for his greybox. He knocked me out and left me at a hospital so I wouldn't be killed. When I came back, I found Keiji and they had...they..." she entered an hysterical fit of sobs and Marcus moved to reassure her, the thief quickly sobbing into his shoulder. He just let her sort it out and when she finally finished crying, she sniffed and spoke once more, voice shaky.

"They...they had tortured him and...physi-physically ripped the greybox out of his brain. Whi-while he was still  _alive_ ," Kasumi sniffed, more tears streaming down her face, "C-Sec heard the screaming and quickly turned up to arrest me. They thought I had killed him; wrong place at the wrong time. I escaped and ever since then I vowed to reclaim his greybox. I have one of my own, so Donovan Hock has been looking to kill me as well, but I've always been one step ahead of him. But now I have the perfect chance to attack and reclaim the greybox. Hock has been unable to crack it, so the information is safe. For now."

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Marcus asked.

Kasumi nodded, standing up and turning to face him, "Hock is holding a party on the planet Bekenstein; consider it the human version of Illium, located in the Boltzmann System of the Serpent Nebula. Yes, its a system right next door to the Citadel," Kasumi ended with a giggle in response to Marcus' raised eyebrows, "He's got a massive mansion just on the outskirts of the Milgrom, the colony's capital. He's holding a party for all the criminal scum of the galaxy and has an intense security force of Eclipse mercenaries. Vido Santiago was invited, but...a pity what happened to him. I've heard Jona Sideris, the founder of Eclipse herself will be there as well."

"Anyway, we'll be infiltrating the party to force open his vault so I can steal back Keiji's greybox," Kasumi declared, "But we can't go in guns blazing. No, to enter the vault, we need to infiltrate it with stealth. And that means that you, Marcus Shepard, are going to be wearing a suit and going to a nice posh party. How does that sound?"

Marcus nodded, smiling, "Sounds good. So what will I be doing?"

"You'll be under the pseudonym of Solomon Gunn, a popular weapons smuggler and notorious criminal. You are feared by many on the Citadel, and C-Sec sees you as the biggest criminal on the Citadel since the great crime wars of 2179. And yes, I made that up. Tali, your quarian slave and assistant, is Lha'Beral nar Rayya, a slave you took for yourself upon raiding a quarian pilgrim ship. Your gang consists of many mercenaries, who will be members of the crew you choose. How does that sound?"

Marcus nodded, impressed, "Solomon Gunn. I'll have to get the crew to call me that; you know, get used to it. I don't like the idea of Tali being a  _slave_ , but I don't think she'll care, as long as she can be at my side. I'm going to guess that the rest will be explained through earpiece upon arrival?"

"How did you know?" Kasumi let a grin widen across her face.

"Call it a lucky guess," Marcus grinned back, standing up, "So, where is this suit you want me to wear?"

Kasumi moved into a box nearby and pulled out a black tuxedo and pants. Marcus's grin just grew wider as Kasumi beamed.  _Oh, Tali is going to love this._

**"I'm glad I never had to be anyone's slave ever again."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Just be lucky you were** _**mine.** _ **"**

**\- Marcus Shepard**

**"So, I guess your going to rejog our memory on Kasumi's little party? The thief herself isn't here to tell us, so why don't you?"**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"Never said I wasn't going to."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

_**A/N:** _

_**I sincerely apologize for the late chapter, but it will not get better. I'm completing my second walkthrough on GTA V, Buying Arkham Origins soon, and I get Battlefield 4 today. So I'm going to be very busy. But don't worry; I'll find a way to squeeze Kasumi's loyalty mission in. And yes, for those wondering, what you just read was indeed, Lia's loyalty mission. Short and simple.** _


	37. Scum of the Galaxy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kasumi plans the ultimate heist, and Shepard is roped right into it.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE:**

**SCUM OF THE GALAXY**

_September 13, 2185_

_1532 hours._

_Debriefing Room, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In Orbit over Bekenstein._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Professor Mordin Solus, Justicar Samara, Assassin Thane Krios, Soldier Grunt, Subject Zero Jack, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Senior Assistant Lia'Vael nar Ulnay._

Marcus waited at the end of the conference table, wearing the tuxedo and pants, along with the tie that Kasumi had given him. The tuxedo had been tighter than he would have liked, and the pants were very tight along with a close to choking tie, but he was okay with it. He had made sure his hair was not combed; he needed to look as criminal as possible. As the door opened, his team poured inside.

"You going on a date Shepard?" Zaeed asked, chuckling along with the rest of the group. As per usual, Garrus and Tali took positions next to him. Marcus smiled at them, but shook his head, "Not a date. Kasumi, take it away."

Kasumi decloaked and explained the situation and the mission to the crew. By the time it was over, the entire group nodded in approval and Tali looked at Marcus, the spectre offering her a warm smile before squeezing her hand. He knew Tali didn't like the idea of being a slave, but she seemed more okay with the fact that she'll be with Marcus the entire time, making her warm up to the idea.

"So who's going to be your mercenary crew, Shepard?" Kaidan asked.

"I've chosen that team already," Marcus declared, "Zaeed, Garrus, Grunt and Jack. Sorry to the rest of you, but I need people who can act the part. And who better to pretend to be mercs working for a dangerous criminal?"

"For someone who can't walk around without causing explosions, you're definitely a deadly criminal," Garrus remarked, chuckling.

"Very funny," Marcus deadpanned, "The only thing I don't like about this plan is walking in without weapons. I know my team will have weapons, but I feel naked when I don't have weapons and I'm walking around with criminals. Especially with Tali beside me."

"Rest assured, you will have your weapons, Shep," Kasumi grinned, "You won't like it, but I paid a sculpturist to make a statue of Saren Arterius that we'll be taking to the party. Hock will have it taken to his vault, and inside that statue will be your weapons and armor, along with Tali's. Once we're inside the vault, you can put them on."

Marcus immediately cringed at the mention of a statue of Saren. Memories from two years rushed back in an instant, but he bit them down and forgot them. Saren was dead, he wasn't coming back, and he had nothing to fear from a statue of a dead man, "Sounds like a fair plan. If all goes well, we grab Keiji's greybox and we hightail it out of there before Hock even knows we were there."

Jacob was next to speak up, "And if this thing goes south?"

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," Marcus reassured them, but they still looked skeptical, "And if it does, we'll have the Normandy ready to evac and four heavily armed mercs ready to fight our way out. Everyone clear on the plan? Good. Jacob, you'll be in command of second team. You'll be the auxiliaries; if we require reinforcements, we'll call you down."

Jacob nodded, "You can depend on us."

 _I never had a doubt,_ Marcus thought. With a nod, he grabbed Tali's hand and motioned for Kasumi to lead on. He looked towards his team, "Get your civvies, except you Grunt. Then grab your weapons and meet us in the shuttle bay. We'll be waiting for you." With Tali next to him, he moved out and followed Kasumi into the elevator, nodding to Kelly who smiled back at him.

In the stillness of the elevator, he turned to Kasumi, who wore a blank expression as she skimmed through items on her omni-tool. She seemed to be sending messages; probably to her informants. Seeing him looking at her, Kasumi turned and smiled, "Thanks for doing this, Shep."

Marcus nodded back, "You're a member of my crew; your issues are my issues. Besides, your Tali's best friend. She'd probably hurt me for not helping you." As expected, Tali slapped his arm, smiling behind her mask. He merely grinned back at her, gaining a giggle from the thief in question. Finally, the elevator arrived in the shuttle bay, and they stepped out. As Kasumi continued towards the shuttle waiting for them, Tali stopped Marcus and leaned up to his ear, whispering.

"I must say, you look amazing in that tuxedo," Tali complimented.

"Give credit where its due," Marcus smirked back, "You look sexy in that suit, as you always do. But someday, I think we shall see if women truly are sexier on the inside than the outside."

Tali rolled her eyes, slidding an arm inbetween his and grinning as they moved towards the shuttle with purpose, "You can be such a bosh'tet sometimes."

"Colors my personality, really," Marcus quipped before stepping into the shuttle with the quarian hooked with him, sitting inside beside Kasumi.

Not long after, his mercenary team arrived. Zaeed, Garrus and Jack wore plain civvies, but all three carried a sortie of shotguns and LMGs, Zaeed carrying a Revenant. Grunt just carried his usual claymore; his bright, silver armor a sight to behold indeed. As they all entered the shuttle, Zaeed and Garrus immediately took the pilot's seat, with everyone else strapping themselves inside, Jack looking bored as ever and Grunt even worse. The promise of blood was one thing; the promise of looking scary seemed to bore the krogan soldier.

Marcus sighed as the shuttle took off and quickly exited the shuttle bay, departing the Normandy and entering Bekenstein's atmosphere. The planet resembled Earth in terms of green landmass, but that's where the similiarities ended. Cloud cover was minimal, with only tiny flickers of white covering the sphere and the planet's oceans had a sicky green tinge to them. Landmass was almost impossible to see because of this, but luckily the shuttle had a GPS lockon system.

The entrance into Bekenstein's atmosphere was relatively light and once behind its almost nonexistent curtain, he could see the great city of Milgrom before them. According to Kasumi, the planet was meant to be the human version of Illium, but apart from the massive skyline and the expanse of the city coming to terms with Nos Astra's limit, he couldn't see why. The planet wasn't anywhere near as beautiful, and the asari architecture that made the city of Nos Astra a sight to see was absent in Milgrom, replaced by human imperial design which looked far too ugly.

Arrival at Milgrom spaceport didn't take long, and once out of the shuttle, one of Kasumi's contacts brought them a skycar and showed them inside. Due to their team being too large for the one skycar, Zaeed, Garrus, Grunt and Jack decided to take the shuttle, saying that Marcus should simply claim to having stolen the Cerberus shuttle. Tali, Kasumi and Marcus took the skycar, quickly departing from the spaceport and heading to Hock's mansion; his team's kodiak not far behind.

On the way to the mansion, Kasumi was on the wheels and talking to the two of them, "Remember, you two have to act your part. None of that lovey-dovey stuff you guys do. Tali, you are his slave and personal assistant, and will be known as Lha'Beral nar Rayya, not Tali'Zorah vas Neema. Marcus Shepard, you are Solomon Gunn, a ruthless criminal who stops at nothing to get what he wants. Act your part. As much as I know you disgust having to entertain the thought, but calling Tali an idiot, shoving her, abusing her verbally, small things like that will make your act look more genuine. As for you Tals, you just got to act stupid and mute. Don't say much unless asked a question."

"We'll try our best," Tali said nervously, "I wasn't recruited for my acting, though."

"None of us were, Tals," Kasumi smiled, before turning back to Marcus, "So, Solomon Gunn, you've cleaned up well."

 _Practise,_ Marcus thought as he smiled. He quickly wiped it from his face as he forgot about Marcus Shepard for awhile and assumed the role of Solomon Gunn, "I wouldn't have if this party was so damn important. Blowing up shit is what I do; not attending parties."

Kasumi nodded in impression, "Not bad. How about you Tali?"

"What do you-," the quarian quickly caught on and acted her part, hanging her head low, "I mean, I wouldn't know, M-miss G-Goto."

"Good," Kasumi smiled, "You know, for people who aren't actors, you do pretty good."

"I'm N7," Marcus supplied, "Acting was part of our training incase we had to infiltrate political establishments as pretenders."

"I thought they left that up to the SIA," Kasumi asked, confused, the mansion coming into view. All Marcus could think was that it was massive, as he left the thief's 'not-question' unanswered. The building was colossal was it was amazing; massive concrete overhang and a sizable balcony with a small parking lot being one of many features. The mansion also stood alone on a large 'strut' of natural overhang, making it look like a castle ontop of a lone hill. The skycar came to land in the parking lot, Zaeed's team landing the shuttle across from them. Kasumi turned to them, disengaging the skycar's power.

"You guys ready to do this?" Kasumi asked, her cheerful tone gone.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Marcus replied and Tali merely said nothing. He smiled.  _Tali, we'll make an actor of you yet._ They stepped outside, Tali grabbing a datapad and holding it to her chest with clenched hands, following behind him with a nervous step. Marcus crossed his arms behind his back and thought about one thing that made him angry. He immediately thought of Stirling's treatment of Tali back on Noveria.

He turned to see that the Saren statue had been delivered and turned to his team, "Move, you useless dogs! That statue ain't going to move itself! Get that golden pile of shit inside before I piss meself!" His voice was hoarse, ragid and full of anger. Even Tali couldn't help but flinch from the sudden ferocity, but luckily that worked in their favor. To anyone else, it would look like a slave scared of its master. Fitting. Zaeed's team did as bid and began moving the statue forward, Garrus giving an eclipse merc a icy glare as they tried to help.

Kasumi immediately cloaked, noone noticing her. She'd go in under cloak so Hock didn't see her. With a optimistic and fierce step, Marcus moved up to Hock, Tali beside him and looking just as pathetic as she had been leaving the car.  _That's my girl. Just keep that up until this is over._ Before he could move up the steps, the golden statue of Saren was stopped by an eclipse merc, who raised his omni-tool to scan it, only to get a beeping sound in response.

"Sir, this statue will not come inside until I've done a search," the merc stated firmly. Marcus chuckled humorlessly.

"Oh, I don't fucking think so," he roared, grabbing the merc by the collar, "Did I come all the way out here to have some, low-grade shithead like you deny me? I want to see Hock immediately. I came here hoping I'd see iron criminals, but instead I see some idiot trying to imitate C-Sec with his rooster strapped between his legs. I want to see Hock now!  _ **Hock!**_ "

"Sir, that won't be-" the merc tried to get in, but an extremely thick russian accent was quick to hear none of it, "What is the meaning of this racket? My name was called?"

He turned to look up the staircase and immediately saw Hock himself descending the steps. The man had bright black sideburns covering his face, with a comical moustache under his nose. His hair was combed forwards, giving him a close to Elvis appearence, and his face looked built on muscle. His extremely thick russian accent made it so that you could easily tell his descendence. The man whore a tuxedo like his, except it was milky white all over with a black tie.

Marcus smiled, pointing to the merc, "This fucking degenerate wants to deny me entrance because his little metal detecting toy got a few readings off of my beloved statue. I come with this gift, and this is how I am thanked? To say I'm insulted would be like telling you that quarians are vagrants and asari are painted whores."

"Indeed, Mister Gunn," Hock smiled, turning to his merc, "You idiot, the metal detector probably just picked up the gold in the statue. Go report to Chief Roe, you obviously don't know how to welcome guests in a worldy manner," Dismissing the merc, Hock quickly turned to Marcus, bowing his head, "I apologize for my security's incompetence. Believe me, Chief Roe will straighten him out; she's a real hardass," he quickly took note of his team, "These men yours?"

"My best men, yep," Marcus replied, "They won't be coming in. I trained them so they knew when to sit, roll and bark for me. Right now I've told them to sit, and for this retarded slave of mine to roll with me."

"Roll with you in your bed, no doubt," Both of them shared a laugh, but Marcus' was more forced and he had almost hit Hock.  _Control those urges_. Hock quickly turned to Tali, who shied away, "And this curvy little slave of yours is...?"

"A name too boring and stupid to bother mentioning," Marcus offered instead, "Ignore her. She's nothing but eye candy, if you ask me. Now, where the hell is this party? I didn't come here to talk about my witless assistant."

"Of course, Mister Gunn," Hock quickly stepped aside, motioning for them to go inside. Marcus nodded, slapping Tali on the ass and growling to her to move. Tali nodded mutely, moving up ahead. A second later, he saw her rub her butt. He immediately cursed under his breath and moved next to her, whispering in her ear.

"I didn't hurt you too much, did I?"

"Shhhhh," Tali silenced him, "Worry about me later. We've got a mission."

"Thank you Tali," Kasumi spoke over the comm channel they had set up, "You're too overprotective Shep. Tali is a woman; she can take care of herself. Just do as I tell you and you'll be fine." He nodded, and turned to see Hock in the middle of the room, talking with a laughing Jona Sederis. He looked at the other occupants; high-class pirates, big-name privateers, mercenary commanders, murderers, corrupt politicians and other criminals. He was disgusted to see women waitressing in revealing dresses of many sorts, even seeing some human girls who looked no older than 14, with men feeling them up as they went past.

 _Scum of the galaxy,_ he wanted nothing more than to burn this mansion to the ground, but he knew that had to wait. It would do him no good to get spotted now; and lesser yet for Kasumi. For now, he had to play by the rules of the mission. With a sigh, he motioned for Tali to follow him, reentering Solomon mode. As he moved, he saw the golden statue of Saren get moved down a flight of stairs leading down further into the mansion, and presumably to the vault. He noticed that eclipse mercs were posted everywhere.

Moving around, he heard the most foullest of things, most making him want to kill everyone in the room even more.  _I heard Archangel's dead. That's great. I want to see his head on a spike, myself. I piss on the turian's grave. I almost took out a quarian liveship once. I'd love to get some good booty, maybe one of these women are to my tastes. I guess we'll see. Hock sure knows how to throw a party._

He ignored the voices as he continued exploring the party, waiting for Kasumi's next set of commands. She had wanted him to get a feel for the mansion first; so they would know exit paths, where to shoot and where not to, where to exfil and how to access the vault without being spotted. Finally, Kasumi sent him the command.

"Meet me at the vault Shep, and make sure noone sees you," Kasumi asked, "And tell Tali to watch the steps for us, incase someone gets suspicious. See you down there." With a nod, he moved towards the vault stairs.  _And now the real fun begins._

**{Loading...}**

_September 13, 2185_

_1548 hours._

_Hock's Secret Vault, Hock's Mansion, Milgrom, Bekenstein._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Master Thief Kasumi Goto._

After leaving Tali to watch the stairs, he joined Kasumi at the middle of the small tunnel, only to find nothing. Kasumi appeared next to the wall, smiling as she raised her omni-tool and input a few commands. The wall infront of them vanished, revealing an enclosed room with a sealed door, a few terminals and Saren's statue to the right. He whistled lightly as they both moved inside, the wall reappearing behind them. Hock had some high-grade technology protecting his vault.  _Just what is in there that he holds so valuable. He can't just be the greybox..._

Kasumi went to work examining the terminals, happily humming to herself. Standing there, Marcus could stop his gaze from meeting the lifeless one of Saren's. The turian's half-cybernetic features bore into his skull, like he was still alive. The turian's words even echoed in his mind.  _A union of flesh and steel. I am Sovereign! You would doom our entire civilization to complete annihilation. Eden Prime was a major victory! You cannot stop the Reapers! Shepa-_

"Bekenstein to Shep!"

Marcus was pulled from his reverie as he turned to the thief, he was waiting for him to respond to her, "What?"

"You didn't hear a word I said?" Seeing him shake his head, Kasumi sighed heavily at went through it again, "Okay, there's a password protected voice lock, a kinetic barrier, a DNA scanner, a EX-700 series to be precise. Everything a vault needs to be impenetrable."

"You make it sound impossible," Marcus crossed his arms, ignoring the images of Saren in his head and focusing back on the mission.  _Saren's dead. Okay, stop fearing the corpse of a dead man. What's the point in that?_

Kasumi merely laughed, "For the average thief maybe, but I'm no average thief, I thought you knew that by now. No, with the right stuff, cracking this will be as easy as cracking an egg."

"Run me through it," Marcus asked.

Kasumi nodded, "Okay, so for the voice lock, we're going to need a sample of Hock's voice. You'll have to talk to him and use your omni-tool to record a set amount of his voice to override the voice lock. We'll need a password too. The DNA should be child's play, you'll just have to get access to Hock's private quarters. As for the barrier, its as simple a thing as cutting the power. You could have Tali do that. There you go Shep, you've got your task, now see that you do it right."

Marcus nodded, leaving Kasumi in the vault room as he went outside and met back up with Tali. He saw a man feeling Tali up; a turian by the looks of it. He knew, if Tali weren't on a covert mission, the turian would be decked already, but the quarian couldn't break cover. Instead, he moved over and shoved the turian off her, "Hands off my assistant, scum. Only I can touch her." To demonstrate this, he grasped Tali's butt and squeezed, leaving a flustered turian behind as they moved back into the party.

Okay, job one; get the voice override. He leaned over to whisper in Tali's ear, "When I talk to Hock, have your omni-tool recording our conversation. And make sure the sensitivity is high; we need to hear Hock's voice. No questions, just do it. Trust me," With that, he approached Hock, a calm look on his face. He didn't want to approach the man looking murderous.

He was still talking with Jona Sederis when Marcus arrived, but he took notice of the man and shook his hand, turning to Sederis, "I don't believe you two have met. Mister Gunn, meet Miss Sederis, founder and current CEO of Eclipse. Sederis, this is Solomon Gunn, a notorious criminal and pirate in Council Space."

"Ah, Solomon Gunn, a pleasure to meet you," Sederis offered, shaking his hand. The asari's hands were cold and warm at the same time, and she held a calm demeanour about her that was unnerving, "I was just talking with Hock about his and my great accomplishments over the past few decades. Or at least my side, anyway."

"I'm guessing Sederis suggested the security arrangement?" Marcus asked.

Sederis nodded, "My organization are the best in terms of security. The Blue Suns could have been so much better, but...pity what happened to Vido Santiago. I guess he shouldn't have betrayed Zaeed Massani after all. Still, if you want security, Eclipse are the ones you come to. We don't fuck around, unlike the Blood Pack and we provide better company than those stone-faced motherfuckers running the Suns."

"Security is pretty heavy though," Solomon Gunn stated, "I think I spotted a heavies near the entrance. Do you really think people are this willing to fuck with the great Donovan Hock?"

Hock smiled, "Mister Gunn, in our line of work, we attract a certain element. You of all people should know this," the criminal waved his glass in the air and continued, taking a sip of the wine, "Few understand the risks we take to keep the barbarians at bay. Idiots like that Commander Shepard only seem to inconvenience us, but even so, we must protect our investments, as I must."

He turned towards his party, waving his arms over the scenery, "People these days want entertainment, comfort, love...," the man said with disgust clear in his voice, shaking his head as he said it, "They don't see that the galaxy is fragile."

Hock's voice had gotten so loud that the whole party had stopped for a few moments to hear him speak, and Hock continued on with his speech, only seeming to get louder and louder, while Tali just continued to record him from behind the scenes, "They only have to worry about simple luxuries. Why? Because people like  _me_ , and  _you,_ and  _Sederis,_ are doing the terrible things that keep the galaxy spinning. This party...is for us! The cleaners, the support structure for the galaxy's gleeful delusions of peace! May there always be a market for the things we do!"

His speech finished, everyone clapped, wooing and cheering Hock for his performance. Hock smiled and held his arms in the air, smiling as he welcomed the applause. Marcus clapped along with Sederis and everyone else, elbowing Tali, as the quarian started to clap as well. When the clapping was done, Marcus could hear Kasumi in his headset as he gave Tali the thumbs up to stop the recording, "I told you to get him talking and you...got him talking," she stated cheerfully, "We've got the perfect recording for the voice box now. Clear the rest and we are golden, Shep."

Hock turned to him, all nods and smiles, "So, Mister Gunn,  _that_ is why security is so big. Anyway, I have some things to look over with Miss Sederis here. Enjoy the party, Mister Gunn." With that, Hock left with Sederis and disappeared, allowing Marcus and Tali to leave as they searched for the location of the password. He commed Kasumi, sending a message on his omni-tool saying 'Password Location.'

It didn't take long for him to receive a message back saying, 'Security Room, Back of Party. Taking care of lock.' He followed the thief's directions and sure enough, they found the security room and walked inside, the door being unlocked. They moved silently down the corridor, Marcus pulling out his pistol sidearm. Kasumi had told him that he was allowed a sidearm, but Tali didn't have one due to her guise as a slave. He ordered her to stay behind him as he peeked into the room.

Three guards on duty worked in the security room; two chatting and one at a terminal, monitoring the CCTV cameras. He was glad he brought a silencer. Quickly attaching it to the predator pistol, he turned, and with precision only possible with cybernetic reflexes, he put two headshots into both of the chatting guards before running up and slamming the monitoring officer's face into the table and knocking her out. He ordered Tali to search the other tables while he shuffled around the main one. Soon enough, Tali cried out behind him.

"Found it," she informed him, bringing him a datapad with the word, 'Peruga.' He asked Kasumi what it meant and she told him it was the name of the man who stole the Mona Lisa, now long dead after Hock killed him and took the famous painting and hid it in his vault. With a nod, he asked Tali to follow him out, leaving the datapad behind as they left the security room, locking it behind them.

Now they needed the DNA. But that was something only he needed to bother with. He had a different assignment for Tali. Turning to the engineer, he whispered, "Tali, use your omni-tool track the power source of that kinetic barrier down in the vault room to its point of origin. When you find it, do whatever you need to, to put it out of commission. I'll go and find this DNA sample from Hock's quarters." With that, the two went seperate ways.

He approached the door to Hock's quarters, but there two guards in plain sight of the party. He couldn't take them out without arousing suspicion and panic. He sent a message to Kasumi, telling her of his situation. Mingling in, he waited for a reply and got it fifteen seconds later, with the simple words of 'There's a different route. Go around to the balcony, and leap to a level just below it. There's a few guards, but I'm sure you can silence them.' With a smile, he moved forward, continuing the guise of Solomon Gunn, master criminal.

Upon reaching the end of the balcony, he looked down to see Kasumi was right; a level lay below with three guards on patrol. Looking to see if there was anyone looking, he leapt off and landed in a roll, grabbing his pistol on his hip. Noone had noticed him; and lucky for him, they all had their backs to him. Piece of cake.

He moved forward, and unsheathed his omni-blade. In one foul-swoop, he had slept up and slit the throat of one of the guards and emptied a shot into the back of another's head. Laying the body down he moved up and snapped the third's neck, all the while not making a sound. He crept up to the window and looked inside; a empty corridor. With a heave of effort, he opened the window and slid inside, holstering his pistol as he entered Hock's readily open quarters.

The bedroom of Donovan Hock was just as lavish as the rest of the mansion. In the middle of the room was his master bed, with a water fountain right behind it. To the right was a working desk, while at the back was a kitchen and many other things. To the left was a balcony overlooking Milgrom. He moved forward, quickly searching the room for anything he could use. He checked everything; old cigarette butts, datapads, pillows, the mattress, everything. Every last scrap of DNA. When he was content that he had found all he could, he left the quarters the same way he had gotten there, climbing back up to the balcony and leaving like nothing had happened. When he entered, Tali ran into him, telling him that she had located the power source and disabled it. Good, he thought.

Kasumi was aware of this and beckoned Marcus and Tali to join her in the vault room. They walked through the wall, arriving with everything they needed and finding a very bored looking Kasumi playing tetris. Seeing them arrive, she got up and deactivated her omni-tool, holding out her hands for the items. Handing them over, the thief worked her wonders, asking them to open up the statue and get suited up; play time was over. Marcus informed Zaeed's team that they were in and the mercenary's response was blunt and to the point; about fucking time.

While Kasumi disabled the vault's security, he went up to the vault. Tali tossed her datapad away and immediately dropped her act, stretching her shoulders and straightening her posture, "Keelah, slouching over really hurts." Marcus shared a chuckle with her over that and put on his blood dragon armor, handing Tali her shotgun and pistol, before grabbing his own weapons.

Turning, he saw Kasumi finish the DNA scan, the door unlocking and opening with a hiss. Kasumi smiled and motioned for them to go in, Marcus and Tali nodding at her as they moved inside the elevator, followed by the thief who closed the door behind them and began the journey down into the vault. He heard Tali sigh next to him and he turned to her, frowning as he did, "What's wrong?"

Tali sighed, "Its nothing."

He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, "Come on, tell me."

She finally relented, "Are you going to keep that tuxedo?"

"Well...," Marcus pondered the question.

"I can see that Tali approves," Kasumi added to the conversation, "You know its good when she approves, Shep. Might as well take the chance while you still have it."

He nodded, "Okay, I'll keep it. I've got it tucked away now, but I'll gave Zaeed fetch it for me." He sent the message just as the elevator stopped, door opening. When they stepped out into the vault, Marcus was awestruck, as was Tali. The vault was  _huge._ The room had to be the size of at least ten gymnasiums in total. Artifacts of all kinds of different makes occupied the room, from famous lost paintings, to greek sculptures. He saw what looked to be a model of an early turian warship; one that had taken to the  _water_. The biggest, and most prominant of them all, was the head of the Statue of Liberty sitting at the end of the room.  _That thing's been lost since the Second American Civil War. So this is where it ended up._

"We should split up," Kasumi suggested, "We'll find the greybox easier that way." With that, Kasumi moved off to check the left side isles, while Tali marvelled at a greek sculpture of Zeus. Marcus simply smiled and shook his head, moving down the isles, opening a bag he had brought for no particular reason.  _What did I expect to take?_

Eventually his search lead him to the end of the room where his eyes froze on something truly spectacular. Two solid slabs of stone sat behind a glass case and they reminded him of the ten commandments. But when he looked closer, he recognized the writing.  _This is Khelish._ He couldn't read it though; the translators couldn't translate it.  _This must be ancient..._ He looked up and saw Tali now looking at a statue of the asari goddess Athame and he quickly drew up the glass case, grabbed both of the stone slabs and slid them into his bag.  _Tali will love this._  He then continued his search for the greybox.

Apparently this wasn't necessary as Kasumi squealed, "Come quick, Shep! You won't guess what I found!" Marcus motioned for Tali to follow him as they moved to Kasumi's position, who was marvelling over an SMG behind a glass case. It was of an unusual design, and he couldn't recognize its manufacturer or the name of the weapon. But apparently Kasumi already knew.

"The Kassa Locust," Kasumi named casually but in awe, "The weapon that killed two presidents. And its the  _exact_ same weapon used by the assassin. How Hock came into possession of it, I don't know. Yet again, he does have the Statue of Liberty. I think I'll be taking that," with that, she broke the glass and took the locust, replacing her current SMG with it, "And it still hasn't been reequipped for compatibility with thermal clips. Very nice."

She then handed him the second locust, "Tali doesn't use SMGs, so I thought maybe you'd like it," he thanked Kasumi for it and replaced his tempest with the locust. Finally, they found the greybox sitting in a case right next to it. It was a small little device; it looked like Omega in microscopic form; yet not quite microscopic, as he could only just see it. It was about the size of his fingernail. Kasumi seemed to turn solemn upon seeing it, and quickly raised her omni-tool to scan it, " _Nanite koto_ ," she exclaimed as she looked at it.

But just as she accessed it, she was hit by a firewall. She bypassed it easily enough but all three jumped when a familiar russian accent boomed through the room, "So, Miss Goto. How good of you to finally join us."

They all turned around to see a massive vidscreen on the wall, with Hock's face on it, his grin smug beyond belief. Kasumi looked downright shocked, as did Tali. Marcus was just confused.  _How the hell did he know we'd be here? We were absolutely thorough! Maybe he found the dead guards..._

"I just knew you'd be here," Hock continued to gloat, "How could the Master Thief ignore a party thrown by Donovan Hock, the one with your dead boyfriend's secrets? My security measures were thorough, but I knew you'd get through, sooner or later."

"You know, I like to impress," Kasumi snarkily retorted, some of her old demeanour rising back up.

Hock's eyes quickly shot to Marcus, "And you, Mister Gunn. I expected more from you. I should I have, Commander Shepard?"

"Oh goody, you had the wits to find out my real name," Marcus said dryly.

"And you brought your quarian whore, how nice of you," Hock remarked, "You don't think I believed all that nonsense about 'quarian slave' did you? A man who just happens to fit he description of Commander Shepard and has a quarian in purple in his company? A jack of all trades," he quickly refocused his attention on Kasumi, his grin growing.

"Give me what I want, Kasumi. Tell me what's in the greybox," Hock demanded, "You know I'm willing to kill you for it. I admit, I'm impressed by your skills. You walked into my vault like I had left it unlocked, but you're still going to die. Screaming, just like Mister Okuda did. Yes, he died most painfully. Do you want to know how he died?"

He could see the rage building up on Kasumi's face, but it was quickly quelled by sadness, her eyes tearing up. Hock didn't notice and didn't care, continuing, "My mercs pulled that greybox out of his brain while he was still alive. He died screaming and I'm pretty his brain would have exploded after a-"

" _ **ENOUGH!**_ " Kasumi bellowed and Marcus and Tali were startled by the outburst. Kasumi had always been a cheerful person and never had to yell, but this was like an entire different Kasumi. Tears poured down her cheeks as she raised her weapon to the vidscreen, "You murderer! I'm taking this greybox and I'm going to make you pay for what you did to him! I'm going to kill you! You hear me!?  _ **I'm going to kill you!**_ " Kasumi finally snapped, firing a burst that went wide.

"Not with that aim you're not," Hock quipped but Marcus had had enough. He grabbed a grenade and primed it, throwing it into the middle of the room. Hock's face turned red as he screamed, but it did nothing. The grenade exploded, taking half of the artifacts with it, sending debris flying everywhere. Marcus didn't know how much history he had just destroyed, but he didn't care. He turned to see that Hock's face was blood red in fury.

" _ **You will pay for that!"**_ Hock boomed,  _ **"Chief Roe! Kill them! Kill every last fucking one of them!**_ " With that, the vidscreen switched off and Hock's face disappeared. Kasumi continued to scream at the blank screen just as a door at the end opened and a female human eclipse merc charged through, leading four mercs with her, who immediately opened fire. He tackled Kasumi to the ground as Tali leapt into cover somewhere else. He helped the thief up, and together the four of them opened fire on the mercs. He broke radio silence and contacted Zaeed.

"Zaeed here," the mercenary responded.

"Hock knows about us. Mission's compromised," Marcus announced, "We've got the greybox and are making our way back up. Light 'em up, Zaeed. Its time to crash the party." With that, he cut the connection and continued firing. Tali had taken out the eclipse squad's engineer and her combat drone was now keeping Roe busy while they dealt with her squadmates. When the final merc went done, he biotically charged into Roe, tackling her into the ground as he impacted. Her ribcage was broken by the impact and he sent a fist hurling into her helmet, smashing it and knocking her back. Lifting his rifle, he shot her in the face, ending her. He motioned for his team to move through the door, and once through, he followed them.

They moved down an empty corridor towards an emergency elevator. Sirens rang throughout the mansion; fire alarms.  _Of course Zaeed would burn down the place._ They moved into the elevator and it shot up, the eclipse not even bothering to shut off the power and delay them.  _Over confident bastards._ It didn't take long for the elevator to reach the top (as it wasn't a slow piece of crap like the Normandy's) and as the door opened, fire engulfed the building in all directions. With a sigh, he motioned for Kasumi to take point and Tali to take up the rear as they moved into the burning mansion.

**{Loading...}**

_September 13, 2185_

_1630 hours._

_Emergency Balcony Exit, Hock's Mansion, Milgrom, Bekenstein._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Soldier Grunt, Subject Zero Jack._

As Marcus, Kasumi and Tali charged out onto the balcony, they found Grunt stomping the head of an eclipse merc into the ground, laughing sadistically as his shotgun boomed and ripped apart an asari just infront of him before she could use her biotics. Without a sound, Kasumi disappeared, and under the cover of her cloak, moved forward and assaulted the mercenary forces. Zaeed told him that Sederis had already escaped the mansion via gunship, and Marcus stated to let her go. But he knew Hock couldn't escape; Kasumi wanted blood, he could see it in her eyes. If someone had killed Tali, they could be sure he'd want blood too, so he'd fullfill Kasumi's unspoken wish. Hock would die.

"Zaeed, Grunt, Tali, you two hold the shuttle," Marcus ordered, "Kasumi, Garrus, Jack, you three are with me. We're going to push through and find Hock." Kasumi gave him a silent nod of thanks, understanding the meaning of the search. They moved inside, gunning down gunning down any eclipse mercs foolish enough to get in their way. The mercenaries were disorganized; their leader had fled and her second-in-command's blood took Marcus' armor as its new armor. Without a command structure, the mercs were either fleeing or simply trying to kill as many of them as they could before fleeing. None of which was working, he thought.

The mansion was a burning mess. Parts of the roof fell apart while one of the stairwells had collapsed in on itself. Marcus quickly found the source of the destruction laying to the left; a destroyed eclipse gunship.  _Can't fault Zaeed on that then._ With the entire building in flames, time was of the essence. They'd have to kill Hock and quickly evacuate the building before it was completely destroyed. He noticed Kasumi had put Keiji's greybox in her pocket and was now moving with purpose in her step, Locust SMG held firmly in her grip as they honed in on Hock; scanners said he was in his quarters, arming up.

Breaking into the criminal lord's quarters was child's play; Jack and Marcus merely knocked the door down with their biotics and they charged in, killing the last of Hock's personal security. Upon hearing the gunshots, Hock swerved around to receive them, a bullet-proof vest strapped around his torso, and a kinetic barrier strapped to his hip. He held dual-wielded Tempest SMGs in his hands, eyes ablaze with anger, his face still flushed red. He flinched as an explosion ripped through the back of his room before the man's attention refocused on them.

"You've ruined everything," Hock spat, "This party was to be my crowning achievement! The criminal armies of the galaxy would be united under one banner and one purpose! But then Solomon Gunn arrives and fucks up everything! I should have shot you where you stood!" Hock raised both his weapons, and Marcus' team quickly reciprocated the gesture.

"This entire thing is a catastrophe, "You decimate my security, destroy my home and now come to kill me. I knew you were dangerous, Commander Shepard, but this is something different entirely," Hock snarled.

"I'm glad I was able to disappoint you," Marcus said with no sympathy in his voice, "You're a murderer and kill people without mercy and find pleasure in it. The galaxy could do without your likes in it."

"You call  _me,_ a murderer?" Hock snarled, pointing accusingly at him, "You're the Butcher of Torfan!"

Marcus finally snapped, "Don't you  _dare_ bring that up, you scumbag. I did what was necessary,  _ **I did not take joy from it!**_ "

"Fine, spectre," Hock surrendered, "If you want to take me in, so be it. C-Sec will have to let me go when my lawyers find out."

"Who said anything about C-Sec? Do you even recall what a spectre is?" Hock's eyes widened at this and Marcus nodded, "Of course you do; you're not walking out of here alive, Hock," he turned to Kasumi, "He's all yours. End this son of a bitch."

Kasumi shook as she rose her SMG to the man's head, "I've waited two years for this..."

"And you'll wait even longer!" Hock shouted as he raised his own SMGs and fired sporadically. Kasumi leapt into cover, activating her cloak as she went. Garrus and Jack lay down a field of suppression fire while Jack tried to lock onto Hock with her biotics. Marcus moved to fire at Hock, but stopped when he noticed a shimmer behind the man as he backed out onto his balcony. Moments later, Kasumi appeared and arms wrapped around his neck.

"It's over, Hock," Kasumi hissed.

"I've still got one more last resort!" Hock shouted and his omni-tool beeped. Marcus was about to ask what when he heard the familiar sound of an approaching gunship. It quickly rose up and over the balcony and its chain gun locked onto Kasumi. But the thief was so focused on killing Hock she barely noticed, "Kasumi, gunship!"

Kasumi's eyes widened and she turned, bringing Hock with her. The gunship pilot must have panicked, because instead of firing the main guns, two missiles streaked out and impacted the balcony, blowing it apart. Garrus fired at the cockpit, but the shot missed and it the wing as the gunship fled, giving up on Hock. They had won, or at least thought they had. As Marcus turned, he saw the balcony crumble beneath Hock and Kasumi, taking the two of them with it as it plunged into the ocean below. Marcus cried out as he dropped his weapon and slid along the ground to grab Kasumi's hand.

He felt something and grasped it and, looking down, found Kasumi alive and holding onto his hand. The balcony was completely gone, and he noticed Hock barely holding onto Kasumi's leg, "Please help me!" Hock pleaded, looking down below as his other hand grabbed ahold of Kasumi's ankle and held on, "I'm begging you!"

"Get rid of him Kasumi!" Marcus pleaded, "My cybernetics are strong, but there's only so much I can hold! Get rid of him or I'll lose my grip!" Kasumi nodded and looked down at Hock dangling below them. With a heave of effort, she lifted her other foot above his head, Hock's eyes widening, "Go to hell. Keiji will send you there himself!" Her leg shot downwards and impacted Hock's face hard, causing him to loosen his grip on instinct. The criminal lord's screams echoed through the burning mansion as he plummeted down into the ocean; a villain in Kasumi's life gone forever. He pulled Kasumi up, everyone else watching as Hock disappeared behind the waves, most likely killed by the impact.

He turned to his team, "Let's get out of here. This place is going to collapse any minute now." With a simultaneous nod from everyone, they rushed back to the shuttle, finding Tali, Zaeed and Grunt waiting for them, shuttle already hovering next to the balcony. The building was empty and completely engulfed in flame now. He could hear the sound of firetruck sirens in the background as the Milgrom fire department reacted. He leapt into the shuttle, followed by Garrus, Jack and Kasumi. The shuttle quickly lifted off and shot up into the atmosphere, leaving Hock's burning mansion behind. Another mission successful, Marcus thought to himself as he watched swarms of firetrucks descend upon the doomed mansion.  _And Hock is gone._

Shortly after entering the shuttle, Kasumi had disappeared in a compartment behind the main compartment and Marcus had followed, telling his crew to stay where they were, closing the door behind him. Once inside, he turned to see Kasumi silently sobbing to herself, leaning against the wall for support. He approached her but she noticed his presence and quickly regained her posture, wiping the tears from her face.

"Have you looked into the greybox yet?" Marcus asked.

"No," Kasumi answered bluntly, "Too busy thinking about what just happened. Its finally over. I avenged Keiji, killed Hock and got back his greybox before Hock could crack it open. I should feel better but I don't. Throwing that bastard into the sea really didn't make me feel better. It didn't change anything; Keiji's still dead..."

He squeezed her shoulder, "It'll get better, you'll see. Do you want me to hook up the greybox for you?"

"Yes," Kasumi answered quickly, pulling the device in question out of her pocket and turning it in her palm, "Yes, please." She then hooked it into a nearby terminal and Marcus activated it, interfacing it with Kasumi's greybox. A holographic feed appeared infront of Kasumi's eyes and she melted into Keiji's own thoughts and memories.

When she opened them she stood in a dark room; nothing to describe, just complete darkness. Feeds of information and video footage, all Keiji's memories, appeared before her and she smiled as she walked among the vast data trove. She pulled down her hood, allowing her hair to flow freely. Finally, after what felt like hours of searching through data, a familiar, calm voice spoke up.

"Kasumi," she whirled around and saw Keiji, just standing there and blankly looking into the darkness.  _A recording,_ she thought as she approached it. He looked just as he did back on the Citadel before his death; dark black hair, a thin goatee, and smooth, angled facial structures while wearing a dark brown civilian uniform. Before she could say anything, Keiji's recording spoke once more, "If you're seeing this, its because I'm dead."

She felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she quickly forced them down, not allowing the flood of emotions to break free. She contained her emotion as Keiji waved to all the data files before them, "The information we found is all here. Its big Kasumi. If the Council got wind of this; the Alliance could be implicated. It could mean war."

Kasumi raised her omni-tool to scan the data, but almost as if Keiji knew that would happen, he spoke once more, "I encrypted the information to keep it safe and uploaded the encryption key to your greybox, so noone but us could get the full package." Kasumi found a particular video feed that she liked opening it. She watched as her past self pounced on Keiji, pinning him to the bed and making love to him. The video brought a smile to her face, along with fresh tears.

"But if I'm dead, and the information is still in your greybox...," Keiji cut himself off, Kasumi's fists clenching, "Then I've made you a target, my love. I'm so, so sorry."

Kasumi whispered his name under breath, "Keiji," the name hadn't left her mouth by itself for so long, and it felt like honey on her lips, sounded as beautiful as the chitter of birds. She felt the tears come in larger amounts now, unable to hold back the memories, but Keiji just kept talking, "I know you. You'll want to keep these memories forever," he paused for a moment, contemplating his own next words, before continuing, "But you don't need some...neural implant to know that I'll always be with you. Please, Kasumi...," she knew what was coming next. She didn't want to hear it. But he said it anyway. The words were like venom to her ears.

"Destroy these files," he said barely above a whisper, his own words paining him just as much as her.

Kasumi turned to him and rushed back up to him, trying to hold him, but her hands slid through the hologram, her tears finally developing into sobs as she backed away, "There's nothing more I can do to protect you."

"No, please," Kasumi begged, knowing her words were nothing to the mindless message, "Don't do this Keiji. Don't leave me. I have  _you_ , now. I can't give you up. I won't forget you..." He sobs continued, the thief losing the majority of her resolve as she hit some invisible wall and fell to the ground, weeping, "I can't destroy them. They're all I have l-left, of-of you."

The message continued its mindless drone, but this time Keiji's message became more emotional, tears drifting down his own face, "Goodbye, Kasumi. I love you." Keiji's form disappeared as she moved to hug it, but it was no use, her body was too wracked with melancholy, unwilling to move. The darkness was cleansened as the form of the shuttle returned. This time, Tali was in the room, standing next to Marcus as he deactivated the terminal, and looked at Kasumi, sympathy in his eyes. He squeezed Tali's hand and let go.

Kasumi just whispered the words she had wanted to say to the recording before it turned off, "I love you too, Keiji." Kasumi crawled into a fetal position and just continued to sob. Marcus turned to Tali and squeezed her shoulder. The quarian turned to him.

"You're like a little sister to her," Marcus told the quarian, motioning to Kasumi, "Look after her. Counsel her. I'll be in the cockpit." He smiled warmly at her and quickly took his leave, leaving Tali alone with a weeping Kasumi still lying pathetically on the floor. After a moment of awkward silence, Tali moved from where she stood and slid down to sit down next to Kasumi, moving in closer to her and wrapping an arm around the thief's shoulders.

"Hey Tals," Kasumi mumbled, trying to sound cheery.

"Ssssshhhh," Tali reassured her, "I know what it's like to lose someone, I truly do. I understand what you're going through. But it does get better."

Kasumi shook her head, "Who did you lose?"

"My mother and Marcus," Tali admitted, "My mother's death still leaves a hole in my heart, but losing Marcus...that destroyed me. I didn't know what to do with myself. I just empty and lost, like I didn't know what to do. I eventually just returned to the Migrant Fleet on his mother's ship, but returning didn't help. It was joining the military and having friends to console me that helped me recover. That's what helps Kasumi; friends who are there for you."

"Are you a friend of mine, Tals?" Kasumi asked, looking into the quarian's eyes. Tali shook her head, laughing.

"No, I'm not," Tali answered, before turning back to Kasumi, "I'm your little sister, and that makes it even better. We're all here for you, Kasumi. Marcus cares, Garrus cares, Chakwas cares, Joker cares. All of us care. I'm sure even Zaeed and Grunt have a soft spot. Keelah, as much as I hate to admit it, I think even EDI cares, and that's alot of praise to an AI from any quarian."

"I guess what I mean to say is that it always gets better when you have people who care all around you. Now, I won't pretend I knew Keiji, but I will say this; I can tell he was a brilliant man if  _you_ fell in love with him, and I'm happy for you. But you shouldn't dwell on his death. He would want you to move on."

"He's laced all the memories with the data Hock was trying to find," Kasumi admitted, "To destroy the bad information, I'd have to destroy everything in the greybox. Keiji's last life source, his last memories, all the good times we had together...and he wants me to destroy it all."

"That's a truly a difficult thing to do, a cruel thing," Tali stated, "If it was Marcus, I don't know if I'd have the strength to do it. But I know you would, Kasumi. You must let go of him; do that, and destroying the greybox will be much easier. Do it, Kasumi. For him. Respect his last memories by granting him his dying wish."

Kasumi nodded, shaking as she stood up, her quarian friend helping her up, "Thank you, Tal. I...I needed that," she then embraced the quarian, "My little sis. We're a family now, and we girls gotta stick together. Will...will you help me? Will you stand by...a-and help me destroy it?" Tali didn't hesitate at all; she nodded immediately, moving with Kasumi to stand next to the greybox. Kasumi raised her omni-tool, the arm shaking and wobbling, Tali standing by her and giving her words of assurance and confidence. Kasumi knew she had to let go; the reins of the past couldn't hold onto her forever.

She hit the overload program and in an instant, it was done; the greybox combusted into tiny flames, destroying the greybox and everything in it. Its dark secrets, Keiji's last memories, his dying wish...everything. When Kasumi turned back to Tali, she collapsed back into her arms, hugging the quarian tightly. Tali melted into the sisterly embrace, smiling as she did. Kasumi smiled as well.  _I will miss you Keiji, and I'll always love you. And I have a home now. A home that makes me feel like I belong. And a quarian I can call a sister._

Kasumi never felt so blissful and yet so sad at the same time in all her years as a Master Thief. She loved and hated it.

**"Stolen memories."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"Yeah. I still feel sorry for Kasumi to this day. Still, she did move on, didn't she? Who's her husband again?"**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"I do believe that's spoilers."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Damn you woman. Anyway, what happened next is a shocker! Helping the crew more..."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

_**A/N:** _

_**I think this chapter is one of my more successful ones. I tried to convey the emotions Kasumi was going through over losing her loved one and finally getting revenge against Hock for killing him brutally. I hope you agree and tell me what you thought in the review section. Please, I'm curious as to what you think.** _

_**And Tali and Kasumi are now officially sisters! In a weird, alien-bonding period kind of way! Don't worry, I'm pretty sure Marcus and Garrus are bros anyway. Marcus, Garrus, Tali and Kasumi; Team Dextro for the win! Or, should I say, the Dextro Bosh'tets!** _


	38. An Episode of Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob asks Shepard to help investigate a distress call from a father he thought to be a decade dead.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX:**

**AN EPISODE OF LOST**

_September 13, 2185_

_1715 hours._

_Combat Information Center, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Mining Planets in the Boltzmann System._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Yeoman Kelly Chambers._

Marcus entered the CIC without a smile on his face. They had been mining the Boltzmann system for quite a while now, and the mission with Kasumi had left him feeling very unfullfilling. Kasumi, thanks to Tali, had recovered quickly however, although still being visibly shaken. The thief had recovered fully though, and was ready to continue the mission to stop the collectors. He felt some reassurance knowing that.

He moved up and returned Kelly's smile as he walked up to her, "Miss Chambers. Have you seen Kasumi yet?"

Kelly shook her head, "I didn't see the need to. Not after Tali seemed to calm her down. I think I might find myself without a job if she keeps that up."

Marcus chuckled, "No worries on that account, I can assure you. Tali is engineering all over and is not looking to be a psychologist anytime soon. No, you're job will continue to be yours for quite a while longer."

Kelly nodded, before turning back to her terminal. But just as she did, she stopped, freezing. Marcus noticed this as he completed his ascension up the steps to the galactic map and he quickly turned back to her, "Something wrong, Chambers?"

"Yes," Kelly responded hesitantly, "Jacob has been acting strange lately. Ever since receiving a certain message from Cerberus, he hasn't been himself. He's barely left the armoury and won't even check in for our daily psyche sessions. I know we have a mission, but would it hurt to check up on him? You know...just to make sure he's okay?"

"If its his problem, then that makes it mine as well," Marcus assured her, stepping down from the galaxy map, "Where is he now?"

Kelly was turning but quickly snapped back around, one hand on her hip and even under the red mop she called her hair, he could see her rolling her eyes. Then he remembered what she had said, "Oh...right." He left Kelly, entering the armoury just as the yeoman turned back to her terminal, giggling, "Men are so dense sometimes," she mumbled under her breath before continuing her work. Miranda's psyche session was up next.

As Marcus entered the armoury, he immediately saw Jacob on the ground, doing situps. He stood there and knew Jacob had seen and heard him enter, so he just waited for the cerberus operative to finish his exercise. A few moments later, Jacob leapt up from his sitting position and grabbed a towel, dabbing his face to get rid of any excess sweat before turning to Marcus, "Commander," he saluted. A habit of his, "What can I do for you?"

"Miss Chambers told me you were acting alittle strange and weren't attending her sessions anymore since you got a certain...message," Marcus asked.

Jacob's look suddenly changed and it turned into something stern. He stepped backwards and leaned against his workbench, "Nothing gets past the commanding officer, does it? Look, its nothing you need to concern yourself with. Its a personal matter."

"Seems pretty personal if its got you acting strange, soldier," Marcus added the last part to fuel his argument.

"Indeed it is," Jacob told him, "But its nothing you should waste your time with. The collectors are the main threat; not some dead ghost haunting me. Fuck, said too much, didn't I? Anyway, I should get back to work," Jacob moved to return to work, but Marcus was having none of it. He didn't need his crew distracted from the mission.

"Miranda's mission was personal. Kasumi's mission just was personal. Jack's mission was personal. Yours is personal," Marcus pointed out, "See a pattern? I don't care if its personal and you don't think I'll see it as worthy of my attention; I do and your going to damn well tell me what's going on, soldier."

The operative quickly held up his hands in surrender and fell into the seat infront of his bench, "Sure thing, commander. Look I...I know you deal with personal stuff, but this is the kind that doesn't need special attention. Its just some ghost haunting me...alright?"

Marcus took a seat opposite his bench, leaning forward, "Enlighten me. What's this ghost? You referenced it twice now."

Jacob looked about to object again, but sighed and finally gave in, knowing full well that he could only delay it. When Shepard wanted something, he got it. He turned around, entering a position much the same as Marcus', and began his tale, "Okay, well the other night, I got pinged by a ghost. Ah...its family."

Marcus motioned his hand forward telling him to 'go on'. Jacob nodded, letting out an intake of breath, "My private log got an update about the Hugo Gernsback, the ship my father served on. It sent out an SOS last week, reporting a crash and requesting a rescue."

"And the ghost?" Marcus asked, confused.

Jacob shook his head, "That is the ghost. Shepard, that ship went missing ten years ago. I hadn't talked to my father three years before that. I've buried everything but a body. I'm not convinced its some automated distress signal ticking over. Its been too long."

"Tell me about this ship: the Hugo Gernsback you called it?" The spectre inquired.

Jacob nodded, "Its a privately owned frigate under the command of Captain Harris Fairchild as his XO was my father, Ronald Taylor. It was built off world in a orbital shipyard, so its not built to withstand sub-orbital descent. In 2175, it was sent on a survey mission to the recently discovered planet of 2175 Aeia. After that, nothing. No distress call, nothing. The ship just drops out of contact and is never seen again. Because of advances in engineering and technology, the fact that the ship went missing at all is quickly forgotten. Its a civilian ship, not a military ship, so the Alliance took no ownership over the disappearence. And that's just about all I know about it, really. The ship was big though; at least the size of an alliance light cruiser."

"You know, you don't seem overly excited about this," Marcus noted, "I thought you'd be thrilled to know that your father might be alive after all these years."

Jacob shook his head, no emotion playing on his face at all, "He wasn't around long enough for me to have bad memories. It's an old, well-healed wound. But if he's actually alive and needs help...I also want to note that it's not normal procedure for distress calls to be routed to the Normandy. This was passed to my personal log through Cerberus filters."

"You think the Illusive Man may have passed it down?" Marcus asked. Thinking of his illusive benefactor still made his thoughts go sour, but he shoved the thought down.

"I doubt the Illusive Man would let a direct operation stay cold this long," Jacob stated, "If there's a link, it's probably just about money. Cerberus needs diverse holdings to fund projects like, well, you."

Marcus simply raised an eyebrow before chuckling softly, "I'm gathering you didn't get along well with your father?" The specte offered, trying to get off of the topic of Cerberus. Talking about the organization was like eating shit, and the fact he was surrounded by their logos didn't help either.

Jacob shook his head once more, not seeming to care how much emotion he displayed, "He made no apologies, I'll give him that. You make a mistake, you own up to it, even if you keep making it. Whatever problems we had was a lifetime ago. I've had ten years to get to where I am. And as far as I know, he's still a ghost."

"Well, if you really want to find out what happened to him, I think we can spare the time. We've only been mining planets anyway," he immediately raised his head to talk to the comms, "EDI, inform Joker to set a course for 2175 Aeia."

"Aye, commander," EDI responded, "Setting a course for the Alpha Draconis System, Rosetta Nebula. ETA is three days."

"Rest up Jacob, you're going to need it," Marcus ordered before getting up and heading towards the door. Just as he reached it however, Jacob's voice stopped him, causing him to look back, "Commander."

"Yes, Jacob?"

"When we go down there...," Jacob hesitated before continuing, "Can it just be three of us? I don't want to bring the whole team on a search-and-rescue mission."

"Of course," Marcus stated, "I'll bring Thane." With that, he left and headed up to his cabin.

 _Help one person and already I'm out to help another. Talking about Thane..._ He quickly changed his destination and headed for deck three. He'd do some rounds on the ship before he went to get some rest. Boy, he would need it.

**{Loading...}**

_September 16, 2185_

_1341 hours._

_Hugo Gernsback Crash Site, Unnamed Landmass, Northern Hemisphere, 2175 Aeia._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Assassin Thane Krios._

The shuttle's hatch flew open upon its landing and Marcus lifted himself up, allowing Jacob to go first before Thane and himself followed. 2175 Aeia was definitely a beautiful planet; it had tropics like that of the Amazon Forest back on Earth and had grassfields and vast oceans. Alpha Draconis's rays beat down heavily on the planet, allowing a clear view of Aeia's two moons; one massive, the other a dwarf in comparison. A beautiful planet indeed. With a planet like this laying out here, he wondered if the Council would allow the quarians to colonize it.  _When this war with the collectors is over, we shall see._ Marcus' feet met the ground as he jumped out, quickly followed by his drell companion.

Before them lay the wreck of a light cruiser-sized freighter; the Hugo Gernsback. Most of the ship was underwater while the rest jutted out diagonally at an angle, holes in the structure and cabling hanging out. Ten years of being a dead wreck means that the jutted part is now overgrown with plant life and the forward section is overwhelmed by rust. Jacob shook his head at the sight; nobody to be seen. No survivors, nothing. Not even any bodies.

"EDI, did you run a scan of the wreck?" Marcus asked.

"Affirmative," the AI replied, "I detect no signs of life within the ship. Any technology inside the vessel is most likely outdated and the shipboard VI too heavily damaged to salvage. But this does not rule out survivors; only that they might not have taken refuge within the ship. Signs of decay have set in and, given another few years, the wreck will fall apart."

"Thank you, EDI," Marcus thanked, cutting the comm as he followed Jacob and Thane down to the wreck. They had brought their weapons only because of the unknown natural wildlife or any defective defense systems. As they approached, they found that the wreck had been stripped; pieces of hull were missing in sections and some of it was laid out on the ground while mechanical parts accompanied them.

"Commander," Thane beckoned and the two of them turned to see the drell examining a mechanical drive of some sort, "I believe I have found the ship's VI. Its on standby mode and ready to be switched on. What do you want to do?"

"Activate it," Marcus ordered immediately, "Maybe it can tell us what happened here and how the ship came to crash." Thane nodded, hitting the switch on button. The space above it was covered in seconds by the holographic orange form of a human male. Marcus thought it was remarkable that there was no static; the VI had survived undamaged.

"VI," Marcus began, clearing his throat, "Why was this beacon not used?"

The VI's response was instantaneous,"Pause in beacon protocol: Eight years, Two-hundred thirty-seven days, seven hours. Pause recorded as: record deleted by Acting Captain Ronald Taylor."

Jacob shook his head, "Ronald Taylor? My father wasn't the captain, Harris Fairchild was! There must be a mistake."

The VI seemed to understand the question and responded in the same dull monotone that seemed to come with all VIs, "Ronald Taylor was promoted under emergency protocols. Other flagged issues: unsafe accelleration. Local food and neural decay. Beacon activation protocol."

Jacob began the line of questioning. Marcus just let him do it. It was his mission, his business. Marcus and Thane merely melted into the background, listening, "Who was in command of this vessel? Where are the survivors?" Jacob asked.

"Captain Harris Fairchild reported killed following unscheduled sub-orbital descent. First Officer Ronald Taylor promoted on the field to Acting Captain."

"Yes, but where is he  _now_?" Jacob repeated, getting frustrated with the VI.

"The location of the remaining crew of the Hugo Gernsback is unknown," the VI replied, "This beacon has been unattended for several maintenance cycles."

"So this unsafe accelleration has to do with the ship crashing?" Jacob asked, growing more disappointed at the prospect that his father and the crew might have been dead afterall.

"Following an unspecified impact and sub-light drive failure, the Hugo Gernsback made an unscheduled descent at 465 percent of theoretical recommended sub-light velocities. The Hugo Gernsback then decelerated at 782 percent of theoretical recommended approach velocity. The impact caused significant damage to the ship's investment and crew."

"What's this about food and neural decay? What's up with that? You're saying there's food that impairs brain function?" Jacob asked. Marcus seemed to cringe at that. The beautiful planet now didn't look so beautiful anymore when the food could slowly damage the brain.

"Impairment of mental function due to chemical imbalance begins within seven days of ingesting local floura, regardless of decontamination or preparation. Impact on higher cognitive abilities and long-term memory is culmative, but significant within a standard month. It is not known if neural decay is permanent, data collection was not completed."

"What about the beacon? Why the hell didn't anyone activate it before now? Its been ten years!" Jacob demanded, confused.

"This emergency beacon became functional after 358 days, twelve hours. Following the unscheduled sub-orbital descent of the Hugo Gernsback, activation was triggered remotely after eight years, 237 days, seven hours, on the authority of Acting Captain Ronald Taylor. Pause in beacon protocol is recorded as: record deleted."

"I think we've gotten all we can out of this VI," Marcus declared, motioning for Jacob to take point as they continued further on, "Maybe we can find some bodies or survivors this way."

"My father had a working beacon and didn't trigger it for all almost nine years," Jacob stated with confusion, "Maybe...that neural decay affected him."

"Well we won't find out standing here. Let's keep moving," Marcus ordered and they continued tracking up the hill and further into the wilderness on the hope that the survivors had made a camp somewhere up there. As they continued along the path, they found bits of cargo thrown about along with the remnants and an old camp; long abandoned.  _So there are survivors._ Just as he prepared to move further up, Thane's voice stopped him.

"Shepard, we have a survivor here," the drell informed him and he turned to see a human female in old civvies approaching them. Her hair was a tangled mess; dirt, and mud and twigs hung out of it loosely and you could hardly tell that her hair used to be deep black. Her civvies were torn and one of her breasts was close to hanging out; a sheet of cloth the only thing maintaining her modesty. Her eyes were deep black and her skin might have once been smooth, if it weren't for the cuts and drops of dried blood on her cheeks. She approached them with a stumble in her step; looking almost like a toddler learning how to walk.

As he approached, he noticed her pants hung loosely and didn't look like they were zipped up at all. He continued to approach, until the female suddenly looked up and saw them, a massive, lopsided smile on her face, "You came!? From the sky? The leader said someone would come! He delayed for so long, but he still has power!" She tried to spit onto the ground in disgust, but the gesture was pathetic at best, and her mouth didn't seem to respond to her commands, and instead of shooting out, her saliva just dripped from her lips like froth. It disturbingly reminded him of cyanide capsules.

Recovering from her attempted gesture of repulsion, she looked back at them, surprise retaking her features once more before turning back to a disgusted look.  _What is wrong with this woman?_ _ **This**_ _is a survivor of the Hugo Gernsback? Can't be. She sounds and acts like a toddler._

"Some have lost faith," the woman continued, looking around her in fear, "The hunters...they will have seen your star, they will not let you help him!"

Marcus frowned and looked at Thane, hoping for help. The drell merely shrugged, just as confused as the commander. Jacob had enough and stepped forward, "What in the galaxy's many hells are you on about woman? You don't make any sense!"

The survivor tried to speak, but she only managed some stuttering sounds and attempts at speaking, "I...I don't remember. I don't remember how to say it. He's...our leader and...we serve so we can...go home?" The last part sounded like a pitiful attempt at understanding her own words and Jacob merely shook his head. It was beginning to dawn on Marcus what was going on and the VI's words reentered his head.  _Food and neural decay._ Was this what the plants did to the survivors? Reduce them to base-born traits of primitive humanity? What were the 'hunters?' And was this 'leader' Jacob's father?

"But," the survivor attempted to continue, still looking around in fear of some unseen enemy, "Some...fight him. They were...they were...cast out. He exiled them...so they hunt his...his machines and t-those that hel-help him..."

The survivor's words became background nonsense as Marcus heard sounds from behind them. He turned and heard more ruffling, along with the sound of a crate being knocked over, followed by the safeties of a weapon being switched off. As he continued to look, another survivor popped up, an old striker model pistol in his grip, and he aimed it at the woman. Marcus almost flinched from the look on the man's face; it was one of pure primal fury. He quickly spun towards the woman and tackled her to the ground just as the weapon fired and the shot whizzed past the area the woman's head had once been.

Thane's hand snapped to his hip in an instant and pulled out his phalanx, snapping off a shot in the man's direction. It was meant as warning shot, but the man didn't back down. Instead, a whole group of them converged, all holding obsolete model pistols and firing on them. Jacob grabbed his shotgun.

"Commander, what do we do with 'em?" Jacob asked before being cut off by one of the men shouting angrily across the yard.

"Kill them!" The man ordered, "Agents of the liar! He will  _ **not**_ escape!"

"That answers that," Marcus deduced, "Open fire! Shoot to kill, I repeat, shoot to kill! Take them down!" He shoved the woman into cover, before drawing his locust SMG and firing a burst into the chest of the man who had tried to kill the survivor and was the leader of the group. He didn't even bother to duck; the shot hit him in the eyesocket and blew out the other side, killing him instantly. As he watched Thane and Jacob engage the group, the men just charged into their gunfire mindlessly, like they had no thought or reasoning.  _The neural decay...ten years..._

The battle before it even began. The group of survivors, or as the woman kept mumbling, 'The Hunters', were taken out extremely quickly, leaving six fresh corpses on the ground. He motioned for the woman to stay put, and moved towards Jacob, who had just reloaded his shotgun with a fresh clip.

"Just what the hell is going on here?" Jacob questioned incredulously.

"Not a damn clue," Marcus provided, reloading his own SMG before turning to their drell assassin, "Any theories Thane?"

"I am as confused as you are, Shepard," Thane replied, "Apart from the obvious signs of neural degredation, there is no way I could explain why these people have entered the state they are now. But this goes beyond just neural collapse Shepard; this people are mentally unstable."

"Think we should contact the Normandy and have Mordin or Chakwas take a look at this?" Jacob asked, uncertain as to how to continue. He wanted to believe his father was alive, but what if he was just like these people? A mindless moron?

"Not until we can make certain that we can't find out on our own," Marcus stated, "I don't want to risk bringing a shuttle in just yet. We'd just give these hunters an excuse to attack us again. But whoever this 'leader' is, he's the cause of this and might have the answers we need."

"Take note that apart from that survivor we found, we have not encountered a single female," Thane added, "All these hunters were male. Where are the rest of the female crew?"

"And that woman's pants were unzipped," Jacob stated, his eyes meeting Marcus'. The spectre knew what he was implying, and he didn't like it, "Considering the state they're in, its highly likely that they did engage in primitive practises...including...well, 'mating.'"

"A chance to bury my father has turned into this," Jacob waved his hands to the dead hunter before moving on at a brisk pace, "Let's just go and find out just what the fuck is going on."

They continued up the path and around the corner to the right where they found a destroyed LOKI mech. Jugding by the crude design however, it was an earlier model than the current ones.  _Can't be any dumber than the 2185 design. Must be just as useless if got taken down by suicidal fuckwits with pistols._ Jugding by the bullet holes in the wall, there had been a battle just before.  _Obviously the hunters won. How else would they have gotten to us?_ As they pressed on, they saw what looked to be a camp site up ahead; a proper one.

As more of the camp came into view they saw it. More survivors. And none of them were carrying weapons or looked the least bit hostile. No, instead they just stood there, looking at each other. But when he got closer, he noticed something else.

They were all female.

"What the hell?" Jacob asked, confused once more. So all the hunters were male, but the 'leader's' group was all female? What kind of group circle was this? Some, sick kind of cult ritual?

They were approached by a dark skinned woman, her skin almost as dark as Jacob's coffee brown, and her hair was cut back to the point of baldness. Just like the other woman, she was covered in dirt, her clothes torn and her pants hanging haphazardly.  _That confirms it. These women are being used._  But just like the rest, she just stood there, looking blankly at them.

"Maybe the decay effects genders differently," Jacob hypothesized, "Makes women docile and men hostile."

"Could be," Thane replied, "But the woman said the others who were exiled came back as hunters."

"That doesn't matter," Jacob stated bluntly approaching the blank-faced woman, "I want to know what my father has to do with this."

The dark-skinned woman was joined by a lighter-skinned woman and both of them flinched at the sight of Jacob, pointing at him in disbelief; features torn between hate and loathing, awe and confusion. Finally, the darker woman spoke, "You have his face!" the survivor pointed accusingly, "He promised to call the sky, but he sends nothing!"

The other woman picked up the tale, "He forced us to eat! To...decay. Decay. I don't understand it, but that's what I heard and I think that's what it means."

The other woman moved back and pointed at him, "You...You are cursed with his face!" They both ran away and back into the camp and both of Marcus' and Thane's faces turned to Jacob in an instant, a look of musing on his face. Finally, the operative shook his head and turned to face them.

Marcus allowed himself a humorless grin, "Not the best reaction to the family resemblance, Jacob."

"Why would he do that?" Jacob looked at the ground, kicking away a rock, "Why would he force his crew to eat toxic food? This has to stop. Whatever it is he's running here, it stops now. Come on Shepard. These people can't help us any further. They can barely talk coherently, let alone provide useful information."

The spectre nodded in conformation, letting Jacob lead them ahead while he and Thane followed. Jacob was right. Whatever was going on here, it needed to stop. They needed to find out just what his father, Ronald Taylor, had done to deserve hunters trying to kill him and the women to despise him.

He had a feeling this day wouldn't end well.

**{Loading...}**

_September 16, 2185_

_1406 hours._

_Camp Site, Unnamed Landmass, Northern Hemisphere, 2175 Aeia._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Assassin Thane Krios._

Marcus Shepard had expected hunters, but not LOKI mechs inside a camp. This leader really wanted to protect these women.  _Or keep them on a leash._ Marcus pulled his trigger twice as a two-rounded burst ripped the head of the last LOKI mech open like slicing a watermelon, holstering his weapon afterwards as they passed it. With the mechs defeated, they moved up to the outer edge of the camp where a rock slide had blocked the passage. But it wasn't natural; it had been done on purpose. Beside the pile of rocks was a destroyed LOKI mech. Just as they moved towards it, a voice called out from behind them and they turned to a see another woman, this one medium-skinned with cropped black hair and much more modest appearence, racing towards them.

"She doesn't look as crazy as the others," Thane supplied, "Maybe she has information."

The woman finished her approach and noticed Jacob immediately, "You...have his face. But you fight his machines. You-you might be able to stop this," she handed him a datapad, "This...I forget how to...read. But this...was the...start. What he promised...and what they did to us. We need the sky...take us back to the sky!" She then melted into the background, running back to the camp. Marcus turned back to Jacob, who was sifting through the logs on the datapad.

"Jacob, what does it say?" Marcus asked, crossing his armoured arms while Thane began placing a charge on the destroyed LOKI mech at the rock slide, ready to blow it open.

Jacob sighed as he read it, "Its a crew logbook. Some of them thought the beacon repair was taken too long. They were afraid they'd run out of supplies and lose their minds to the decay. My father restricted the ship food for himself and the other officers so they wouldn't affected. Everybody else had to eat the toxic food and hope for treatment later. The rest is a casualty list; a few mutinied over the decision. My father and the officers turned the mechs on them." He had a look of rage on his face, not liking what he read.

Marcus shook his head, "He wasn't command material and it got to him. Couldn't keep the crew in line so he had to act the dictator."

Jacob grunted, looking back at the datapad, "It didn't stop there. More incidents, harsh punishments. Its like their cattle. Or toys. In a year, all the male crew members are flagged as exiled or dead. They seperated out the women; assigned them to officers like...pets. And after the beacon is fixed, the officers appear in the casualities too. After! My father took control and didn't even try to stop it!"

He shook his head and ignored the insinuation, "What about the toxic food? Anything about possible treatments?"

"Nothing," Jacob responded, "But it seems like the right thing to do. If everyone gets it, who's left to fix the beacon? You'd never get offworld. But they did fix it; and the signal wasn't sent until  _now_."

"What about the reasons behind the seperation?" The spectre pondered, motioning to the camp's inhabitants, "Does it say why he seperated the men and women?"

"Nothing either, its just gibberish," Jacob explains, "Maybe the men got violent early on but from the state of this place, I'd say the hunter thing is recent. What he allowed to happen here? I don't see any justification."

"Officers? We haven't seen any," Marcus pondered, "He...killed them?"

Jacob nodded, "There were five officers after the crash. Medical, Engineering and Bridge staff. Should have had no problem fixing the beacon and keeping the people safe.  _All_ killed within the same week. About a month after the beacon was repaired."

Marcus sighed heavily, leaving it to Jacob to decide, "What do you think? He's your father, after all."

"Oh, is he?" Jacob asked sarcastically, "I really couldn't tell to be honest. None of this fits!" The operative growled, tossing the datapad over the edge of the encampment and into the sea, "Maybe the initial decision makes sense, typical command choice, but the rest? What's that saying? 'Absolute power corrupts absolutely?' Couldn't be more fitting. I need to find this...creature." As they turned, they saw that Thane was already waiting for them with the detonator behind cover. With a nod, the drell thumbed it and the mech exploded, taking the rock slide with it.

As they continued on foot, they encountered more hunters and LOKI mechs, most of the time being in battle with each other. They were easily dealt with though; mindless idiots stood no chance in the fire of clear-minded combat professionals. They carved through them like carving through a cake as they advanced towards Ronald's camp; which was just a kilometer from the main camp.

Finally, they reached the main gate of Ronald's encampment and a loud voice boomed over the loud speaker. It was a deep tone with a hint of a canadian accent, and it was clearly Ronald's, "Thank god you came! These hunters have been trying to kill me for ages! I wouldn't have lasted if you hadn't arrived! Please, come on through!" The gate's side panel turned from red to green and it opened, omitting them entry.

As he moved forward, Jacob shoved past both of them and moved forward with a purpose, "Its time to get some damn answers."

Marcus and Thane exchanged glances as they rushed through the gate to catch up with the cerberus operative. When they caught up, they found Jacob already in conversation with the man he called a father. Ronald Taylor was a small man, slightly smaller than Jacob and definitely not as well-built in muscle. He had cropped black hair and light stubble all over his chin. His eyes were hazel and his dark-skin eve darker in the light of Alpha Draconis.

Noticing Marcus approaching, Ronald ignored Jacob and turned to him, "Thanks for saving me! I'm sorry if the mechs scuffed your pads; only way to keep the crazies pinned. I'll get you something nice when we get back to Alliance space-," before he could continue, Marcus had pushed past him and was leaning on the railing overlooking the ocean, ignoring every word leaving Ronald's mouth. Instead, he let Jacob do the talking. Thane quickly joined him, coming to the same decision.

"What about your crew, 'Acting Captain?'" Jacob asked with disdain.

Ronald provided him a frown, "A total loss. Toxic food turned them wild and they propped me up here in some kind of ritual behaviour. Waiting for a chance to signal has been hell."

"That's it?" Jacob asked with repulsion as he stepped forward and stood inches from his father's face, "Ten years and that's all you've got?"

"You let all your people talk back like that?" Ronald asked, turning back to Marcus' turned back, "Who are you, anyway?"

 _No, I do let them talk back, I just don't unleash Grunt on them everytime they question my orders,_ Marcus thought before saying something different instead, "Commander Shepard of the Normandy, and I believe you know Second Lieutenant Taylor here," Marcus turned to see Ronald's expression, and it was one of pure shock as he turned to face Jacob, who looked at him in narrow-eyed fury."

"Jacob?" Ronald asked incredulously before closing his eyes, shaking his head and opening them again, "No...not Jacob."

"Why not me, huh?" The operative spat, "Would ten years of this look better to anyone else in the galaxy?"

"You have to understand!" Ronald pathetically pleaded, "This isn't me! The realities of command...they change you. I wasn't ready for that. I made sure  _you_ , were taught right. Before I left, I hoped to leave it at that."

"Cut the crap, Taylor. You're digressing. Now, ten years? What the fuck happened?" Marcus demanded.

"You will refer to me by rank! I outrank you!" Ronald shot back.

Marcus merely chuckled, "You are  _Acting_ Captain. And being captain of a privately-owned freighter does not mean you outrank a Commander in the Alliance Navy. Utilizing the full juristiction of the Systems Alliance Military, my command supercedes yours and you will answer my question."

Ronald sighed, moving to sit before Jacob unholstered his pistol, checking it and loading a thermal clip. Ronald eyed it with fear but quickly moved on, "There was resistance to the plan. Mutiny. We had to take a hard line to keep order. And things settled down. As the decay set in, we made sure the crew were...comfortable. Some...they even  _seemed_ happier...," he chucked humorlessly, "But ignorance is bliss, right? And they were grateful for guidance. Like an instinct; pure authority was easy...at first."

Marcus patted Jacob on the shoulder and nodded to him, an understanding in his eyes.  _Let Jacob handle this._ Marcus motioned for Thane to follow as they moved to the gates, leaving the two alone. They would watch out for hunters or any LOKI mechs.

"Once in, they lost control of all inhibitions. They became territorial," Ronald continued to explain to his son, "Rank, protocol, they couldn't understand a word of it. We  _had_ to establish dominance. After a while, the perks seem...normal."

Jacob grabbed his father by the scruff of his uniform, angered, "That's it? You created a harem and played king? Ten years in a juvenile fantasy!?"

"I-I-I can't point to where it all went wrong," Ronald continued hurriedly, "But when the beacon was ready, revealing what happened didn't seem like a good idea!"

Jacob shook his head as he thrusted the man forward and drew his pistol on him, thrusting it into his throat, "You're not worth the fuel to haul him out or the air he's using! You're just lucky I don't find you worth a bullet." With that, he lowered his weapon and holstered, grabbing Ronald by the arm and pulling him up roughly.

"I don't know who the hell you are," Jacob snapped, "Because you're not the father I remember."

Marcus' voice spoke up, "Well he'll have an alliance court to deal with," He stated, Thane behind him. The hunters had surrendered and put down their weapons, with all the mechs having been destroyed, "For every year he spent here he'll have ten to think about it."

"Give him all the time you want, that cell will be wasted on him," Jacob stated firmly, tearing his gaze away from his father, "This man doesn't know right from wrong." He began to walk away, Marcus moving behind Ronald with omni-cuffs.

"I'm sorry, Jacob," Ronald apologized, looking at the ground in shame, "I did the best I could."

Jacob's departing words were called as Marcus cuffed Ronald to the railing to await an alliance cruiser, "I'm ten years past believing that."

**{Loading...}**

_September 16, 2185_

_1432 hours._

_Debriefing Room, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In Orbit over 2175 Aeia._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor._

"And what do you mean, it wasn't you?" Jacob questioned as Marcus entered the debriefing room. Jacob had already had the call set up to the Illusive Man, and was currently talking to him when Marcus arrived. An Alliance cruiser, the New Delhi, was inbound to pickup Ronald Taylor and the survivors, but Joker assured him the Normandy would be long gone by the time they arrived. He stood next to Jacob as TIM replied.

"Jacob," he began, "If I had leaked the information on the Gernsback, I would be smiling at your resolution of the situation," he then made a gesture to his straightened lips before introducing them to his cigar, "I am not smiling."

Marcus scoffed, "Nothing goes through this ship without you knowing, even though I've had all the surveillance equipment removed. You knew about this."

"I had no more reason to believe that Jacob's father was alive than he did," TIM countered, a look of annoyance on his face, "But I'm happy to know that the situation is behind you."

Jacob simply shrugged, feining forfeit as he dropped his previously crossed arms to his side, "Fine, you didn't leak it. So who did?"

A familiar voice sounded from behind them as she entered, "I did."

Marcus and Jacob turned to see Miranda enter the room. Marcus rolled his eyes as he turned around, Jacob following.  _The obvious insider._

"Of course," Jacob laughed, "Who else could get into Cerberus channels?"

"It was hardly classified, just obscure," Miranda insisted, hand on her hip, her eyes softening, "There was a time...where it mattered to you. Sending this along felt like keeping an old promise. And you helped me save Oriana; so I owed you for that."

TIM simply shook his head, rolling his cybernetic eyes as she motioned to disconnect the session, "Miranda we'll discuss your liberal interpretation of security protocol in private," he turned to the other two occupants of the room, "Shepard, Jacob." The connection then dropped, the hologram disappearing as the room returned to normal. Miranda spared Jacob a momentary, sympathetic glance before turning around and leaving, her high-heels leaving an echoing sound even as the door closed behind her, leaving only Jacob and Marcus in the room.

Jacob leaned against the table, sighing heavily as he looked blankly at its polished surface. His emotions were unreadable; he had sealed them under an impenetrable mask that couldn't be opened. Marcus sighed along with him, but not for the same reason. He twisted his shoulder and felt a satisfying pop as his muscle relaxed, "You feeling okay, Jacob?" He finally asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"It's all bullshit, Shepard," Jacob stated suddenly, pushing himself up and looking the spectre in the eyes, " _Captain_ Taylor can rot in prison. Doesn't change who I am, or what I know. I've mourned the man he used to be," Jacob, for a moment, seemed to drift off and his eyes glazed over one of the Cerberus insignias on the wall, but he quickly turned back, regaining focus, "I guess he was good enough of a father that even I can't screw up, like he did."

Marcus chuckled, motioning to the door, "You seemed surprised that Miranda was behind this."

Jacob managed a meek smile, "No, she's got a good memory. Selective...but good. I haven't thought about those days in a very long time. Can't figure what promise she meant though and I'm not sure I  _want_ to know. She...she requires a better man than I."

Finally the one question he always hated asking finally came up, "With his out of the way, you'll be focused on the mission completely?"

"That you can be sure of," Jacob nodded, saluting him, "Ready for duty. The aftermath of this mission will in no way affect my duties. It might even strengthen them actually; give me something to take out my disgust on. You know; pretend the collectors are my father."

 _Not the way I'd have put it,_ Marcus thought before motioning his hand to the door, "The armoury is waiting for you, Lieutenant Taylor. Make sure we're ready to send the collectors to whatever hell they used to believe in."

"Ooo-rah!" Jacob exclaimed before saluting one final time and leaving, Marcus behind him. The spectre sighed heavily as he thought about past events.  _So close to ending this fight. The collectors are practically waiting for us; and we're about to jump into their jaws. Whether we jump in with a rifle or with nothing is what determines our fate. He just hoped it was a good rifle with plenty of ammo._

_Because it was going to be a big set of jaws._

**"I always found Jacob's loyalty to be a mixed bag. But ever since...well, you know, I know for sure that he was a soldier loyal only to his commander, through and through."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"And he died a soldier."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"Funny you're here Garrus. I think what happens next pertains to you."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"What are you talking about?"**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"One name: Sidonis."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"And so comes the day you waited for, Garrus. And it didn't exactly end the way you wanted it to, did it?"**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"No, it didn't."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

_**A/N:** _

_**You're probably wondering what I mean by the chapter title, 'An Episode of Lost.' My friend and I have come to the official conclusion that Jacob's loyalty mission was like watching a episode of the TV series, Lost (Premise is the same, but slightly altered). So the chapter title is kind of a inside joke among us.** _

_**Tell me what you thought of this chapter!** _


	39. Judge, Jury, Executioner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garrus finally tracks down Sidonis, and asks Shepard to help him get revenge on the man who betrayed his team.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN:**

**JUDGE, JURY, EXECUTIONER**

_September 16, 2185_

_1738 hours._

_Gunnery Control Station, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for undetermined destination._

_Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian._

Calibrating was the turian's way of passing the time. Garrus was thankful for the time off; it made sure his mind didn't drift to unwanted thoughts or areas. Calibrating on the main gun just made sure he was focused on a greater task instead of worrying about the past. Instead, he thought about the future.  _What happens when the Reapers do come? Will Shepard stop them or are we all going to die? Does he have some grand plan in store for them? What of the collectors? Forget the Reapers; we might not survive travelling the Omega 4 Relay, let alone fighting sentient starships._ He thought about the tiny amount of people he even knew on the ship, apart from Shepard.  _Chakwas. Joker. Tali._ And all of that he could count on one whole talon, and those weren't good odds.

His talons fumbled around with the guts of the Normandy's main gun. He thought about the new crew he found himself surrounded by and how Shepard had just returned from helping Jacob complete a mission of his. Upon his return, Jacob seemed alot more positive and more focused. Whatever Shepard had done, it had secured Jacob's loyalty in the long run.  _Nothing like shoving a stick up Cerberus' ass, huh Shepard? Turn their own people against them._ He thought of Kasumi, how the petite little thief had grown to become Tali's big sister in a way.  _The irony. Two years ago I would have been arresting people of Kasumi's caliber. Even funnier, is that Tali's people are racially known as beggars and thieves, and her big sister just happens to be the best thief of them all..._ He allowed himself a low chuckle as he worked.

Then there was the other members of the crew. Mordin was...well, a salarian. Garrus never got on well with salarians, his history with Saleon determined that for a while, but Mordin seemed alright. Wrex wouldn't have liked him though; the scientist probably would have become a genophage activist if it hadn't been for his clinic on Omega. But if what Lia said was true, and Mordin was beginning to act weird at the mention of the word, then...well, he didn't know, but hope was hope right?

Miranda was mixed, in his opinions. She seemed to be growing more loyal towards Shepard everyday, but everytime he saw her, he only saw someone in bed with a terrorist organization. Jacob was a soldier, so he just followed the better commander, and Garrus knew who that was without question, so he didn't distrust Jacob enough to warn Shepard about him, but just enough that he didn't give him the same level of trust he gave Tali. Jack was a psychopath and if it hadn't been for the fact that Mordin had already checked her out, he might have thought she was a mild sociopath.

Zaeed was just ruthless and Grunt mainly hungered for combat. Of late, the krogan had been acting more aggressive, but not enough that anyone took any notice. As for Thane and Samara, they mostly kept to themselves and the latter was a justicar, so he trusted her enough that he didn't keep an eye on his pistol holster in her company. Lia was with Mordin while Ken and Gabby were ex-Alliance. Kelly seemed alittle too friendly for his liking and EDI was an AI. Overall, it was an odd group. He didn't trust all of them, but they were okay.

A loud beeping sound at his terminal interrupted the sound of a turian meddling with machinery. Garrus had half a mind to go check who it was from, but he thought better of it, deciding he wanted to complete his calibrations first. But that was before the beeping returned, this time from terminal  _and_ omni-tool. His curiosity got the better of him and he opened the file. As he read it, his talons stopped fumbling and dropped his tools, moving to stand. Once he had, old memories flooded back and he turned off his omni-tool, head snapping to the AI platform next to the door. His voice was more hurried than he intended, "EDI."

The AI's blue orb appeared in an instant, "Yes, Mister Vakarian?"

"Tell Shepard I want to see him," Garrus sternly ordered, "Tell him its an urgent matter."

"Of course, Mister Vakarian," EDI said before her orb disappeared. For a few minutes, Garrus simply waited and waited. Finally, Marcus came knocking on the door and Garrus asked him to enter, which the spectre promptly did. He was wearing his usual attire; N7 cap with his N7 hoodie and pants. He was holding a mug of coffee in his hand, but he lowered it to his side as he leaned against the wall, door closing behind him, taking a quick sip before he did.

"EDI told me this was urgent," Marcus started, "Something I should know?"

"Yes," the turian said almost immediately, "You remember the stories I told you about what happened on Omega with my squad? About that traitor, Sidonis?"

"Yes," Marcus said hesitantly.

Garrus nodded, looking down at his control terminal, "Well, I found the bastard. Well, one of my contacts tells me he's found someone who can help me find him. A man by the alias of Fade. He helps people...disappear; kinda like a less threatening and successful version of the Shadow Broker. I've found him Shepard; I can finally avenge my squad. Make him pay for what he did to me."

"I see," the spectre responded after a moment, taking another sip of his coffee before meeting the turian's eyes again, "Where is this Fade?"

"Well, my contact arranged me a meeting with him," Garrus stated, "He's on the Citadel. We'll meet him in a warehouse on the lower levels of the Zakera Ward. You should only need to bring yourself and me, Marcus. Killing Sidonis will be easily; he's a coward, why else would he betray his team and flee Omega?"

"You want me to help kill Sidonis?" Marcus asked incredulously, "I don't care what you call it Garrus, this isn't justice, this is killing someone in cold-blood. The lines between vengeance and justice are very bold, I can tell you that."

"Will you help me or not?" Garrus asked, losing his patience. He knew Marcus' chivalry might be a problem, "I don't care about the greys of the situation. Right now, all I can see is the black and white, and that's Sidonis dead, with a bullet through his head. That man betrayed the trust of his friends, the people who trusted him. I don't go to sleep a night without a single nightmare of my men begging for me to save them, telling me that Sidonis needs to die to avenge them. I won't ignore the calls of dead spirits, Shepard, especially those of my team."

"I never said I wouldn't help you," Marcus said, holding up his hands in his own defense, "I just don't like where this might go. But for the most part, I'm with you. I'll have Joker set a course for the Citadel immediately. We shouldn't make a habit of this back-and-forth though. First we go to the Citadel, then go Aeia, now back again? I just hope Sidonis doesn't decide to hide on Aeia, or I might lose it."

"If that happens, I'll force feed him the toxic food until he's choking on it," Garrus stated with vehemence, not even chuckling at Marcus' intended joke. The growing grin quickly vanished from the spectre's lips and he quickly took his leave, not even saying goodbye to the turian. He was worried, worried of what Garrus was becoming.  _I thought the incident on the Saleon made it clear where he stood?_ Yet again, this wasn't just a criminal they were chasing anymore, this man had betrayed and helped in the deaths of his friend's team, and Garrus, by right, would get his revenge.

 _And if your team was betrayed by EDI? Would you do everything in your power to avenge them and destroy her?_ He knew the answer was obvious, but it still erred him in the wrong way. He looked up as he reached the mess hall, speaking to EDI, "EDI, set a course for-"

"Already plotted. ETA is..."

"What do you know, another three days," Joker cut in, joking.

"I'll be in my cabin getting some rest," Marcus informed them, breaking off into the elevator and hitting the button for Deck One as he sighed and closed his eyes.  _I only just got through running this personal favor for Jacob, now Garrus pins this on me? And I thought the Reapers were the main threat._

**{Loading...}**

_September 19, 2185_

_0955 hours._

_Main Dock, Level 27, Zakera Ward, The Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian._

The Citadel was a bussle of activity as Marcus Shepard and Garrus Vakarian travelled through the security checkpoint and past the C-Sec outpost on the Zakera Ward, saying hello to Captain Bailey as they went past. The vast space station was busy at all times, but this day was special. It was the day preceding the turian holiday of  _Ralov Par,_ a day where all turians gathered together to atone for any misgivings they had committed in their lives. Garrus knew that Sidonis, if on the Citadel at all, would be attending it, and thought it the perfect time to lure him in. Another thing to add to Marcus' list of things to be worried about Garrus; the fact he was willing to kill someone in an area of holiday for his people.

"So, which warehouse did your informant say Fade would be in?" Marcus asked curiously.

"A shipping warehouse on Level 26," Garrus informed him, pointing to the stairs leading down. Marcus motioned for Garrus to go first before quickly following the turian, pushing through the vast swaths of crowd moving about. Moving was a bitch due to the amount of multispecies moving about on the ward, but they eventually got to Level 26.

Upon reaching the lower level, they found it almost devoid of life.  _Most of the festivites must be taking place upstairs,_ Marcus thought as he looked around. Spotting the shipping warehouse wasn't hard; it stood out like a sore thumb. Garrus and himself marched towards it, finding the door green and open. With noone nearby or in sight, the two men walked right inside, finding a room full of crates, but with an empty central hold.

In the middle stood a volus who's suit was black and orange in color. His eyes also weren't the usual blue color; they were a dull orange as well. Two krogan bodyguards flanked him.

Garrus laughed, "So, when is Fade going to join us?" Marcus looked at him, shaking his head.  _He knows the volus is Fade but, like me, he just doesn't want to believe it._ Volus were great masters in terms of coin, but when it came to the art of disappearing people? Volus weren't renowned for it. Something itched him the other way about the volus, but he decided to go with it.

" _I_ am Fade," the volus stated with pride, seeming to buff his chest although the fat little creatures technically couldn't due to their size.

"You're certainly not how I imagined you," Marcus remarked, smiling.

"I doubt much can be expected with a name like 'Fade'. Where did you come up with that? Did your krogan friends suggest that to you? Did they...whisper it in your ear?" Garrus taunted. Marcus supplied the turian a weary frown.  _I'm no fan of volus, but why the hell is Garrus doing this? This guy could give him information on Sidonis, and he's mocking him? I'm starting to wonder how much he wants this guy..._

The volus didn't seem perturbed though, or fazed. Kinda hard to be scared when two krogan bodyguards with shotguns stood next to you and ready to kill on your order, "Looks...*hsk* can be deceiving," Fade stated, turning to the turian, "As for the name, I *hsk* thought it fitting for the line of work I *hsk* do."

Fade seemed to study both of them for a minute before finally speaking again, "So...*hsk* which one of you wants to *hsk* disappear?" Fade's voice seemed overly confident in the face of two heavily armed people. Fade knew he was a criminal, and so did Marcus, so why would he be so confident in the face of a spectre?  _He may have krogan, but he should know who I am. Krogan are chew toys._

Garrus spoke first, moving closer to the volus, "I'd rather have someone...reappear." The turian finished the line with a hint of dark innocence; the kind that even fazed Marcus. Just what was Garrus becoming? Should it be something he stopped? He had known the turian for a while; he is his best friend. Shouldn't he intervene?

Fade shook his head, fat little hands moving to his...hips, or whatever passed for hips on a volus, "Ah...*hsk* That's...not the service we provide *hsk*"

Garrus' talons began to fumble on the grip of his pistol, smiling darkly, "Maybe...you could make an exception? Just this once?"

"I can't change the way my..." Fade began, but was cut off as Garrus wordlessly drew his carnifex sidearm and drew it on the volus, aiming for his head. Both of the krogan immediately raised their shotguns, pointing them directly at the group. Marcus drew his own rifle, aiming it at the two krogan.

"Just. This. Once?" Garrus stated with absolute punctuation.

"Damn it!" Fade exclaimed, turning to his bodyguards, "Shoot them! *hsk* Shoot them you lumbering mountains!"

Garrus scoffed, looking at them with dark eyes, "Leave now and I don't fill you both full of holes. The Archangel of Omega can be merciful. Same with the Hero of the Citadel here. Find someplace else to skulk and maybe you can leave the Citadel alive and well instead of in a bodybag."

The krogan seemed to glance at each other before holstering their shotguns and leaving. Fade's emotions were hidden behind his suit, but the posture said everything; as shocked as a volus could be. Marcus lowered his rifle and holstered it as both krogan walked past and left through the door, Fade's voice calling after them.

"*hsk* Just like that? *hsk* What was I paying you for!" The volus' voice fell silent as the doors shut. His bodyguards had abandoned him in an instant, so it was obvious that Fade didn't have a very large influence over those in his service. But Garrus seemed to know something.

Fade's suit was suddenly grasped by one of Garrus' talons which was bound around the volus' neck. Dragging him close, Archangel shoved the pistol below the volus' chin and spoke in a low, stern voice, "I'm looking for a client of yours. Where is he?"

"Not my client!" The volus panicked and the turian let go, shoving him back, "I'm not Fade! *hsk* I just...work for him."

"So the beans come spilling out," Garrus shook his head, holstering his pistol.

Marcus nodded, shaking his head.  _Garrus knew it wasn't Fade the whole time. He was just scaring the volus into confessing it. Smart, don't think I could have done the same or thought of the same. Smart move._

"So...," Garrus whispered, moving around the volus until he squatted behind him, leaning in close enough to whisper into the volus' ear, "Tell me where to find Fade. The  _real_ Fade."

"Yes yes! *hsk* Of course!" The volus declared hurriedly, "He's in the *hsk* factory district! He's working out of a factory that was *hsk* abandoned after the Battle of the Citadel. Works out of *hsk* the old prefab foundry."

"Ah," Garrus hit an epiphany, standing up and moving past the volus to face Marcus, "He's using the Hien-Ford Corporation foundry. They used to be big on the Citadel before Sovereign's attack, but all their stockholds fell apart when the factory district was hit by a large body of wreckage from a geth battleship. They never got around to clearing it out so its effectively abandoned and Hien-Ford Corp lost most of their wealth on the Citadel and fell apart a month afterwards. Perfect place to run a disappearing agency."

"You'll have to be careful," the volus spoke up again, Marcus and Garrus turning to face the man who didn't want to be forgotten, "He's got *hsk* mercs protecting him. Blue *hsk* Suns. Not alot, but enough to pose a threat and I *hsk* think he purchased two YMIR mechs last week. I think he's also in league with the Shadow Broker, but I think *hsk* that's just a rumor."

"Do you know the real name of Fade?" Marcus asked, curious.

"He never mentioned it," the volus shrugged his shoulders, "And I never asked. *hsk* I just care about the money."

"Don't we all," Garrus said, turning back and waving for Marcus to leave with him. Before they could, the volus spoke up.

"SO I ah...*hsk* I can go?"

Garrus stopped and turned, a dark smile once again creasing across his mandibles, "Sure. But if we don't find Fade, we'll be back  _for you._  And I'd love another talk with you." Garrus stroked his pistol to emphasize his point.

The volus hesitantly nodded, disturbed, "Oh, that's good." He then preceded to waddle off before the two soldiers changed their mind. With a grin, Garrus turned back to Marcus and they both left, headed back to the Main Dock on Level 27.

"So, how about it? You want to go in alone with me or bring a squad?" Garrus asked Marcus. It might have been his revenge, but he knew Shepard was the commander in the end and he followed his orders without question.

"I'll comm the Normandy and have Tali and Zaeed join us. I don't want to face two YMIRs and god knows how many Suns mercs in an abandoned factory complex without a bulky support basis. Either way, I can't wait to meet this Fade and found out who he really is."

"And I hope he's more buyable than that volus," Garrus quipped, "Not an elcor or a hanar. I feel racist to say this but...you just can't take them very seriously."

They both laughed as they approached the dock, Marcus contacting the Normandy to have Tali and Zaeed join them at the main dock on the Zakera Ward. Instead of taking out Sidonis they were still looking for the bastard. And now they had to face more mercs. And of the Blue Suns caliber of course.

_Everywhere I go, mercenaries seem to follow and beg me to shoot them._

**{Loading...}**

_September 19, 2185_

_1023 hours._

_Hein-Ford Corporation Factory, Factory District, Zakera Ward, The Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani._

The skycar zoomed through the empty passageways; fumes from long-dead machinery hanging in the air; unable to escape due to being sealed inside the district. Lines and lines of factories lay abandoned within the district, unmanned and standing vigil; a cemetry of machinery just left and forgotten. So it was eerily silent in the district, all except for thrumming of the skycar's engines as they sped towards one particular factory; Fade's hideout.

Every factory they passed was covered in rubble or parts had collapsed and had been left unrepaired. The place was silent as a crypt; and it unnerved Marcus. Turning to the back seat, he met Tali's gaze, which had originally been focused out the window. He smiled at her and turned to Zaeed, who merely nodded, his face set in stone. Zaeed knew how to kill Blue Suns because he was the co-founder of the organization himself; the grizzled bounty hunter was perfect for the mission. Tali's tech would also come in handy when they faced the mechs. He turned to Garrus, who was currently driving the skycar.  _Don't do anything rash, Garrus. Please don't..._

"We're here," Garrus announced as the skycar suddenly made a sharp right turn, descending upon an open platform with two Blue Suns mercs, both human, male and female, guarding a door leading into the factory. He noticed that the door still used the old system; a door panel next to the door instead of the holographic interfaces of modern-day doors. Just as the skycar landed, he saw the door open, and a man in civvies stepped out, presumably Fade. He had a light stubble on his chin and low cut hair, along with large ears and black eyes. His civvies were a dark toned green. Once landed, they all stepped out, unclipping their weapons and holding them, with Tali coming to stand beside him, plasma shotgun ready. Garrus crossed his arms and shook.

Marcus didn't recognize the man, but apparently Garrus did.

"Oh jesus..." the man exclaimed, eyes widening as his eyes landed on Garrus.

"Harkin," Garrus growled, unholstering his mattock heavy rifle, "So your Fade. I expected a much bigger man. How disappointing."

Marcus, after some time, came to recognize the name. Not the face, but the name. It had been after the raid on Eden Prime and they had recently arrived on the Citadel. Ashley had pointed out that Garrus could have been onto something with Saren and Udina suggested seeing Harkin about finding the turian. He had been in Chora's Den, but when they got there, the place was already under siege by Wrex. It's how he had come to meet the krogan. Long story short; he knew who Harkin was, but he had never met the man.

"Garrus," Harkin hissed, "What the fuck are you doing here."

"I was about to ask you the same thing," the turian quipped back, "Did C-Sec finally stop suspending you and give you the boot? Good, I was beginning to think Entricas was a true fuckwit. And to think I had been making him an award for Biggest Dickhead in C-Sec..."

"Fuck C-Sec and fuck you!" Harkin shouted, motioning to the two mercs flanking him, "Don't just stand there! Stop them, stop them!" Harkin, calling himself Fade, then quickly rushed back inside, door closing behind him and locking. The two mercs moved to raise their rifles, but Zaeed had already put two clean heashots through their helmets.

"Slow dickheads," Zaeed spat, "Give Vido's men credit, they were at least trained properly. Military-training my ass."

"Tali, get that door open," Marcus barked, motioning for Zaeed to follow him and Garrus to the door, "Garrus, cover Tali if fire pours through that door. Tali and I will push through the center while you and Zaeed will hit the flanks, confuse them. We'll continue like that and will regroup at the foundry, where Harkin is bound to be hiding. We good on this?"

Everyone nodded and Marcus nodded towards Tali, who was already well into her hacking of the door. The door quickly shot open and they were greeted by nothing. Marcus took point, Tali following him with her shotgun level, followed by Garrus and Zaeed. The factory was full of crates, but not a single merc lay in sight.

"Something isn't-" A gunshot interrupted what the spectre was about to say and his shields flashed. Within seconds he was spinning towards the source and came face to face with a squad of Blue Suns mercs moving to box them in. "Spread out! Same formation as I told you! Tali, with me!"

His rifle barked in his grip and punched through the weak armor of a charging turian, the musket-sized rounds ripping through armor, flesh and bone.  _Just like they shredded Jenkins on Eden Prime._ The turian fell, screaming in agony before Tali put him out of his misery by blowing his head apart. The quarian was tackled by a batarian, but she flexed her legs out, knocking him aside before she brutally snapped his neck, her body moving gracefully as she stood back up and fired her shotgun, hot plasma bursting through the armor of a human merc trying to flank her.

Marcus quickly noticed Zaeed and Garrus moving to the left and right flanks, pouring fire on the enemy from above. The mercs quickly fell and were unable to regroup and combat them all at once and eventually fell back further into the factory, with his team keeping the heat up. As they pushed up, LOKI mechs joined the fight, but they did little to better the Blue Suns cause, and they were quickly disposed of. The last of the mercs fallen, he radioed Garrus and Zaeed.

"How's it going up there for you two?" He asked, motioning for Tali to take point while he covered the rear.

"Its smooth sailing, Shepard," Zaeed commented, "These Suns aren't your typical ones, this Harkin fuck obviously can't afford the higher up guys; notice that we haven't encountered a single legionnaire? Hell, not even a centurion; just greenies. These mercs are no threat to us, Shepard."

"I'm with Zaeed," Garrus spoke up, "I'm going to scale my way up these shipping containers, see if I can catch Harkin with his cock tangled between his legs. You guys push on through, cause as much noise as possible and draw them through. I'm not wasting ammo on these cheap idiots."

"Copy that Garrus," Marcus said before cutting the comms and turning to face Tali, who was waiting for him up ahead, "Garrus wants us to cause some noise and I've got an idea on how we can do that. Do you know where they might keep the YMIRs?"

"Not a clue. I'm an engineer, not an orienteerer," Tali quipped, "But if we continue, I can bet that I can recognize their shipping containers. YMIR, LOKI and FENRIS mechs are manufactured by Hahne-Kedar Industries. So if we can find a container with Hahne-Kedar marked on it, then we can safely assume it contains our two YMIRs."

"Good," Marcus smiled, squeezing the quarian's biceps, "Because when we get there, you are going to be hacking both and sending them on a rampage. You up to it?"

Tali scoffed, hitting him on the shoulder, "I'm a marine who hacks geth for a living. My mum could hack YMIRs blindfolded and without an omni-tool. Just get me there and let me work my magic."

He chuckled and motioned for her to take point as he watched her go, smiling as he raised his rifle, reloaded and followed.  _Why did God think I was worthy of finding someone so wonderful?_ He kept those thoughts in the back of his head as they moved forward, making sure to remember them. As they moved up, he could hear Zaeed's sadistic laughter as clearly as if he were right next to him, followed by a gulf of flame that enveloped the containers ahead. At least Zaeed was enjoying himself. Garrus had been silent ever since they had engaged the mercenary forces.

After what seemed like ages, they finally engaged a Blue Suns squad. It seems Harkin hadn't been able to afford veteran men, but had been able to purchase a large body of morons to protect him.  _He really hasn't improved from the scumbag Anderson said he was two years ago. Getting kicked from C-Sec has done nothing to humble his attitude._ Taking the Suns squad was easy; coupled with being taken by surprise and sheer disorganization, they stood no chance and were taken out very quickly.

Finally, they came upon an empty isle full of containers. They searched them and finally came to locate to a red one with the three, side by side odd shapes that represented the insignia of Hahne-Kedar Industries painted on its side in blood red colors. Tali nodded at him as she used her omni-tool to unseal the lock, dragging it open to reveal two YMIR mechs, polished and in fetal position, not activated yet.

"Check them Tali," Marcus ordered as the quarian opened her omni-tool and scanned them, "Has Harkin tampered with them yet?"

"They were shipped here with a Blue Suns IFF and the ability to recognize said mercs as friendlies," Tali reported before waving her omni-tool over them once more. A few seconds later, it beeped and the quarian tampered with it for a few moments before fulling turn back to him and bowing, "But not anymore. Commander Shepard, they are all yours."

He watched as both YMIRs stood up, arms extending infront of them and revealing their hidden arsenal; heavy machine guns gleaming in the factory's dim light and hidden rockets ready to deploy. The mechs' glowing red optics watched him and a booming computerized voice reported they were online and awaiting commands. Tali smiled, leaning against one with her arm.

"Tali, I could kiss you right now," Marcus laughing, before looking back at them.

She giggled, "That would probably involve me dying and coughing, but I think a simple kiss to the visor will do. And when we get back, I think you'll have to...entertain me." She motioned to her visor and Marcus plopped a small kiss on it, knowing they were in a combat situation. She smiled behind her mask and rose her omni-tool, "So, shall I command them to fall in line behind us?"

"They recognize us? You changed their IFFs?"

"Nah," Tali remarked, "Simply reprogrammed them. IFFs are tricky things; Identity Friend/Foe systems. I simply switched it around; instead of recognizing the Suns as friendlies, they now recognize them as enemies and vice versa."

"Then by all means," He turned to the mechs, a stern posture on his body, "Let's start to reap some shit. Don't tell Garrus, he'll get jealous. I want this to be a surprise." And like two badasses, Tali and Marcus moved forward, with two YMIR mechs marching up behind them in tandem, ready to destroy the enemy at their command.

Harkin got a nasty surprise when he tried to activate the mechs; instead of responding, he was locked out of the factory's systems; a bug Tali implanted. Marcus couldn't question it; Tali was  _the_ queen of engineering. She put the salarians to shame, and he was proud of her all the same. The way she hacked the YMIRs; it was child's play.

They quickly arrived at the foundry; the endgame for Harkin and his last bastion. Marcus and Tali's YMIRs had caused a huge commotion, with the Blue Suns being ripped to shreds and allowing Garrus and Zaeed to cruise through their auxiliary forces and reach the foundry. Eventually, the Suns decided Harkin wasn't worth dying for and routed, leaving Harkin to face the group all by himself and most of all; the fury of the Archangel.

When they reached the foundry, Zaeed whistled, watching the two YMIRs march towards him behind Marcus and Tali.

"Holy shit. I like this bucket," He pointed at Tali, smirking, "If she had been on my squad, we would have fucked shit up.  _That,_ right there,  _ **is my kind**_ of goddam woman. You sure you two are together and that ain't a fling?"

"We're together, Zaeed," Marcus stated firmly, wrapping an arm around Tali's waist and pulling her closer, "Definitely," Tali added.

"Damn shame," He watched the YMIRs come to a stop completely and wait at the foundry. Zaeed hit an idea, "Can we keep 'em?"

Marcus looked at the YMIRs incredulously, "You serious?"

"You bet I am!" Zaeed quipped, "With those reapers, even the Reapers would be shittin themselves! Hell, imagine those things versus collectors! Come on, you can't deny the appeal!"

"I'll think about it," Marcus declared before letting go of Tali, "Let's just deal with Harkin and find Sidonis. Once that's done, we'll take the YMIRs with us, if we can even find a way to have them transported to us."

"Garrus here," Garrus spoke through the comms, "I've find a side door into Harkin's little control room at the foundry. I'm moving to flank. Take the other one and lure him towards me; we have him boxed in."

"Solid copy," Marcus replied, motioning for Tali and Zaeed to follow him up the side where they could see through the windows. Harkin was hard at work at the controls, oblivious to them moving up to him. He must have been panicking about his mercenaries abandoning him.  _That's what you get for hiring mercs to protect you against trained professionals._

Finally, they reached a locked door. The encryption was so poor that even Marcus could hack through it and when ready, they opened it, Tali charging in first, shotgun raised, followed by Zaeed and Marcus. Harkin's head immediately snapped to them, eyes widening. He fled from the controls and headed for the opposite door, shouting at them as he went.

"You were close! But not close enou-" He palmed the door interface, but when it opened, the open space didn't greet him, a towering turian did. Garrus held his mattock at his side and as Harkin tried to duck under him, he launched a right hook into the human's face, breaking his nose and causing him to reel back as he held his nose, blood gushing from his nostrils.

Just as he stood up, grunting, Garrus' arm grabbed him and slammed him into the wall, other arm holding his neck. Marcus ordered Zaeed to keep watch outside and for Tali to stay behind him. She nodded while Marcus moved to watch Garrus' interrogation of 'Fade.'

"So, 'Fade'," Garrus stated with exaggerated elongation, "Couldn't make yourself disappear, huh?"

Harkin stopped his response for a moment and wiped his blood from his nose, wiping it over Garrus' armor. The turian barely looked at the gesture and seeing as trying to spite the turian into action wasn't working, the scumbag just gave in, "Come on, Garrus! We can work this out. What do ya need?"

Garrus let go of him and walked to look out the window, waiting to see what Harkin would do. But he was smart enough to know that attacking Garrus, especially in a room of three people, wasn't a good idea and didn't attack, simply standing there and readjusting his nose, crying out in pain as it snapped back into place. Waiting for him to finish, Garrus turned back around, facing Fade once more.

"I'm looking for someone," the turian stated cryptically.

"Well I guess we both have something the other one wants," Harkin grinned and Marcus knew he shouldn't have done that. In a flash, Garrus' arm uppercutted into Harkin's chest, causing him to reel over in pain, clutching his chest. But as soon as he did that, Garrus kneed him in the same place, forcing him to roll onto the ground, doubling over and cradling his chest as he coughed pathetically. Tali shook her head disapprovingly at the sight, crossing her arms and leaning against the console.

"We're not here to ask favors Fade," Tali stated firmly, "This isn't a game. You do as we want or you die, plain and simple."

Marcus nodded, closing his eyes and trying to dull the throbbing in his head.  _Another damn headache. I'm getting alot of these._ He rubbed his temple, watching as Garrus crossed his arms and waited for Harkin to stand back up. Still cradling his chest, the man did just that, but leaned heavily on the wall for support.

"You don't say," Harkin spat.

"You helped a friend of mine disappear," Garrus interrupted, "I need to find him."

"I...might need...alittle more information than that," Harkin coughed, "I'm not exactly the bloody Shadow Broker."

Garrus smirked, "His name is Lantar Sidonis. Turian, came from the-"

"I know he is, and I'm not telling you squat!" Harkin spat, swinging his fist at the turian's face. But Garrus ducked under it easily and his knee shot up into Harkin's groin, causing the man to scream out in agony and crumble to the ground, cradling his manhood as he rolled on the ground. Tali looked at Marcus and grinned underneath her mask, but he could always tell what that meant.  _Annoy me and I know just how to hurt you._ Marcus felt a little bit more insecure now.

"This doesn't have to be hard," Tali quipped, moving closer until she stood next to Garrus.

"Screw you, bitch," Harkin spat once more, the gesture becoming a favourite insult of his, "I don't give out client information, its bad for business."

Garrus rolled his eyes and moved in once more, this time swinging his rifle hard across Harkin's jaw. He spun around and his face slammed into the wall, breaking his nose once more and tumbling to the ground like a drunken old man unable to keep his balance. This time, the turian ensured he didn't stand up, planting a foot firmly on his neck and slowly adding more and more pressure.

"You know what else is bad for business?" Garrus growled, " _ **A broken neck!**_ "

"Alright alright alright!" Harkin pleaded, slowly choking from the pressure the turian added. Eventually, Marcus managed to guide Garrus off of him, but only reluctantly. He noticed Tali's look.  _She's worried, just as much as I am. Anyone who knows Garrus is afraid for him._

"Damn," Harkin cursed as he tried to stand up, but only fell back into a sitting position, "Terminus...really changed you, huh Garrus?"

"No," the turian hissed in answer, "But Sidonis...opened my eyes."

 _The wrong eyes._ Marcus thought gloomily.

Garrus spoke again, motioning to a terminal, "Not set up a meeting."

"Where?"

"Any. Where."

"Okay, okay," Harkin managed to get up and limp this time, moving towards a lone terminal with a slow step. Marcus nodded to Tali and she opened her omni-tool, tracking Harkin's transmission and making sure he wasn't going to alert Sidonis. If he did, she'd shut down the transmission immediately.

A few minutes later, Harkin switched off the terminal and turned to face them, "It's all good. He wants to meet you infront of the Orbital Lounge on Level 19, midday. So, if our business is done, I'll be going." Harkin turned to leave, but Garrus had him in a heartbeat, throwing him against the wall once more.

"I don't think so," Garrus growled, "You're a criminal now, Harkin."

"So, what? You're just going to kill me?" Harkin asked incredulously, "That's not your style, Garrus. Never has been."

"Styles change," Garrus stated, unholstering his pistol and and aiming it at Harkin's head, "Men change. You get used to it, Harkin."

"Enough Garrus," Marcus stated firmly, disarming the turian in a heartbeat and tossing the pistol away. Garrus looked at the spectre in anger, and Marcus knew he had screwed up. But he wasn't going to let Garrus have his way and just kill everyone he sees.

"You said you'd let me handle this!" Garrus fumed.

"I said I'd let you find Sidonis and deal with him," Marcus stated firmly, "We've found him, let's deal with him. I contacted C-Sec already and Bailey will find a nice cold cell for Harkin, but don't kill him. Are you seeking revenge against him or Sidonis?"

"Sidonis, of course," Garrus muttured.

"Then let's go deal with him," He turned to Tali, "Tali, I'm sure you can handle Fade here. We'll go back in the skycar, and we'll drop you, Zaeed and Harkin off at the C-Sec outpost. He tries anything, you hurt him. Me and Garrus will hang around Orbital for a couple of hours until the meeting, then we'll take out Sidonis and we call it a day. That sound good enough, Garrus?"

The turian slowly nodded, looking at Harkin with a look of pure murder. He then turned around and stormed out, presumably going to head for the skycar. Tali spared him a look before moving to grab Harkin by the arm and shove him out the door, asking Zaeed to handle moving him to the skycar. Marcus simply moved behind them, not sparing the two YMIRs a single look.

_Have I awoken the beast?_

**{Loading...}**

_September 19, 2185_

_1156 hours._

_Area Outside Orbital Lounge, Level 19, Zakera Ward, The Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian._

They both waited in the skycar for two hours, eating an assortment of levo and dextro foods they had acquired from a Nando's shop just across from the lounge. Famished, he opened his omni-tool and checked his chrono.  _1156 hours. Almost time._ He looked over to see that Garrus had already finished his food and was checking his new Widow Rifle's scope that he had purchased while they waited, seeing as he had the credits. The weapon was a pitch black in color; the color of death.  _How strangely fitting._ He sighed, "Four minutes to the meeting, Garrus. You want to get into position and tell me the plan?"

"It's a simple plan," Garrus stated simply, "I get into position, you lure Sidonis out and talk to him and when I'm ready, you stand aside and I take the shot. You come back and we leave. That simple."

Garrus seemed to map it out like he was talking about setting up a poker game.  _This has to stop. What has gotten into him,_ "You were pretty hard on Harkin."

Garrus' head snapped sideways to look at him, "You think he didn't deserve what I did to him? He deserved to be punished!"

"This isn't you," Marcus said calmly, unable to bare looking Garrus in the eyes, "The Garrus I know didn't go about shooting every criminal he could. You've let revenge blind your judgment."

Garrus shook his head, unable to answer. When he did, it wasn't what Marcus expected, "What do you want from me, Shepard? What if one of your team betrayed you?"

"I wouldn't like it, but I wouldn't let it change who I am," Marcus answered cooly.

"I would have said the same  _before_ it happened to me," Garrus stated, "But not it has, and look at me. I've seen the looks you and Tali give me. You think I've become a monster; and maybe I have. But if that's what's needed to avenge my squad, then I will gladly become that monster. My squad deserve that much from me and more."

"It's not too late, you know," Marcus stated, "You don't have to go through with this."

"Who's going to bring Sidonis to justice if I don't?" The turian demanded, "Nobody else knows what happened on Omega. Nobody else cares. But I will avenge my squad, and I will deliver Sidonis to them so they can condemn him for the rest of whatever life exists after death. I don't see any other options, that, or I'm not in the mood to see them."

"Let me talk to him," Marcus thought, thinking he might be able to get answers from Sidonis, give Garrus a reason not to shoot him. It was a long shot, but worth trying. He didn't want his best friend to turn into a cold-blooded murderer.

"Talk all you want, but it won't change my mind," Garrus decided, "I don't care what his reasons were, he  _ **screwed us.**_  He deserves to die."

"I understand what you're going through, but do you really think killing him will solve anything?" Marcus asked slamming his fist into the dashboard to get the turian's attention, which it did, "Do you honestly delude yourself into thinking that Sidonis' blood on the ground will bring your squad from the grave?"

"Of course not!" Garrus shouted, dropping his sniper rifle, "But it will at least make up for what he did! An Eye for an Eye, Shepard!"

"No, an eye for many eyes," Marcus responded, "Sidonis didn't betray one, or two, or three people, Garrus. He betrayed your entire team. So if you kill Sidonis, you've only achieved the goal of avenging  _one._ I've lost many troops to batarians and Thresher Maws, but do I take the Normandy and try to initiate a holocaust on Khar'Shan? Do I seek to exterminate every living thresher maw in existence? No! Because its futile and it will serve to do nothing! You think it will leave you satisfied, but in the end, all it serves to do is remind you that you're a killer! And killing is all your good at! So go ahead, kill Sidonis, see if it makes you feel any better. Your obviously not going to listen to reason." Marcus then proceeded to kick the door open and stomp out, already knowing that their four minutes were up. Garrus got out of the car as well, moving to take position.

Marcus watched as Garrus lay on the ground and deployed the bipods on his Widow before disappearing as he descended the stairs. He finally hit the ground, finding the Orbital Lounge to be a bustle of activity. He looked around for Sidonis and finally spotted him sitting at a bench not too far away. The turian wore multicolored civvies and long-slung jeans, along with the dull blue colors of a turian born on Palaven, just like Garrus. The turian quickly spotted him and he motioned the man over. Marcus had long since left his armor so he could look more convincing, leaving it in the skycar. The turian stood up and approached him.

"Let's get this over with," Sidonis ordered in a panicky voice.

"I've got the shot," Garrus stated, "Move to the side and I'll give Sidonis a trip to memory lane."

That was it. All Marcus had to do was move to the side and Garrus would blow Sidonis' brains all over the floor. But when the time came, Marcus couldn't will himself to move.  _I have a chance to get answers from Sidonis. Do I defy my friend's wishes and try and save the man that betrayed him? Could I do that?_ Did he have the ability to choose morals over friend's wishes? Yes, he believed he did. So instead of stepping to the side, he decided to warn Sidonis.

"Listen Sidonis, I'm hear to help you," Marcus stated firmly.

"Shut up!" Sidonis shouted in his face, "Don't say that name out loud! Don't  _ever_ say it aloud!" He tried to sound tough, but the tone failed him and he just ended up sounding like a nervous wreck.  _He's terrified. He knows Garrus is on to him._

"I'm a friend of Garrus'. He wants you dead, but I know that's not going to be necessary," the spectre said.

Garrus' eyes widened, "Shepard, what the fuck are you doing!? You've blown our cover! Stand aside so I can quickly down him before he gets away!"

Marcus ignored him and listened to Sidonis' wide-eyed response, "G-G-Garrus!? Is this...some kind of sick joke!? I'll have Fade for this!"

"Holy shit, you're not kidding are you?" He noticed Marcus' expression and the spectre nodded, "Well screw this! I'm not hanging around to find out. Tell Garrus I have my own problems!" The turian turned to leave, but Marcus grabbed him by the arm, "Don't move."

"Get off me!" Sidonis snarled, trying to break Marcus' vice-like grip.

"I'm the only thing standing between you and a hole in your head," He growled at the turian, trying to drive his point across.

He didn't think Sidonis' eyes could widen any further, but apparently he was wrong.

"Fuck," the turian silently cursed, "Look, I didn't want to do it! I didn't have a choice!"

"Everyone has a choice," Garrus mumbled over the comms.

Sidonis continued, oblivious to Garrus' watching, "They got to me! Said they'd kill me if I didn't help! What the fuck was I supposed to do!?"

"Let me take the shot, Shepard," Garrus hissed, "He's a spirits-damned coward."

"That's it? You just did it to save yourself?" Marcus asked, trying to buy Sidonis more time. The turian nodded and if tears could well from a turian's eyes, they would be right now. Sidonis didn't know what to do with himself.

"I know what I did," the turian mumbled, "I know they died because of  _me._ I have to live with that thought for the rest of my miserable life. I wake up every night...sick, vomiting, screaming...crying. I see each of their faces staring at me, and Garrus shouting 'Coward!' 'Traitor!' Then the faces excuse me as well, calling me a traitor too. I'm already a dead man, what's the point of saving me? I've only managed to delay the envitable. Garrus said that when I left Omega. Said that he'd find me and kill me and now here we stand. I don't sleep properly anymore, food...has no taste. Somedays...I actually  _wish_ for Garrus to step through that door and end it all."

"I don't know about a door," Garrus spoke once more, "But I will end your life, don't worry about that Sidonis. I'll put you to rest." The turian's voice sounded gentler, less about revenge and more about pity. He must have imagined it. But Marcus still insisted on saving Sidonis.

"Just let it go, Garrus," He mumbled into the mic, "He's dead already. He's just a husk with a turian's body. There's nothing to kill. You heard it for yourself."

Sidonis turned, suddenly aware that Marcus was communicating with his would-be killer, "Tell Garrus...," he hesitated, "There's nothing I can say to make it right. No magic words, no wonderful excuses. I'm a coward, a craven. I'm a dead husk running from a skycar, just waiting for the impact so it can all be over. But I know one thing; I will make it up to you Garrus. I'll turn myself in; tell C-Sec what I did. I  _will_ make this right."

"Just...," Garrus fumbled for the words but eventually, he simply sighed, "Go. Tell him...to go." Before Marcus could reply, Garrus cut the link. Marcus turned to Sidonis and nodded to him and the turian nodded his thanks and ran off, moving towards a group of C-Sec officers patrolling the area.

As Marcus ascended the steps back to the skycar, he saw that Garrus was already back inside, rifle backed in the back and looking blankly at the dashboard. Marcus crawled inside and fired up the engine before taking off and heading back for the main dock.

After a long, drawn out silence, Garrus finally spoke up, "I...I know you want to talk about this, but I can't. Not yet. I need some...time."

"I know it didn't go as planned," Marcus replied, gliding through the Citadel's traffic, "But I think it's for the best. Sidonis will make this straight; I saw him head for some C-Sec officers. Bailey will sort him out."

"I...I just want to know if I did the right thing. Not just for me...but for my men. Your words before...I thought over them as I lowered the scope over Sidonis and when the time, I just couldn't do it. I couldn't pull the trigger, not matter how much I wanted to. He truly is a broken man, I'd just be shooting a corpse."

"The lines between good and evil blur when morals are taken into thought," Marcus offered.

"Yeah, there was good in him, I could see it," the turian stated, "I guess its so much easier to see the world in black and white. Grey? I don't know what to do with grey."

"I think you'll find out," The spectre offered.

"Maybe," Garrus replied, "Let's just get back to the Normandy. I think some distance between the Citadel and me is needed to let this blow over."

"Couldn't agree more," Marcus smiled for the first time since the skycar had landed there and he knew things would get better.  _Garrus isn't a monster. He just needs to learn to control his emotions; as I do._

**"Sidonis really did come through. I don't regret letting him live, although my revenge-instincts tell me otherwise."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"That's why you ignore them. I always have."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"Forgetting Kai Leng, are we?"**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"That was a spur of the moment thing."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"So, what next, Marcus? I don't recall leaving the Citadel immediately after that mission."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"No, we didn't. No...as I recall, we stayed a little bit longer to deal with some more father/son issues. I mean damn, how many of those do we have?"**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

_**A/N:** _

_**Hope you liked this chapter. Take a wild guess as to what help Sidonis is going to provide later in the story and during the Reaper War. I'd like to see what you think. But don't worry, this isn't the last we see of Sidonis.** _


	40. New Story on FictionPress!

Check out my FictionPress account! Same name! I've released the introduction for my story, titled 'Earth Schism I: Fires of Johhar.' It's a fantasy based story. I hope you guys like it. I won't be working on it for a while, as Prophecy is still my main priority, but I shall work on this story behind the scenes. Like I said, hope you enjoy the introduction.


	41. Sins of the Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thane's son runs into some trouble on the Citadel. Shepard helps Thane show his son a different path.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT:**

**SINS OF THE FATHER**

_September 19, 2185_

_1232 hours._

_Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked with the Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema._

Marcus felt only pleasure. When Tali said she wanted pleasure as her reward after Garrus' mission, she had meant it. Upon returning, he had headed up to his cabin to find Tali waiting for him, who was on break from her shift and wanted to spend it with him. She said Kasumi was back to her usual self and no longer needed her consoling. Then she had pounced on Marcus and here they were; Marcus laying back on the bed while Tali grinded him.

It was a position they had used many times before; Tali would unbuckle his pants, grab his manhood and if it wasn't hard already, stroke it. Once it was, she would place it between her legs and begin thrusting on it. Not only did the dry humping give Tali pleasure while her nerve stim pro operated, but it went double for him as well. All he could was lie there while she grinded him, hands on her hips and encouraging her to go faster. Faster she did, and he was quickly coming to his climax.

Tali hit hers first, the quarian screaming in pleasure as she spilled out, her muted helmet muffling the sound of screaming. Marcus quickly followed, his seed soaking the front of her suit in a thick, white coat. Tali finally collapsed ontop of him and fell asleep, Marcus following shortly afterward, his arms wrapped around the gorgeous quarian ontop of him.

When his eyes opened, it was because of EDI's voice interrupting his sleep. When his eyes slowly opened, he found Tali still ontop of him, but her hand now lay on his face, having moved in her sleep. He smiled and moved it, and as he woke her up, EDI spoke up once again.

"Commander," the AI said.

"I hear you EDI," Marcus said, harsher than he might have intended before wiping his eyes. He checked his chrono and saw that the time was now 1552 hours. He had slept a lengthy amount, at least, "What did you wake me up for EDI?"

"Thane is at your door and requesting permission to enter," EDI informed, "He says it is a personal matter that requires immediate attention."

Marcus sighed heavily as he let his head fall back onto the pillow. Eventually, he turned his head sideways, once again addressing EDI, "Tell him I need a minute to get dressed."

"Of course, Shepard," EDI responded before going silent.

"And I was hoping for some more sleep," Tali murmured before sitting on the side of the bed. A half-naked Shepard smiled and sat up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"How comes the research?" Marcus asked dreamingly, "How soon until you can..." He drifted off, letting Tali finish what he was intending to say.

Tali nodded, "It goes well. I've purchased many items and I've been seeing Mordin for advice. He might go overboard with it, but he certainly helps. He told me that you should see him about it as well at some point as well, so you can acquire what you need. A list of instructions to."

"There's instructions?" Marcus chuckled, "Anything to be with the ultimate girl."

"I'll get cleaned up in the shower cubicle," Tali giggled, pointing to the front of her suit, "I'm glad you get off well, but its annoying when I have to clean it up; it'll take a while. Should give you plenty of time to talk to Thane."

"Trust me, you won't be complaining soon enough," He grinned, kissing her neck. She hummed happily before standing up and heading to the shower cubicle, moving her hips side to side in a hypnotizing fashion.  _Damn, she's sexy._ With the quarian disappearing in the bathroom, he quickly hopped up and rebuckled his pants before pulling on a top and his N7 hoodie. When he was done, he shouted for the drell assassin to enter.

"Shepard," Thane greeted before taking a look at his cabin, admiring the view, "This is quite the cabin you have. Very impressive. Cerberus went to many lengths to make sure you were comfortable," the drell nodded as he passed Marcus and took the spectre's offer of a seat, gracefully landing on the sofa, hands on his lap. Marcus nodded and sat opposite the drell.

"They try, but fail. While I'm on a Cerberus ship, I'll never be comfortable," the spectre punctuated before silencing the subject, "Now, EDI said you had an urgent matter to attend to. A personal one."

Thane nodded, "Yes but...now that I'm here...it seems...more difficult to talk about."

Marcus hit an epiphany, "Are you sick? Do you need a doctor? I can have Chakwas up here immediately! Or Mordin!"

Thane shook his head, his voice calm, "No, no. Actually...now that I think about it, that may be a part of it. My...mortality has me dwelling on things. You remember what I told you about my family?"

Marcus gave a hesitant nod. In truth, he did, but he didn't like where it was leading. Thane had originally been married, his wife been a drell named Irikah Krios. They had met on one of Thane's assassination contracts, but just as he was about to snipe his target, Irikah saw the laser point on the man's forehead and stood infront of him, acting as a shield. Instead of firing, Thane admired Irikah's courage and eventually met up with her. After a bitter friendship, they eventually fell in love and got married on Kahje. Not long after, they had a son named Kolyat. His life was a mix of freelance assassinations and his life with his wife and son. But then he made a mistake.

He had attacked a batarian slaver ring and their associates came to the Shadow Broker, seeking revenge. The Shadow Broker gave the information to the batarians willingly and they found Irikah, killing her. Kolyat, as if by a stroke of luck, was at school at the time. When Thane heard of Irikah's death, instead of going to her funeral, he hunted down the ring leaders behind her death and killed every single one of them, save the Shadow Broker, who he couldn't find. Deciding that Kolyat didn't deserve the life he lived, Thane left him in the care of his aunts and uncles and left, continuing his career as an assassin.

"Yes," Marcus replied, "How long has it been since you spoke to Kolyat? I never asked."

"Ten years," Thane replied almost instantly, "He showed me some of his school work and asked me if we could 'dance crazy.' We did that when he was younger."

Marcus smirked, "What sort of dance is that?"

Before his eyes, the spectre watched as the drell seemed to lose focus and his eyes drifted out of reality. The drell spoke, but when he did, it sounded like he was reading out of a book, "I check my extranet contacts. I expect information on my next target. The console plays music, a voice, unfashionable. Kolyat jumps into the room. 'Father!' I pick him up, toss him around. I throw him into the air. He shrieks, laughs. 'Spin me!' He says. I stop, I put him down. My terminal beeps. I open the message. 'Father' he pleads. He tugs my sleeve. 'I need to read this', I said. I don't look at him," just as quick as it had started, it ended, with Thane's eyes coming back into focus.

A switch clicked in Marcus' head.  _Drell have perfect memory. They can recall things in complete detail and remember every bit of it._ Experiencing it though...that was another thing entirely. He never thought he'd see it for himself. Now he had. Thane was eerily silent.

He decided he'd get the topic back on track, "So...when you left Kolyat on Kahje...why didn't you take him with you? Raise him yourself?"

Thane shook his head, "My body is blessed with the skills to take life. The hanar honed them in me. I have few others. I didn't want that life for Kolyat; I hoped he would find his own way. If he hated me...so be it. He would share the path of sin."

"So just what is going on?" Marcus asked, getting to the heart of the subject and leaning forward on the sofa.

"I used my contacts to trace Kolyat," Thane explained, "He has become...disconnected. He does what his body wills."

Marcus frowned at that, "You're going to have to explain that one to me. What do you mean, 'disconnected?'"

"Disconnected," Thane repeated, as if testing the word himself, "The body is not our true self; the soul is. Body and soul work as one in a whole person. When the soul is weakened by despair or fear or when the body is ill or injured, the individual is disconnected. No longer whole."

The spectre seemed to understand, "What's wrong with him? Is he hurt?"

"Something happened that should not have," The drell responded, "He knows where I've been, what I've done. I don't know his reasons, but he has come here, to the Citadel. He's taken a job as a hitman; I would like your help to stop him. He...this is not a path he should walk."

Incredulous, Marcus scoffed, "You don't hire a raw rookie for a contract killing."

"The name Krios comes with perks," Thane explained, "Not only may they have compared our names, but they might actively think Kolyat is me. Considering I'm already a professional assassin, Kolyat wouldn't be considered a rookie and would be given the most deadliest contracts. This worries me."

"Maybe he does this to be closer to you?" Marcus suggested.

Thane raised an eyebrow and put his head in his palm, "That thought haunts me more than any other."

"So, why do you need my help?" He asked of the drell, "I don't have the contacts you have."

"I don't need your help, I want it," Thane replied, more fiercely than he had intended, "The last time I saw my son...," then the drell was drifting off again, becoming one with his memories as he recalled them, "They wrapped her body in seaweed. Kolyat tries to pull from me, to reach his mother. They pass her body into the sea. To be enkindled anew. He begs them not to take her away. They let her body slide into the water. He hits me, 'Don't let them! Stop them!' It rains. It always rains on Kahje. Warm water pours down his face; it looks like tears." As soon as the memory started, it was over and Thane's eyes met his once more.

Marcus was sympathetic for the drell, "I...I didn't mean to make you relive that."

"Perfect memory," Thane replied in a mumble, his voice low, "Its more a punishment than a blessing."

"What made Kolyat go to the Citadel?" Marcus asked, trying to change topics once again.  _I feel like I'm walking on a river of lava and I'm trying to find safe land._

"Years ago I prepared a package for him," the drell replied, "A relic of my ill-spent life. I had volus bankers store it and arrange for delivery when I died. He acquired it early; I don't really know how. I did wet work on the Citadel before his mother died. It might be why he went there."

"Look, if you want to stop Kolyat, I understand," he stood up and motioned Thane to the door before following the drell, "I'll tell Miranda she's in command. I doubt you need more than me for this job, but I want to bring Samara just to be sure."

"Thank you Shepard," Thane said, "This means alot."

Marcus smiled warmly at the drell and slapped him on the shoulder before turning to yell into the cubicle, "Me and Thane are leaving to go deal with his personal matter. Be back soon!"

No response. He merely smiled as he saw a quarian hand shoot out from the cubicle, doing its best to imitate a human thumbsup. A smile still on his face, he left with Thane and entered the elevator, heading to Deck Two. He informed EDI to tell Samara to meet them at the airlock.

_Another personal matter, another Citadel trip._

_I have to take a break._

**{Loading...}**

_September 19, 2185_

_1232 hours._

_Main Bridge, Zarasis-Class Light Cruiser QMFV Alarei, Migrant Fleet, Raheel-Leyya System, Valhallan Threshold._

_Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Huzzi._

"What do you mean that Daro refuses to acknowledge my request?" Rael shouted at his comms operator, who was currently working heavily at her station. The Alarei's systems were malfunctioning and the ship's crew was working overtime to find the source of the malfunction and eliminate it.

The specialist was barely fazed by the shouting, "I mean exactly that. Admiral Xen refuses to be involved in matters that do not concern her or further her scientific gain. She is disowning the Alarei."

"Disowning the Alarei!?" Rael yelled incredulously, slamming his fist down on the command console next to him, "The Alarei is one of her ships! The Alarei belongs to the Special Projects Fleet! Its got everything to do with her! I've had enough of her nonsense. When today's trials are done, I want you to send a message to Xen and have her meet on the Alarei, per my orders. We're going to have a little talk." Rael ordered and the specialist nodded, sending the message as the admiral lay back in his command chair, sighing heavily.

 _Doesn't Xen see the benefits in what we're doing here anymore? She's the one who goes on about returning the geth to the control of their rightful masters, and yet she doesn't even want to fund my facilities; facilities devoted to that very goal! She could at least help me design weapons, or share her designs on that Arc pistol prototype of hers._ Rael's experiments were slowly proceeding, but without full support from Xen's Special Projects, he wasn't going anywhere in a hurry.  _And if the Admiralty Board does notice, so what? We'll just say we've found something of value and are devoting our assets towards furthering it. Who's going to miss eighty-six ships in a fleet of fifty thousand?_

"I'll be in the labs if you get anything," Rael informed his bridge crew and quickly took his leave, door closing behind him. He closed off the topic of Xen to the back of his mind, locking it away for future thought. His mind came back to the topic of his daughter, Tali.  _Should I order her to return to the fleet? Han doesn't like the fact that one of his esteemed marines, a 'vas Neema', on that account, is spending all her time on a human frigate. She's too close to that commander for her own good. Yes, I shall order her to return and set up a marriage-pact between her and Peta. That should keep her in line._

He shook his head as he descended the steps from the bridge and moved through the tight-confines of the retrofitted cruiser, nodding to each member of the crew as he moved past. Finally he arrived at the ship's primary laboratory and found Dagt'Hazt vas Lazataa hard at work, as always. He had allowed the woman a few days off to be with her husband and son and was now fully focused on their goal. She was one of the most brilliant scientists he knew, excluding Daro, and he knew she'd get the job done. That's why he had personally requested her when he designed the crew compliment for the Alarei.

Hearing his arrival, Dagt turned around, datapad in hand, "Ah, Admiral Zorah. I'm guessing you're here to see the preliminary findings. We haven't uncovered anything new or worth noting, but we are slowly moving forward, as always. Thank you for allowing me to see Dorn. I miss him, and it was good to be able to see him face to face instead of true extranet link."

"My crew needs to be focused," Rael answered rationally, "We can't afford liabilities. You're very lucky to even have a husband; my daughter despises me and my wife is dead and yet I still keep going. For the Flotilla, For the Fleet, I tell myself."

"Everything we do is for the continuation of the Fleet," Dagt responded, "We just-"

"Admiral Zorah, I've found the source of the malfunction," the Alarei's chief tech spoke into the comms, "And...oh keelah, it can't be. This can't be happening!"

"What, what is it?" Rael demanded but before the man could respond, Dagt screamed. He turned and looked at the table where a geth was lying. Or,  _had been_. The geth now sat up, its optics staring at them. One of the quarian marines of the ship tried to restrain it, but the geth grabbed his helmet and slammed his visor into the table, killing him instantly before the geth took his weapon.

Rael grabbed Dagt's arm and dragged her outside, locking the door behind them, "Come on! We need to get to the bridge! Bridge, send out a distress call to the Moreh! Inform them that the Alarei has been compromised and geth are on the loose!"

"Copy that," the bridge reported before going silent. Rael continued to drag Dagt up the stairs and locked themselves in a small room. The geth were all over the ship, quickly spreading and overwhelming the Alarei's security detail and their countermeasures. Rael slammed his fist into a wall.  _How did I not see this coming? How did I not know the geth would break out? I should never have done this._ Rael'Zorah had made a mistake; letting those geth network.

And now his crew were all paying the price.

**{Loading...}**

_September 19, 2185_

_1619 hours._

_C-Sec Customs, Level 27, Zakera Ward, The Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Assassin Thane Krios, Justicar Samara._

Marcus, Thane and Samara quickly approached Bailey's desk, the man in question looking incredibly busy. Yet again, policing the Zakera Ward was always a full-time thing, especially with mercenaries roaming the station. Marcus really didn't want to interrupt; but he knew that stopping Thane's son was much more important. They stopped infront of Captain Bailey's desk and waited for him to notice them. When he finally did, he looked up and nodded, turning away from his terminal.

"Shepard," Bailey greeted, "Something I can do for you?"

"My associate is trying to find his son," Marcus replied, motioning for the drell to move forward. Thane did as bid, and stood next to Bailey's desk with his hands clasped behind his back, "We think a local criminal might have hired him."

"This should be easy," Bailey nodded, switching to another tab on his terminal and searching up the required information, "We don't get many drell here; they're even rarer than quarians. This won't take a minute."

The C-Sec captain continued to type at his terminal for a few more seconds before leaning back and looking at a procured manifest, "There we go," Bailey leaned forward and pointed at a report, "One of my men spotted a drell recently. And he was talking to Mouse...interesting."

Thane frowned, "Mouse?" Marcus saw something else in Thane's eyes.  _Is that...recognition?_

Bailey turned towards him, shaking his head, "Ah, a petty criminal. Probably not the guy who hired your boy, but he's a messenger. He's a former duct rat. Runs errands for anyone who'll pay."

"What sort of trouble has this Mouse found himself in?" Samara asked.

"Odd jobs for shifty people," Bailey replied cryptically, "Duct rats take whatever's available to get by: Data running, fencing stolen goods, selling illegal VI personalities," Then Bailey chuckled, "He was even selling one of you."

Marcus raised an eyebrow, "Me? I have a VI based off of  _me_?"

"Yeah," Bailey replied, the same grin on his face, "When you erased a file it would say 'I delete data like you on the way to real errors.'"

"That's pretty extreme," Thane remarked, smiling.

"Laugh it up, laugh it up," The spectre replied, but couldn't help a grin of his own spreading across his lips. But Bailey wasn't done.

"Buggy though," Bailey added, "Crashed every half hour and the error message was about how 'the galaxy was at stake and you should fix the problem yourself.'"

"I think I've had enough of this, back on subject," Marcus insisted, crossing his arms, "Now, explain to me exactly what a duct rat is again?"

"Duct rat," Bailey stated, as if saddened by the word, "Its a slang term we give to kids who grew up on the station. When they were small they'd often play in the ventilation ducts where adults can't get to them."

"Is that even safe?" Marcus asked, confused.

"Every few months...we pull a little body out of them," Bailey's look was one of melancholy and even Marcus winced at the very image, "Lacerated by fan blades. Broken by a dead fall. Suffocated by vacuum exposure. Those are just the ones we know about, other just...disappear. Maybe they were sucked out into space? Or maybe some fall into the protein vats that the farmers run. Mouse survived long enough that he can't fit into the ducts anymore. He was one of the smarter ones, or the luckier ones."

"I've heard enough," Marcus declared, not wanting to continue imagining mutilated bodies of children.

Bailey nodded, switching off his terminal, "Mouse is usually upstairs, outside the dark star. He works out of a public comm terminal. But it sounds like your boy is running with the wrong crowd."

Thane nodded, "Yes. I agree."

"If Mouse can't get you in touch with the boy then he'll know someone who can," Bailey stated.

"You don't even know Thane, Captain," Marcus said, leaning onto the desk, "Why are you going so far to help us?"

Bailey sighed, "I've worked Zakera for two years. Everyday, kids turn to crime because they've got no other choice; because their parents don't care. You," he looked at Thane, "You're trying to save yours."

"He faces a dark path," Thane responded.

"Let's get going then," Marcus motioned for Samara and Thane to follow him while Bailey returned to working at his desk. Once outside, Thane motioned him to an isolated corner, where he turned to face the spectre.

"You didn't tell him that Kolyat plans to assassinate someone," It wasn't a question, merely a statement of fact.

Marcus nodded, "He's a cop, and you know how the police work. He'd try to stop Kolyat and one of them could end up dead. I don't want that, and I'm sure you don't either."

"Of course, Shepard," Thane motioned for him to take the lead, "Thank you."

The stairs seemed alot longer than the last time he'd been here. But as they reached Level 28, they quickened their pace, scanning the area for anyone who might look like Mouse. Their eyes started at the Dark Star Lounge and from there, it didn't take long to find Mouse, or what looked alot like Mouse. He was working at a comm station, datapad in hand and seemed to be talking to some turian.

Thane moved past Marcus like flowing wind and placed a hand on Mouse's shoulder, causing him to turn towards the drell in shock. What was more, was that Mouse actually knew who Thane was, "Krios! I thought you retired! And is that Commander Shepard? I thought he was dead! What could two impossibilites want with me?"

"Be still Mouse," Thane reassuringly patted Mouse's shoulder, "You can change your pants in a moment."

"How do you know Thane?" Marcus asked, still shocked that they knew each other, or at least Mouse knew the drell assassin.

"Krios...he...he didn't...," Mouse stuttered before crossing his arms and taking a step back, attempting defiance, "If he didn't say nothin, then I ain't either."

"When I heard the name Mouse...well, I didn't think it could be the same Mouse," Thane explained to Marcus, blinking his eyes, "He was a contact of mine on the Citadel when I was still active and Irikah was still alive. He and some other children would gather information on my targets."

That thought disgusted him more than anything else, "You used children to spy for you?"

"The young, the poor," Thane added, "My people call them  _drala'fa:_  The ignored. They're everywhere, see everything. Yet they are never seen." And then, Thane did something unexpected. He moved forward and locked his hand around Mouse's neck and leaned in closer, "You gave another drell instructions for an assassination plot. Who's the target?"

"I don't know, honestly!" Thane released his grip only a little, but mostly held onto Mouse, encouraging him to continue, "Because the people I work for...they can make me disappear. I'd like to help you Krios; you've always done right by us, but I ain't going to die for you!"

"Look," Marcus put a hand on his shoulder, "You know Thane. Do this for him."

"I want to, I really do, he was always nice to us," Mouse fidgeted with his fingers, giving Thane a glance, "But these people?  _They ain't nice._ "

"Nobody will know you talked to us," Marcus assured him.

Thane let go of Mouse and sighed, "Mouse, I swear that you won't be named."

"Alright, alright," Mouse replied with feigned resignation, "He came with that hollow you took of me. Said he wanted a job. I went through your old contacts to see who might give him a shot. The guy who offered was Elias Kelham."

"Who's this Kelham?"

"He's human," Mouse explained, "Moved to the Citadel about ten years ago. He was little people when you were here, Krios. He got big after the geth attack; lots of the big guys before him got cacked up in big fancy apartments on the Presidium. Now he runs the rackets on the lower end of the Ward; Shin Akiba. Seriously bad news."

"You did good Mouse," Marcus complimented, slapping the guy on the back.

Mouse let out a half-hearted laugh, "Yeah. I hope I live long enough to pat myself on the back."

"Kelham will never know," Thane reassured him.

"I hope not," Mouse replied, voice shaking, "I'm out of here Krios. Next time you're in town...just don't bring the family." With that, Mouse pushed past them, Marcus telling Samara to let him go. The asari did as bid and Mouse disappeared in the crowds. When Mouse was gone, Marcus turned to Thane once more.

"That couldn't have been easy," Marcus suggested.

"Mouse knew more about my life than Kolyat ever did," Thane replied, his voice regretful and low, "I was the only good thing he had back then. But I left him...just as I left Kolyat."

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Thane," He tried reassuring the drell, but as he went to put a hand on his shoulder, Thane moved away.

"If I don't, then who will?" Thane responded, no anger in his tone, "We must all carry the weight of our decisions, Shepard."

 _I know that more than you do,_ Marcus thought and followed Thane, Samara in tow, back to the C-Sec Customs area to speak with Bailey. He would probably know how to find this Elias Kelham before Kolyat succeeded in his assassination attempt. The likelihood of him succeeding was low, but they couldn't ignore the possibility. They had to consider all their options and possible outcomes.

When they arrived, Bailey immediately looked up at them and immediately put down his cup of cocoa, "Did you talk to Mouse? Did you get the guy he's working with?" Bailey asked.

All three of them nodded simultaneously, but it was Marcus who verbally responded, "Elias Kelham."

The look of confidence on Bailey's face melted away instantly; it was a transformation that Marcus frowned at. But before he could ask what's wrong, Bailey mumbled under his breath, "Shit. Uh...look, this is awkward. Kelham and I...we have, an agreement. He doesn't cause too much trouble and buys tickets to the 'C-Sec Charity Ball' from me and in return...I ignore him."

Marcus couldn't believe what he was hearing.  _Even C-Sec can be bought off? Now I know what Garrus means by 'corruption in C-Sec' but from Bailey of all people? What didn't I see that coming?_ "He pays you," Samara stated in a low monotone.

"You were eager to help us before...what about now?" Marcus asked.

Bailey just waved his hand in a dismissive posture, "I said I'd help; its just that they will be reprecussions if I don't handle it right. Kelham and I give each other space; it keeps the peace. I'll get some of my men to bring him in and set him up in an interrogation room; you can interrogate him yourself. I'll stay out of sight; and if I'm lucky, Kelham will think I had nothing to do with it. Fat chance of that, though."

"Then bring him in," Marcus ordered and Bailey nodded, raising his omni-tool and ordering two of his men to locate and arrest Kelham and bring him to customs. While they waited for Kelham to arrive, Bailey hid and Marcus and his squad hung around.

After waiting for twenty minutes, two officers, a human and a turian, finally arrived with Elias Kelham in tow. The man was middle-aged, most likely only forty to fifty years of age. He wore an extravagant white suit and a moustache cross goatee, followed by light stubble on his chin. His black hair was also lightly cropped. Marcus stepped out of the way as the two officers moved past, door opening into the interrogation room as they disappeared inside. Marcus nodded to the guard at the door, "Tell Bailey we're ready."

The officer nodded, snapping a salute before moving over to Bailey's desk. A minute later, Bailey turned up, "Kelham will expect me to get him out of this."

"Not today I think," Thane replied. The door opened once more and both officers moved out, informing Bailey that Kelham was strapped in and ready to go. Before Bailey could respond, his comm beeped.

"Sir," a turian voice spoke, "Kelham's lawyer is here. Says his VI has him informed if C-Sec gets within ten meters of his client."

"I'll stall the bastard," Bailey told them before moving away. Marcus motioned for Samara to stay outside, while himself and Thane stood outside the door, laying out their plan.

"I'll play the bad cop," Marcus told him, "You ask him the questions and if you don't like the answers, I'll put the screws to him."

"I'll pretend to be on his side," Thane agreed, "But we have to hurry. If we waste too much time on this, Bailey won't be able to stall Kelham's advocate." In agreement, the spectre and the drell opened the door and stepped inside. The interrogation room was quite small and in the middle, Kelham was strapped to a chair.

"Get me out of these restraints Bailey!" Kelham shouted, not noticing them entering at first, "Pretty funny bringing me down here like this!" When he turned to them, he frowned, "Who the hell are you two?"

They moved forward, Marcus standing behind Kelham while Thane stood infront of him. Kelham's look was one of arrogance and his frown seemed perpetual.

"Bailey has nothing to do with this," Thane stated, "We just want a few answers. Its off the record."

Kelham guffawed, "Bullshit. Off the record in a C-Sec interrogation room? Surrreeeee..."

"You hired an assassin," Thane ignored his comment, "Who do you want dead?"

"I want to see my lawyer," Kelham insisted, ignoring the question.

"Your advocate is on his way," Thane replied, "We're trying to find him."

Kelham rolled his eyes, "I'm not saying a damn word until he's here. You two are in way over your heads. Bailey won't let you touch me."

"Bailey doesn't know you're here," Marcus lied, "But he will.  _After_ we're done."

"Like we said, this is off the record," Thane insisted, "No criminal charges will be brought against you."

"What are you, frogboy?" Kelham spat, "This kid's little pet? Listen boy, I don't-"

Marcus' fist came crashing into Kelham's face, breaking his nose. Marcus grabbed his face and turned him to face him, "I ain't no boy, Kelham."

Kelham spat onto the floor to get rid of some of the blood trickling into his mouth, "You're going to regret having done that."

"I'll regret many things," Marcus stated, cracking his knuckles, "But I won't regret that. Now, that assassin you hired. Who's the target? Why protect him? I want to catch him, not you. Why stick your neck out for him?"

Kelham growled, "You want me to confess to having put a contract on someone. You think I'm retarded? I know how this game works."

"We get the name, we walk out," Thane declared, "You'll never see us again."

"I've got no reason to believe you," Kelham persisted.

"You have no reason to disbelief either," Thane stated.

"Just tell us who the target-" Before Marcus could finish, the door opened and all three of them looked up to see Bailey retreating as his lawyer walked in, fury on his face at what he saw, "What the hell is going on in here? You step away from my client immediately or I'll...do you have him tied to the chair and a...broken nose!? Oh, you will regret this!"

"Took your time, Freddie," Kelham greeted, smug smile on his face.

The lawyer named Freddie turned to look at them, shaking his head, "You'll need a shovel the size of the Citadel to dig your way out of this."

 _Time to stop playing games. We've used everything we could, now I'm going to play my last card,_ "I won't need a shovel. I'm a Council Spectre. My name's Commander Shepard and this is my associate, Thane Krios."

The lawyer's eyes widened in horror, "A-a spectre? Oh shit."

Kelham didn't understand, "What? Is that bad?"

"Spectre's work above the law, Elias," Freddie responded, "And he's the Hero of the Citadel. Spectres can do what they want. I can't save you from this."

Kelham's smug look dropped immediately and he looked back at the duo with horror, "Well fuck. Look, the target is Joram Talid. He's a turian politician campaigning for the position of Citadel Zakera Ward Intendant. He wants to rat out organized crime, increase the size of the DEA and its influence, and is deluded into thinking that humans are the source of all their problems."

"Where can we find Talid?" Thane asked.

"His apartment at the 800 Blocks," Kelham replied and Marcus nodded, motioning for Thane to follow him out of the room. Once outside, Samara and Bailey immediately approach them, Bailey speaking first.

"What's the story? Why did Kelham hire the boy?"

"Assassination," Marcus replied, "A turian named Joram Talid. You know him?"

Bailey nodded, "Joram? Yeah. You might have seen some of his posters hanging around. He's promising to end organized crime on the ward. The thing is; his message is all mixed up in race politics. He's anti-human."

Marcus shook his head, "Has politics fucked up so bad that we're allowing these narrow-minded bueracrats to advertise their anti-human propaganda?"

Bailey nodded in agreement, "Before the Battle of the Citadel, the population thought humans were violent, quick to blood upstarts. Now look at us! Alot has happened since then. We occupy lose to half of C-Sec, a quarter of the CDF is mostly human ships, whether it be military mercenary ships or proper alliance navy warships, they're there. And the biggest salt to the wound was our early welcome into the Council. Most races work their butts for thousands of years to get that position, and we just swooped in and took it within 30. We did save the Citadel, but others don't see it that way. Especially Talid."

"Typical democracy," Marcus muttured, "I hated politics, now I feel like its making its best effort to let me know it wants attention. I have half a mind to let Kolyat assassinate the stupid fuck, but that won't help our case."

"Damn pity," Bailey stated, voice dripping with regret, "Do you know where Talid is?"

"He has an apartment at the 800 Blocks," Thane stated.

Bailey nodded, turning to one of his officers, "Rosanna, get these three a patrol car-"

"Samara won't need to come with us," Marcus informed him, turning to the asari, "You can go Samara. We won't need you for this mission. We can handle Kolyat."

"Very well, Shepard," Samara nodded in goodbye and left.

Bailey watched her leave before turning back to his officer, "Make that a patrol car for two. They need to get to the 800 Blocks."

Marcus sighed, giving Thane a weary glance, which the drell reciprocated. He chuckled nervously in response. And so the chase was on.

**{Loading...}**

_September 19, 2185_

_1647 hours._

_Engineering, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked with the Citadel._

_Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Power Engineer Kenneth Donnelly, Propulsion Engineer Gabriella Daniels._

So many things to do. So much work. It was just like how Tali wanted it. It was why she loved the Normandy so much, not just because it felt like her true home, but because the ship's advanced technology provided so much wonder and excitement for her. So many things to explore, to do, and work on. So many things to pull apart, rip open and fiddle with. It was paradise for the young engineer. Chief Engineer Zorah was in quarian heaven.

Tali was humming away to herself as she worked in one of the Normandy's maintenance shafts, working on a panel that needed replacing. Ken was busy keeping an eye on the drive core readouts while Gabby was manning Tali's console while she was absent. Ken could be a pain in the ass, but Gabby at least was the more mature of the two. Although Tali had a feeling the two were more than just friends, she never really asked anything more of it. She didn't need to boost Ken's ego any higher than it already was. His head might explode from all the gloat.

The tune she hummed was the main theme from Game of Thrones. It was so addicting that she found it playing in her head more and more, and she was very tempted to download Rains of Castamere as well; another very addicting piece of GOT music. She hummed it in rapidly changing tunes; low and high, high-pitched and deep bassed. It helped her work. Marcus had told her music helped him work as well, he just didn't listen to it in combat because that would be...well, stupid.

She also remembered the YMIRs. Joker had informed Marcus and due to him being away on a mission, Miranda, Garrus and Tali as well, that they had been picked up and acquired by unknown means and would be shipped to the Normandy as soon as possible. She inwardly beamed. They had a Hammerhead which was arguably better than the Mako (armor could be thicker and less vulnerable) and two shuttles, and now they would have two YMIRs to add to the group, programmed by Tali herself. She felt proud of it. She had another incentive for Garrus too now; if he dared to ask any more questions about what happened on Noveria...

A harsh voice shouted up at her, "Will you fucking shut up! I'm trying to sleep!" Tali closed her eyes and cursed. She had woken Jack and she realized it was because she had forgotten to moderate her humming and it had gotten too loud. Letting her quarian self get the better of her, she tried to make amends by shouting back, "Sorry!"

"Whatever," the voice growled back before going silent again. She sighed and decided she'd stop the humming for now. Finally, a few moments later, she was finished replacing the panel and welded it shut again, crawling out of the space so she could get cleaned up. Grease agreed with her reputation as a engineer, but she wasn't sure Marcus agreed with it. Even if he did, it was coming off. She wasn't going to walk around the ship smelling off maintenance shafts.

She exited the shaft a second later, crawling out feet first and head last, fitting the panel back on carefully before returning to her console. Gabby was still working at it frantically and Tali had to tap her on the shoulder to let her know she was there. The human turned around, smiling warmly, "Oh, there you are. You left your omni-tool on the console. It beeped before with a message. Gardner also got you that glass of water you wanted." Snapping a salute, she returned to her console. Tali simply smiled. Definitely not Cerberus.

She shoved a hand into one of her suit pockets and pulled out her straw and picked up her glass of water. Deciding to check the message first, she picked up the omni-tool, and opened it. One new message indeed, and it had been marked urgent. It was from the Migrant Fleet. She frowned.  _Is it war? Please don't tell it is..._

But when she opened it and read it, she saw that the fleet  _had not_ gone to war. Her eyes widened and her glass dropped to the floor, shattering on impact and sending shards of glass and water spilling everywhere. She choked back a sob of fear, all her prior happiness evaporating like water on the air.  _Keelah, no...why me..._ She could barely control her breathing, and she didn't know where she was going, only that she couldn't stay in here. As she rushed out through the engineering doors, she barely heard Gabby and Ken calling out to her.

She ran into the elevator and hit the button for Deck One. She needed to be alone. _Oh keelah, why me...why me...why me...why me...what did I ever do..._ Those were the only things she could ask herself as she entered the cabin and fell onto the sofa, beginning a long series of sobs. She was terrified.

**{Loading...}**

_September 19, 2185_

_1711 hours._

_800 Blocks, Level 40, Zakera Ward, The Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Assassin Thane Krios._

"Stop him! You have to stop him now!"

Marcus reacted in an instant, rounding the corner to see Kolyat rapidly approaching behind Talid and his Blood Pack bodyguard. He saw Kolyat moving to draw a cheap-looking predator pistol, and he reacted in a near instant.

"Kolyat!" He shouted and he knew he had gained the young drell's attention when he spun around, eyes locking with the commander's, pistol wavering in his grip. Kolyat looked much like Thane, but wore a blue suit instead of dark green, and his skin tone was much kinder and didn't show the signs of age that were more apparent on his father. But the look he gave the spectre was definitely not kind. Kolyat wasn't the only one to hear him; Talid and his guard had turned around as well and their eyes immediately fell on the young drell freelancer, his guard immediately moving to action.

Marcus gave the merc credit; for a Blood Pack soldier, he took his job as serious as a parliament bodyguard would. He shoved Talid behind him, raising his shotgun and using his body as a shield. Kolyat wasn't stupid though, and god knew how he knew it, but he targetted the krogan's one major weakness; their asset. He fired, the shot ripping the krogan's armor and leaving it open before firing another that tore open the krogan's testicles, the guard roaring in pain as he doubled backwards onto the ground. Talid ran into his apartment in confusion, Kolyat hot on his heels.

Marcus pursued, Thane nowhere to be seen. When they had arrived on Level 40, they had agreed that Marcus would shadow Talid and his guard while Thane did the same, ableit more discreetly. If it hadn't been for his lack of one, he'd think the drell had stolen Kasumi's cloaking device to hide, but he hadn't. Thane would look for Kolyat, while Marcus kept an eye on Talid and made sure not to lose him.

What he saw Talid doing disgusted him. Talid initially he just walked around, ignoring humans but going up to fellow aliens and asking them to vote for him. But then it got to the hypocritical side of things; Talid wanted to abolish organized crime, but as he watched on, he saw Talid using his guard to shake down human-owned businesses for money to fund his campaign. He hated this turian more and more by the passing moment.

And now they were here. When they had arrived, Kolyat was already making his move and Thane was shouting at him to do something. So he had. He had called the drell's name.

As he reached the apartment entrance, Thane appeared to the side, landing swiftly at the side of the door before nodding for the spectre to join him inside as they continued pursuit. Thane told him that C-Sec would have heard the gunshots and due to Bailey already knowing of the assassination attempt, the response would be alot more rapid than usual. Cars would surround the building in less than a few minutes.

They moved through the building for quite a while, chasing them. But eventually Kolyat caught up with the slower turian and slammed his head into a wall, throwing him into the nearest apartment room and closing the door. Marcus and Thane were closer behind, rushing through. He unholstered his SMG, aiming it at Kolyat, who had Talid on his knees and a pistol to the back of his head. Nearby, a human and an asari lay on the couch, covering their near-naked bodies with clothes after being interrupted in their activities.

Thane approached, Kolyat, who eyed the older drell with disdain and anger. Finally, he spoke softly, "Kolyat."

When Kolyat spoke, his voice was croakier than Thane's but more high-pitched, "Is-is this a joke? Now?  _Now_ you show up?"

Before Thane could respond an umbrella of swirling multi-colored familiar lights pulsed through the door, spinning in a non-stop wheel of light. A voice pulsed through a megaphone as a car spun past the window, police sirens blaring, "This is Citadel Security. Kolyat Krios, drop the weapon. We have the place surrounded. Drop the weapon now or lethal force will be authorized."

Kolyat looked around in anger before his eyes locked with Thane, "You  _told them_?"

"You left me no choice. I needed to stop you from doing this," Thane replied cooly.

"But I'm your-"

Kolyat was interrupted as the door opened and two C-Sec SWAT troopers marched through, weapons aimed at Kolyat. Bailey followed, pistol raised, "Put the weapon down, son. Nobody has to get hurt."

"Humans! Help me!" Talid begged but a knock to the back of the head by Kolyat shut him up.

"No way!" The young assassin yelled defiance, "I'm walking out and I'm taking him with me!"

"Think about this, Kolyat," Thane tried to reason with him, "These are SWAT. They will have snipers outside. You won't be able to leave the perimeter they've set up. They won't let you leave."

"I'm way past needing your help! I can-" Kolyat began.

A gunshot caused him to flinch and turn to a vase exploding next to him. Cursing, he turned to see who did it, only to see a fist connect with his face, causing him to drop his weapon to the floor and fall backwards onto the ground. Thane barely flinched as Marcus picked Talid up and told him to piss off, to which the turian eagerly agreed and he ran off, not bothering to look back. Kolyat just looked shocked at the entire event but to his credit, tried to regain his composure and stand up, ignoring the forming bruise on his face.

"Take the boy into custody," Bailey ordered one of his men, motioning to Kolyat, but Marcus held up his hand motioning for him to stop. The officer seemed reluctant though. But when reminded that your a spectre, C-Sec backs off faster than a fly escapes being swatted. He turned to Kolyat, who was still muttering curses under his breath.

"Your father is dying Kolyat," Marcus informed the drell, "He's trying to make amends before he dies."

"So, what? You came to get my forgiveness. So you can die in peace or something?" At first, it sounded like the drell was hateful, but by the end sentence he sounded genuinely curious. It was a subtle change, but not enough to not take notice. Thane merely nodded, moving past Marcus and standing infront of his son.

"I came to grant  _you_ peace," Thane stated firmly, "You're angry because I wasn't there when your mother died."

"Why would I be angry over that?" Kolyat responded to his surprise, "You weren't there when she was alive, why should you be there when she  _died?_ "

The next part seemed to pain Thane, a moment of hesitation rarely seen in the drell, "Your mother...they killed her to get to me. It was my fault."

Kolyat's emotions changed in an instant. They transformed from the hateful gleam they were before to a sudden pained realization, "What?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"After her body was given to the deep, I went to find them," Thane explained, "The trigger men. The ring leaders. I hurt them. Eventually killed them. When I went back to see you, you were...older. I should've stayed with you."

Kolyat nodded, a small, barely noticable grin on his lips, but it was merely a ghost of a smile, "I guess its too bad for me you waited so long, huh?" And then the ghost was gone.

"Kolyat, I've taken many bad things from the world," Thane told him, "You're the only good thing I ever added to it."

Tears welled at Kolyat's eyes and Thane opened his arms, to which the drell took openly. He fell into his father's arms, crying softly as Thane embraced him. Marcus noted awkwardly that both women still sat on the couch watching, hiding under their clothes. He motioned to them, clicking his tongue and motioning for them to get out of the room and get changed. They both nodded, rushing out.

Bailey's voice sounded next to him, "This isn't a conversation you two should finish infront of strangers. Boys, take Kolyat and his father back to the precinct. Give them a room and as much time as they need."

Thane looked at Marcus and the spectre nodded. The assassin nodded in silent thanks and escorted his son out of the apartment and back with the officers to a police car outside, leaving the room empty but for Marcus and Bailey, the former of the two turning to the address the latter.

"You're a good man for doing that, Bailey," Marcus complimented, nodding in appreciation, "It means alot to Thane."

Bailey shrugged his shoulders and rubbed his neck, "Oh really? Well next you'll want to dress me up as pope and call me the next Saint Nicolas. That's an honor I can do without. Come on, I'll give you a drive to the pricinct."

He nodded and followed Bailey out. Marcus sighed as he stretched his muscles, the armor putting a barely noticable but present ache on his sore muscles. He needed out of his armor and soon. He quietly sent a message to Thane, telling him that when he was done, to meet back at the Normandy. He then informed Bailey to take him to the Main Dock so he could take a skycar back to the Normandy.

_A shower sounds nice. And a coffee. And some early dinner. I hope Gardner is still on shift._

**{Loading...}**

_September 19, 2185_

_1734 hours._

_Mess Hall, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked with the Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Power Engineer Kenneth Donnelly, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Subject Zero Jack._

"Commander, there ya are!"

Marcus immediately turned from his conversation with Kaidan and Jack to see Ken moving towards him with purpose in his step. Upon reaching the mess hall table, he pulled out a seat and sat to Marcus' right, face tight.

"Something up, Donnelly?" Marcus asked.

"Have ya checked wit Tali yet?" Ken asked. Marcus frowned, placing his sandwich back down on his plate and wiping his mouth, and then turning towards Ken, "No, I was going to do some rounds after this and talk to her then. Why, does she need to talk to me now?"

"I think the commander will look for any reason to speak with her," Kaidan remarked, getting a chuckle from Marcus and a hint of a smile from Jack, but just as quickly, it disappeared.

Ken didn't share the amusement, "May and Gabby think so. We saw her drop her glass o' water and run out frantically. EDI told us she was in the Captin's Cabin. We don't know what's wrong with her."

Marcus immediately stood up and headed for the elevator, forgetting all about his dinner as he entered it and hit Deck One. He needed to find out what was wrong.  _Tali isn't known for just running off like that. What caused this?_ He was about to find out it seemed, as the door opened to Deck One and he immediately stepped out, opening the door and stepping inside.

As he moved further inside, at first, he didn't see her. But when he climbed down the steps into the second section of the cabin, he saw her on the sofa, looking blankly at the wall, at fiddling with her fingers. When she looked up to meet his eyes, he noticed something off in the glow about them. They looked...dimmer? And when she spoke, it didn't hold the usual cheery attitude she shared.

"Hey," she said lamely, sniffing.

He sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer and laying a head on her head, "Tell me what's wrong. Something happened in engineering. Ken told me. What happened?"

Her grip seemed to tighten on him and he noticed she was shaking, her breathing ragid and drawn out.  _Typical signs of panic..._ What was wrong with her? What could cause this kind of response within her?

"I-I just got a message from the f-fleet," she responded wearily and then stopped, clutching him even tighter.

"And? What did it say?" Marcus asked, although maybe he didn't want to know the answer.

"They've accused me of treason."

"I'm scared, Marcus."

**"I always wanted to know exactly what transpired that day on the Rayya."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"Well, now you do. The tale of how Tali commited treason, but really didn't."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

_**A/N:** _

_**I'm SO sorry for the late chapter guys, but gastro decided it got impatient of waiting and decided to attack me. I've been stuck in bed Tuesday and Wednesday, and Thursday I've been mostly recuperating. But now you have this. PLEASE REVIEW. DO NOT RAGE QUIT ON ME. I will bribe you if I need to!** _

_**And we've reached the big moment! Tali's loyalty mission will be very interesting indeed...** _

_**Who else is excited for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary? I know I am!** _

_**Out of the blue question? Yeah, sorry about that. I'm just a tad too hyped.** _


	42. Trials of Treason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tali receives a shocking message from the Fleet: she's been accused of treason. Shepard is determined to prove her innocence.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE:**

**TRIALS OF TREASON**

_September 19, 2185_

_1737 hours._

_Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked with the Citadel._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema._

"Treason?" Marcus asked, chuckling, "You? Tali, not a single person who knows you would think that you'd ever betray the fleet. That's simply absurd."

She shook her head, "The message was signed by all members of the Admiralty Board, save my father, who was probably too busy to care. They don't usually convict people unless the evidence seems absolute."

Marcus gulped, turning towards her, slowly stroking the back of her hood, "What are the terms of treason? What must happen to be accused of such a crime?"

"Well, to commit treason, you must have committed a crime that affected the whole flotilla or put it in danger," Tali explained, "If it happened to a single ship, then it wouldn't be treason, just a minor crime and the captain of said ship would deal with the crime him or herself. But the entire Admiralty is involved; and since its treason, I've done something that has endangered the fleet. I don't know what I did!" She seemed truly terrified at that moment, holding him tighter.

"What happens if one is found guilty of treason?" He asked her, "I know you're innocent, I just want to know what happens to those who are found guilty."

"There's only one sentence the fleet can afford to condemn upon one person; exile from the fleet. They are branded an exile and ordered to leave the fleet within a set amount of time and they are never allowed to return, condemned to the stars for the rest of their life. If married, their spouse can choose to join them along with their child if conceived. If the treason was seen as a grevious misjudgment on the admiral's part or a mistake on the convict's part, then the exile is given a ship and supplies to take into exile."

Marcus was surprised, widening his eyes, "Seriously? Just exile? No prison or execution?"

Tali shook her head, "The flotilla doesn't have enough space to occupy prisons and not enough marines to supply as guards to said prisons. Military supplies in the Migrant Fleet are also fleeting as it is; we just can't afford enough resources for an execution. Exile is resource-free and cheap, not to mention effective. Quarians who have been exiled have been known to crazy extremely quickly from home sickness and exposure to the outside galaxy."

Seeming to understand, Marcus made an unimpressed sound, not liking the sound of this exile. Tali loved the flotilla; to never be allowed to return to it? It would destroy her. He would not allow this to happen, "Well, you certainly can't afford to lose this then can you. How many others have been accused of treason in the past?"

"Not many. Betrayal and crime on the fleet is so low its quite happy to think about. I can count on my fingers how many exiles actually exist to my knowledge," Tali noted before raising all three of her fingers, "Lae'Jar vas Glory's Fist, Golo'Mekk vas Usela, Anora'Vanya vas Selani. The first got exiled for making the stupid mistake of taking a batarian's offer of a ship, the Glory's Fist, not realizing that batarians were hiding onboard and planning to board the flotilla. Luckily, the current Admiral of the Heavy Fleet back then was Admiral Dal'Vael and she detected the unauthorized entry and blew up the ship. He was declared a traitor posthumously. Golo betrayed the fleet simply because he was selfish and was killed when he boarded the Idenna with Cerberus troops. As for Anora, well...her story ended much differently..."

"What happened to her?" Marcus asked, genuinely curious while also trying to calm her down.

Tali sniffed and calmed her grip on him, loosening it alittle, "A bargain gone wrong. She was only doing what she thought was in the quarian military's best interests. She was an engineer looking to improve our dated defense systems and came across a group of batarians who were willing to give her high-tech asari-grade military OGRE (Orbit-to-Ground Reaper Echos) missile systems. In return, she had to hand over classified Migrant Fleet Navy defense schematics. She did this, but the batarians refused her the OGRE plans and instead handed over the defense schematics to a pirate gang, who were planning to attack one of our liveships and destroy it. Story was the turians secretly conspired with the pirates to get rid of the 'quarian menace once and for all', but its all a story by this point. Anyway..."

"The Admiralty found out about this and Anora was found guilty of treason and sentenced to exile. But before they could inform her of this, she had already found out and hijacked one of our newer batarian frigates and used it to ram right into the pirate ship attacking the liveship, destroying both her frigate and the enemy vessel in the process. They searched the debris but never found her body. She saved the fleet and was pardoned posthumously. She died a hero, but I'd rather not have to prove my innocence by dying. I've got too much I want to live for."

He smiled, hugging her tighter for a second before relieving it and stroking her cheek, "I don't want you to die either. So, will there be a trial of some sort or do you have no say in whether you're innocent or not?"

Tali nodded, "Yes, of course they do. My people aren't that unreasonable. Usually the admirals will stand in judgment over my testimony and will decide whether the evidence provided is good or not. My father will have to excuse himself of judgment due to the fact he's my father; biased views can't be allowed in court. And before you ask Marcus, this doesn't play like a human court, so we don't have defendants quite like your lawyers."

"Well that sucks," Marcus joked, but genuinely felt helpless now.

"But we are allowed defendants," Tali added, "So one person will speak for me. The trial will most likely also be held on my birth ship, so it'll be on the Rayya. Keelah, I need to know why. They tell I'm accused of treason, but never tell me how I've committed treason. I'm just hoping Captain Kar'Danna can explain it to me."

"When will we depart?" Marcus asked.

"When will  _I_ depart?" Tali corrected and Marcus was about ready to argue when she answered, "As soon as I find a ship to take me to the Migrant Fleet. The mission is too important for you to waste time on my own personal matter. I need to figure this out on my own."

"Don't play this personal card Tali, it obviously isn't going to work," he remarked, "Not only are you the love of my life and your issues are my issues, but I've lost count of the amount of personal issues I've done for people. Hell, I had just gotten through helping Thane save his son when I found out about this. The Normandy is heading for the Migrant Fleet, and that's final. Give EDI the flotilla's current coordinates, and we will head there."

"But, the mission..." she trailed off.

"Can wait," he finished for her, standing up and pulling her into his arms, "I'm not going to let these assholes accuse you of treason and exile you. I won't see the place you love so much ripped away from you. You've already lost your mother and your father treats you like shit...you will not lose the flotilla as well. I  _will not_ let this happen. You understand me?  _You are not going to be exiled._ "

Tali inwardly smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling, "Thank you Marcus. For doing this. I'm...scared."

"You have every right to be," He reassured her, "But as long as I'm breathing, we'll get through this. Together. Do you want to bring anyone? How about Garrus and Kasumi? They're basically family."

The quarian shook her head, "Just you and me. I don't want anyone else getting involved in this; its as terrifying already as it is. I love Kasumi like a big sister, and Garrus as a big brother, but the shame of them seeing me up there? I don't think I could bare it."

"Whatever you wish," he kissed her on the visor before laying his chin on it, "So, we going to get this over with? I don't think keeping these admirals waiting is going to help our case, and I can do the impossible, but placating angry politicians? Beyond my abilities."

She slapped him on the chest, the spectre managing to get a laugh out of her as she raised her omni-tool and sent the coordinates, "EDI, set a course for the Migrant Fleet at these coordinates. Authorization of-"

"Commander Marcus Shepard," the AI finished for her, "I have been listening to the conversation and the coordinates were obtained during this. We are already in FTL and en route."

Tali was surprised by EDI's suddenness and Marcus shook his head, "Not that I'm ungrateful EDI but...really? Have you seriously been listening in on our conversation this entire time? This is private stuff! I told you not to record private stuff!"

"You stated not to record sexual activities done between you and Miss Zorah," EDI corrected, and the quarian swore she heard mirth in the AI's tone, "And I was not recording, merely observing. Nothing has been sent to the Illusive Man."

"Oh, well good," Marcus didn't seem to know what to say before speaking up again, "Well...uh, thanks EDI."

"Logging you out, Commander."

Tali let out a fit of giggles as she fell back on the sofa, cradling herself. Marcus looked at her with a cocked brow, not quite sure what she was laughing at. But when her giggling dissolved into complete tearful laughter, he stepped in and asked, "What's so bloody funny?"

"You're reaction...to EDI...was...so...priceless...," she gasped for breath, "You were completely speechless! Speechless, to an  _ **AI!**_ "

He had to admit, he found that pretty funny, but he wouldn't let Tali have the satisfaction of knowing that, "Yeah, laugh it up, Tali. Laugh it up."

**{Loading...}**

_September 21, 2185_

_1816 hours._

_Admiral's Quarters, Paramount-Class Heavy Cruiser QMFV Tonbay, Migrant Fleet, Raheel-Leyya System, Valhallan Threshold System._

_Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay._

Two days. Two days since the incident on the Alarei and since Shala had grudgingly signed the message sent to Tali to inform her young niece of her treason and that she would return to the fleet within a week or be labelled a traitor by default and exiled without trial. Her heart ached for Tali, and due to the fact that she would only be able to watch the proceedings of Tali's trial (as she was the quarian's aunt and is extremely close to the young quarian, she cannot have a say in it) she would find herself completely useless. Tali would have to face the anger of the quarian crowd by herself.  _What have we done to you child. You deserve none of this. You are a hero to your people, but a puppet to their leaders..._

Shala sighed and held her head in her hands and she sat behind her desk. A small room on the Tonbay to herself and yet too much. Quarian instincts always one out in the end; Shala felt like she was taking too much room yet barely any. But by quarian standards, it was tantamount to having a whole ship to yourself. But she was an admiral, and admiral's got special privledges. She hated being an admiral.

There had been no word since from the Alarei and Gerrel had ordered all access to the ship closed of. As a result, the Migrant Fleet would not leave the system and the Alarei had been towed away to a sufficient distance, with two frigates, the Morning Rider and Tikkun's Raysacting as protective escort; not to the Alarei, but to the fleet. Gerrel had assigned the ships himself, arguing to Xen that the Special Projects fleet no longer had ownership over the vessel and by quarian martial law, the military had full control in a situation like this, making Gerrel the most powerful admiral. With Rael likely dead or still trapped on the Alarei, he had taken liberties to appoint himself as Regent of the Admiralty Board until Rael's death could be confirmed.

Shala feared for the fleet on the discovery that geth had taken the Alarei, but she also feared for Rael. Not because she cared for the man; no, because she cared for the daughter of the man who didn't care about her. Tali may hate the man, but she was the last member of family, aside from Raan, that she had left. Tali simply couldn't lose her father; it would destroy her.

The fact that the Admiralty wanted to keep the whole 'Rael is in trouble' thing a secret from Tali to test her enraged Shala even more. It was clever, to be sure; Tali's reaction to finding out would determine whether she was innocent or not, but it was still an incredibly cruel thing to do to the poor girl and the fact that Shala was in on the plan didn't make it any better.

The trial would be held on the Rayya, but of course Tali already knew this. Normally, Gerrel would stand up for her in the trial as her captain, but it seemed Koris, along with Xen, and to the admiral's disgust, Gerrel as well, that Tali was no longer a productive member of the Neema and had been stripped of her title, being renamed 'vas Normandy' due to her new position on the human warship.

Shala was cautious of this Shepard. She remembered two years ago when his mother had offered Tali a ride on her  _dreadnought_  back to the Flotilla following her son's death, and Tali had accepted, the Orizaba actually docking with the Neema before leaving. The human captain had seemed nice enough, but she wasn't as sure about her son. The man had run back into Tali's life, but Shala couldn't be disappointed with the effects; Tali had been a gloomy migrant fleet marine for the past two years but ever since the Freedom's Progress mission, Tali had been living life fully and never once didn't look cheery. Ever since leaving to join Shepard's crew after the Haestrom mission, she felt happy for Tali. She knew the quarian had feelings for Shepard though and was saddened that the quarian hadn't yet realized that Shepard could never love her back.

_Poor child, she has been through so much. Losing your mother, your father neglecting you. Now your father is possibly dead as well, you've been called in for treason and the human you love can't possibly love you back. The ancestors are cruel on you, child._

As more of these thoughts passed through her head, she ached with the hope that Rael was alive, as much as she despised the man. She sighed and moved to stand when a beep eminated from her desk and she turned towards it. She froze for a moment before falling back into her seat and hitting the answering terminal, ending the incessant beeping sound that so desired her attention.

"Admiral Raan here, what is it bridge?" She demanded.

"Bridge here," the communications specialist responded, "Gerrel just informed us that the Dream Future just picked up the Raheel-Leyya Relay being activated. Wait a moment..." a few seconds later, "A...a human frigate just entered through the relay. Our sensors say it is Cerberus, but the design looks Alliance. Should we hail it?"

 _Cerberus. They've gotten bold._ "Hail it and inform them that they must avert their approach or we will open fire. If they get past the recommended safe distance, you take them out, understood? I don't take care about Gerrel's orders."

"Yes Admiral," the communications officer then cut the comm and Shala sat there, patiently waiting. It wasn't long before she got a response from the bridge and she tapped the response key once again, "Are they breaking off?"

"Negative," the officer responded, "Admiral, the cerberus ship responded and is confirmed as the Normandy. Captain Shepard is commanding it and Tali'Zorah is onboard, requesting permission to dock with the Rayya. The passcode is genuine, so we know it is her. Shall we give them clearence?"

 _The Normandy? Wasn't that destroyed two years ago or did they rebuild it? And why is my niece working for Cerberus?_ If the Admiralty got wind of this, they might add it to their list of reasons of why Tali is a traitor and ship her out of the door even faster. But if they had arrived, then the time had come. She needed to leave for the Rayya. She stood up, responding to the comm as she left, "Clearence is granted. Put them through to Captain Kar'Danna on the Rayya and have my shuttle prepped for take off to the Rayya."

"Right away, Admiral," the man responded before disconnecting the comm as Shala left the room, door closing behind her. Shala moved down the hall with purpose and at the Trading Deck within seconds, moving towards her transport shuttle.  _This Shepard bastard maybe the son of a woman who treated Tali right, but that does not mean he is going to lure her into working for our people's enemies. I'm going to give this bosh'tet a piece of my mind._

 _Commander_ Shepard better be ready.

**{Loading...}**

_September 21, 2185_

_1827 hours._

_Cockpit, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Migrant Fleet, Raheel-Leyya System, Valhallan Threshold System._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema._

Marcus was blown away by the sight he saw. Back when she was still a pilgrim, Tali had explained to him how beautiful her home looked from a distance, but he never even imagined the simplicity of its beauty. It was a bad testament to its true nature; a terrible place to live in, yet so beautiful. It was the hard work of so many united people under a united purpose. It showed teamwork he had never seen in another species. It awed him to no end. He could spot the three liveships of the fleet almost immediately and what seemed to be a neverending horde of vessels floating through space from the old quarian Zarasis-Class Light Cruisers, which seemed to be the most popular, to old batarian space tugs or asari pleasure barges or even turian and human warships.

He could hear Joker working frantically at the controls nearby; making sure not to hit a single one of the quarian ships as they glided through the fleet. Tali had said her passcode, which in Marcus' opinion was beautiful, and the ship they called the Tonbay had allowed them access to Docking Cradle 17 on the Rayya, Tali's birthship and one of the colossal liveships of the Flotilla. It was simply massive. He was going to Tali's home, to meet Tali's people.

He put a hand on Tali's shoulder, who stood there looking aimlessly at the ground, crossing her arms, "You okay?" She looked at him almost immediately and nodded frantically, not wanting to worry him. Joker seemed to notice however and spoke up, giving words of comfort.

"Don't worry Tali, Shepard will save ya," The pilot assured her, cocking his cap in a smartass posture, "And if not, then I've got a frigate to shove up their admiraly asses. We've got plenty of torpedoes too. EDI tells me so anyway, and who listens to her?"

Marcus cocked an eyebrow at the pilot, "Her? Are we on gender basis now, Joker? Do I sense you're starting to like EDI?"

"I'm only calling it 'her' because she sounds so feminine," Joker remarked, turning back around, "And I never hated EDI, I only found her extremely annoying."

"That would appear to go both ways, Mister Moreau," EDI spoke up, not wanting to be ostracized.

"You're an AI. You can't get annoyed!" Joker rebuffed, shouting up at the AI and Marcus and Tali just smiled at the exchange.

"My status as an AI does not negate my ability to feel inconvienence," EDI responded before cutting off Joker's retort, "We have docked. Commander, Miss Zorah, approach the airlock when ready. A quarian decon team is already amassing at the airlock and is awaiting your arrival."

Marcus nodded, turning to Tali. She seemed hesitant, eying the airlock door with a hint of fear. The same fear she had been feeling since she got that dreaded message. Joker eyed Marcus, giving the man a sarcasmless smile before turning back to the console and spinning his chair around, smiling at Tali who, he noticed, was smiling weakly behind her mask. When she turned, her eyes locked with his and he saw a different light in them.  _Confidence._ It was weak, but it was there all the same. He smiled and held out his hand to her, which she smiled back and took willingly, giving it a squeeze. They then walked into the airlock and waited for the decontamination process to end.

Tali had confidence in Marcus. She wanted him to save her. And save her he would.

**{Loading...}**

_September 21, 2185_

_1834 hours._

_Docking Cradle 17, Quarian Liveship Rayya, Migrant Fleet, Raheel-Leyya System, Valhallan Threshold System._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Captain Kar'Danna vas Rayya._

As the decontamination process ended, Marcus and Tali reluctantly parted, not wanting other quarians to see they were in a relationship just yet. Plus, Tali was afraid it might make the admirals think twice and illegalize Marcus from the hearing. He didn't want that; he wanted to defend Tali, the woman he loved and cherished, from the losing the only home she's ever known. There was no room for error here.

As they walked out into the Rayya's halls, they immediately turned left to see a large group of quarian men and a few women in green veils approach the airlock, immediately beginning work of cleaning the Normandy's airlock of any unclean areas. While they did this, a tall quarian man approached them, a military posture in his step. His visor was black and his veil a light red. Marcus nodded at the man and straightened his own posture, trying to look formal, which he did pretty well, he thought.

Marcus immediately noted however that behind the man was a squad of quarian marines, male and female, all armed with assault rifles and shotguns. His posture straightened and he noticed that Tali looked distressed in her posture, but made no move to deploy their shotgun. They had only brought their weapons for sure; little else. But right now, he was glad he had them. His hand was barely resisting the urge to grab his SMG and jump to Tali's defense.

The man spoke, his tone deep but not overly formal, "Captain Shepard, Tali'Zorah," he greeted the both of them, "Tali has told me alot about you, Captain. I wish we could be meeting under more...pleasant circumstances."

"Touche," Marcus greeted, but noticing their confused expressions shrugged it off, "Don't worry about it, its just another word for 'indeed.' So, what's with the marines? You expecting trouble?"

The man nodded, "My name is Captain Kar'Danna vas Rayya. As for the marines behind me, they are here under orders to place Tali'Zorah under arrest pending the hearing."

This time, Marcus did draw his SMG, but he did not take aim, "That won't be happening. Tali'Zorah is a member of my crew and is therefore under my juristiction. No action will be taken against her, legal or otherwise. If I wish to have her arrested, she will be."

"...But if you let me finish," Kar continued, "This is my ship, and my rules. I've decided that Tali is trustworthy enough to not require an arrest. Therefore I must only place a strict restriction on your access to the Normandy, Miss Zorah. Nothing else. I did not mean any harm to your crewmate, Captain Shepard."

 _Why does he keep calling me captain?_ "I'm not a captain," he corrected the man, "I never reached that rank, I'm only a Commander. Besides, I'm not even technically a member of the Alliance military anymore, so therefore...I don't a rank."

Kar shook his head and looked at Tali who immediately jumped at the opportunity to explain more about her people to Marcus, "Its an honorific, Mar-Shepard," she explained, almost slipping up with his name. Luckily, noone noticed the slip-up and she continued, "In the Flotilla, Captain is merely the title provided to those who command a vessel. You command the Normandy, and therefore, under quarian culture, you are recognized as captain of the ship. Its an honor to be called so Shepard; most quarians don't bother recognizing a man's command of a vessel and calling them Captain unless they are deemed important, especially aliens."

"You are a guardian of your crew, your people," Kar finished, "May you guide Tali'Zorah through the empty quarters of the stars."

 _You can be sure as hell I will._ "I am honored," Marcus replied, not knowing what else to say, "Tali'Zorah is a very close friend of mine. I consider her one of my best friends. I trust her with my life and my life's issues, and she has entrusted me with her own. As my duty to her as a close companion and friend, I will aid her in this time of need."

Kar looked impressed, bowing his head in acknowledgement. Tali quickly spoke up, "What are the charges? Why am I here fighting a treason I do not believe I committed?"

"You have been charged with bringing geth into the fleet for some kind of project," Kar informed her, seeming completely incredulous when he said it. Like Marcus, he didn't quite believe Tali couldn't commit treason, and probably for the same reasons Marcus had. Tali stood forward, finding the need to defend herself.

"That's insane!" She rebuffed, "I never brought active geth onboard! Only bits and pieces!"

"You're preaching to the choir here, Tali," Marcus responded and once again noticing the quarian's confused glances he rolled his eyes, "It just means that you don't need to convince me. Just answer me this; why were you bringing pieces onto the Flotilla?"

"It was part of a project my father and Xen were working on," Tali explained, "It was a weapons testing program to bring our people a weapon to use against the geth and give us a better chance of retaking our homeworld."

He nodded, smiling at her, "And once this is over, maybe I can help. I've fought lots of dead geth and I'm sure the alliance has several in their own labs. I can acquire some. But we can worry about that later," he turned to Kar'Danna, "What's our next step, Captain?"

"Preparation was being made before you arrived and the Admiralty Board is already here and waiting for your arrival," he pointed down the corridor behind him, the marines moving to the side to omit them entrance, "The trial is being held in the Arena. Good luck." With that, Kar saluted the both of them and stood off to the side, allowing them to move forward. Marcus looked at Tali and motioned for her to move on ahead and he'd follow. With slight hesitation in her step, she moved down the corridor, ignoring the gazes turning her way and he followed, protecting her.

Marcus heard the looks people gave Tali as she walked past and even heard snippets of what they were saying.

"...I can't believe they are accusing Tali'Zorah with treason..."

"...But mum, isn't Tali'Zorah a hero?..."

"...if Tali'Zorah can't even get a quarian captain to stand for her, she's as good as exiled..."

"...She'll be convicted, just you wait..."

"...Look at that human following her..."

"...human filth..."

"...disgusting..."

It seems that no matter how much you defend a race, they always have their own racists. Marcus had to try very hard to tell the people whispering behind Tali's back to shut the fuck up. He watched her, and she didn't seem to care at all, moving with grace through the ship's corridor. She made a sudden right turn at the end of the hallway and moved through the door and down another corridor leading into an arena type area.  _Must be where the trial's at._ As they reached the end, two quarian women waited, talking to each other, but Tali appeared to recognize one of them and quickened her pace, Marcus barely keeping up as they homed in on one of the women in particular.

Seeing Tali approach, the woman in question said something to the other female and she left, the woman turning to face Tali who stopped just infront of her. The quarian spoke and Marcus immediately that her accent was very thick, sounding very deep and quite similiar to female indian on Earth, "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy; I am glad you came. I could delay them only so long."

The woman was about Tali's height and wore a brown veil laced with numerous patterns. And just like most quarian women, she had the prominent body of a woman. The woman's breasts appeared to be slightly smaller than Tali's though, but he guessed that was probably due to her being older.

Tali moved forward and embraced the woman, the woman laughing slightly and returning the hug, "Auntie Raan!" Marcus recognized the name from one of Tali's retellings. The embrace lasted a while longer before breaking apart and turning to Marcus to introduce her.

"Captain Marcus'Shepard vas Normandy, this is Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. She was a friend of my mother and my adoptive aunt. Wait, Shala...," Tali turned to Raan, suddenly noticing something the admiral had said, "You called me 'vas Normandy'..."

Raan nodded with regret, and even when she spoke there was regret in her tone, "I'm afraid I did, Tali. The Admiralty Board moved to trial you under that name following your departure from the Neema."

Marcus shook his head, deciding to interrupt, "That's as good as exiling her already. Are the other admirals so eager to have Tali thrown out?" There was hostility in his tone, almost too much. But he could barely keep his anger locked in tight.  _I can't believe they are doing this, stripping her of her true ship name._

Raan looked affronted but responded cooly nonetheless, "No, but considering the fact that Tali is now officially a member of your crew, it would be considered needless pandering to keep her under the name 'vas Neema.' 'Vas Normandy' suits better considering she now serves on your ship, under you command, not Admiral Gerrel's."

"Okay, I apologize," Marcus tried to amend and get the conversation back on track.  _Not the best first impression on your girlfriend's aunt,_ "You're an admiral. Will you be one of the judges?"

Raan shook her head, "I'm afraid not. My history with Tali and her mother forced me to recuse myself."

"I imagine father had to do the same," Tali seemed to barely spit the word out, not liking the taste of it.

Raan seemed to falter at the mention of Tali's father, but Tali didn't notice it. Marcus, however, did, and he didn't like the sign it brought. But before he could ask, Raan spoke, "You'll see inside, Tali. For my part, I moderate and make sure the rules of protocol are followed. But I have no vote in the judgment."

Deciding to let Raan's hesitation slip, he asked another question, trying to get a feel of the quarian judicial system so he could better defend Tali, "So, does Tali have a defense councilor? Someone who speaks for her side?"  _Why are you even asking that? No matter what they say, you'll be defending her you halfwit! Why bother asking?_

"Indeed she does,  _Captain Shepard_ ," Raan seemed to spit out the word with disdain, "She is part of your crew now, as recognized by quarian law. And remember, an accused is always represented by his or her ship's captain."

Tali turned to Marcus, smiling behind her mask, "That means you'll stand in my defense."

Marcus wanted to smile back, but held it back for their sake, "I'll do everything in my power to get you out of here unexiled Tali.  _Everything in my power and at my disposal._ You will not leave this ship a chained woman, but a woman free."

"Thank you Shepard," Tali responded courteously, "I couldn't ask for a better defense councilor."

Raan nodded, "The rules are pretty easy to follow. There are no legal tricks or political loopholes for you to worry about. Present the truth as best you can. It will have to be enough." Raan said with resignation, not looking confident that Tali could win the case. But Marcus believed otherwise.

"Now come," Raan ended suddenly, "I promised I would not delay any longer than necessary."

They followed Raan into the Arena, where numerous quarians were seated and ready to begin. Marcus was able to spot Kal'Reegar easily in the crowd, who waved down at him and he waved back. He also noticed Veetor hiding in the back, trying his best to hide from the crowd while a female doctor was trying to calm him down. Although, but the way they were touching, it looked alot more bigger than simple doctor-patient care. He smiled at that thought.

As they moved he noticed a particular quarian man eying Tali up before his eyes darted to Marcus. He seemed to glare at the spectre, a venomous stare Marcus could feel even from inside his combat helmet. He didn't like the feel of this man. Averting his gaze from him, he moved to stand next to Tali infront of a raised dias where, he assumed, the admirals were standing. Tali introduced them one by one, just so he'd know.  _Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh. Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema. Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib. Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay._ Tali noted, with increasing confusion, that her father was absent when Shala stood ontop of the dias and called the room to order.

"This conclave is brought to order," she said loudly and clear and the entire room quietened in close to an instant, "Blessed are the ancestors who kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah Se'lai." The entire room echoed her words, including Tali and Marcus said it as well so not to seem rude. But by the looks he got from a few bystanders, they weren't happy that he'd just recited some of their sacred words. To hell with them, he thought.

Shala quickly gestured to Tali, "The accused, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, has come with her captain to defend herself against this charge of treason."

Zaal'Koris was quick to jump in, eyes wide, "Objection! A human has no business at a hearing handling such sensitive military matters."

Marcus simply rolled his eyes.  _Oh, go fuck a duck you oversmug little shit._

But luckily, Raan came to his rescue, "Then you shouldn't have declared Tali crew of the Normandy. By right as Tali's captain, Shepard must stay." Raan's eyes locked with his, and he saw some recognition in them. He returned his thanks through that same gaze before breaking it off, smiling behind his helmet at the withdrawn look on Koris' face.

"Objection withdrawn," Koris said dejectedly.

"Shepard vas Normandy," Raan addressed him, "Your crew member, Tali'Zorah, stands accused of treason. What say you? Will you speak for her?"

Marcus stood forward and leaned on the control panel infront of him, his eyes meeting that of all the admirals before him, "Well, aside from being a 'human who has no business in military matters', despite the fact I probably have more military experience than the lot of you combined and have seen shit most of you would flee at seeing, I'm perfectly fine with standing by Tali's side. A matter of fact, I literally dropped all my things to do this. But, of course, I'm ultimately wasting my time."

Raan didn't look happy at that, "And why's that?"

"Because I know in my heart this trial is bullshit," Marcus stated bluntly, "Tali'Zorah vas  _Neema_ , is a proud member of the Migrant Fleet. She loves this place like a child loves her toy and I refuse to believe she'd ever betray it. Like I said, a waste of my time and Tali's. But, since I'm still here talking, I guess I'll have to go through with this. So, wait," he turned to Koris with a sarcastic grin noone could see, "Do I have permission to speak for my crew member, Admiral? Or am I too 'human' that it might just be sacrilege?"

Koris was quick to defend himself, give him credit for that at least, "Noone has been forbidden from anything. It's a simple-"

Gerrel was quick to interrupt him, "Lie to them, Koris, but don't lie to me and expect me to stand here and soak it up like a sponge. Shepard is right and you damn well know it."

"Admirals, please!" Raan interrupted stepping forward and breaking up the ensuing argument, all the while Xen just stood there looking annoyed, "Shepard's willingness to stand by Tali's side in this hearing is appreciated, as is his faith in her innocence. Now, Tali'Zorah, you are accused of bringing active geth into the fleet. What say you?"

 _I really wish quarians had the 'right to remain silent' in their legal system,_ "As previously said, I call bullshit-"

"Keep your profanity somewhere else, human."

Marcus didn't bother turning to see who in the crowd had said it but ignored him nonetheless, "I call bullshit on this. Tali would never be foolish enough to bring active geth to her home. Besides the fact that Tali served with me many years ago and I know her MO. This isn't her MO. And trust me, I think I know the people under my command better than you do and how they operate."

Tali filled in her own spot, "I left parts and technology for teams to pickup, nothing else. My father ordered me to do so himself. But I would never send active geth to the fleet; everything I found and sent was disabled and harmless."

Koris quickly moved in for the kill, "Then explain how geth managed to sieze the lab ship your father was working on."

To say Tali was shocked was an understatement. Her legs shook and her body froze. It took all his will not to reach over and hold her close, to reassure her everything was alright. He looked at Koris, rage entering his features.  _How dare they do this to her. In the middle of a trial and they tell her that her father is possibly dead? Insensitive pricks..._

Tali looked to Gerrel for answers, "W-w-what are you t-talking abo-ut? Wha-what happened?"

Gerrel looked at her, some sadness hidden in his positioning, "As far as we can tell Tali, the geth have killed everyone on the Alarei. Your...father included."

Tali just froze this time. She didn't even respond. But Marcus did, and he was absolutely furious.

"The fuck is this?" Marcus growled, "First you accuse her of treason, which I'll tell you has left her bloody traumatized and terrified, and now you spring this shit on her in the  _middle of the trial?_ Tell me, are you quarians or varren that you would do such a thing. Look at her!" He pointed at Tali, who was blankly looking at the floor and playing with her fingers, "She's bloody distraught!"

"We needed to know-"

"We needed to see her-"

"I don't give a fuck!" He shouted at them, "I don't care about your reasons. Now, you listen here. This trial is now officially on bloody pause. I'm going to take Tali, take a shuttle and we're going to board the Alarei and kill every last fucking geth we can find. And if Tali's father isn't alive, you better be ready to answer for it. Because what you just did here...un-fucking-believable. To think you would do this to one of your own people disgusts me. It makes me want to puke all over your nice clean ship. But even that's not worth my time."

"Thank you for the act of assistance, Cap-" Raan began.

"Save your false courtisies Admiral Raan," Marcus spat, "I don't desire them and nor do I need them. I am here to act as Tali's Sword and Shield and so far, all I'm deflecting is the shit you throw at her. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a ship to clear for you half-wits." He did an overly exaggerated bow and left, moving up the steps, Tali following behind him and falling in step next to him.

"It would appear Miss Zorah is looking for an honorable death instead of exile," Koris remarked behind them, "Safest course would be to destroy the ship, but if that's what-"

Tali wheeled around and pointed a finger accusingly at the admiral, "I'm going to find my father you bosh'tet!" And with that, she fell back into step next to Marcus, both of them moving towards the exit corridor.

"You yelled at the admirals," Tali whispered in his ear.

"They pissed me off," Marcus answered before stopping in a corner and turning to face her, "Everything will be okay, alright? We'll find your father, alive and well and get him out of there, you hear me? Then he can help prove your innocence. You'll get through this."

She nodded and at that moment, wanted to hug him. But she restrained herself; she couldn't do it here, not now, not yet. Just as they moved to leave, they heard a voice shouting behind them and turned to see Kal rushing towards them, fast and quick and waving for them to stop. As soon as he reached them, Marcus saw him with an assault rifle on his back.

"Nice one yelling at the admirals, Shepard. They needed that," Kal stated, "Although you should probably talk to them before leaving. Get a feel of where they're at. It'll help you when the trial continues. Koris already doesn't like you while Gerrel thinks you're a bloody badass. Raan is shocked and Xen just seems to be her usually bored self. Also, I'd be careful Tali. Peta's here."

Tali moaned, "Why is he here?"

"Because he still loves you," Kal stated, as if the answer was obvious. Marcus looked at Tali with a raised brow behind his helmet, but she still couldn't see it so he asked the obvious question, "Loves you? Tali, who's this Peta?"

"An annoying quarian who has an obsession with me," Tali informed him, "He seems convinces that he loves me and that an amount of infatuation will eventually get me to admit my undying love for him. Not that that will ever happen."

 _Maybe he was the quarian giving me that dirty look in the crowd,_ Marcus mused. Tali spoke up again, turning to Kal, "Why should I be scared of Peta again? And where's Madi?"

"She's leading one of her own skylord teams to the uncharted world of 2123 Pelaan to root out a pirate group that seems to have kidnapped one of our pilgrims. As for Peta, he's gotten weirder since you left. He's become more secluded and solitary, and appears to be more hostile when spoken to. He spends alot of time talking on his omni-tool as well and rumor has it he's in contact with the Shadow Broker. Probably just a rumor though. I'd keep your eyes on him though. He seems like a threat I'd keep my eyes on."

"Any particular reason you're armed, Reegar?" Marcus asked, trying to ignore the topic of this Peta. Just listening to Kal's description of the man made him not like him and he hadn't even talked to him yet.  _Well, he'll be keeping well away from Tali or I'll make sure he loses a few fingers. Or eyes._

"I'm going with you," Kal informed them, "Tali's my sister and I'm not going to let her do this on her own."

"She won't be alone, she'll be with me," Marcus stated.

"Always helps to have an extra hand, doesn't it though?"

"You're right, it does," Marcus said, motioning for Kal to join them, "Welcome to the team, however temporary. Just remember to follow my orders."

"I technically outrank you, but sure," Kal responded snarkily and Marcus simply chuckled.

"Yeah, so do the admirals," Marcus pointed at the admirals who had split up to talk with the others of the trial group, "Yet I carved through them like carving a cake." Just as he moved to talk with the first admiral, he was intercepted by Admiral Raan, who stood infront of him so he couldn't escape. Raan, to his surprise, looked more worried than angry with him.

"Tali," Raan spoke to the quarian, "I need to-"

"Why didn't you tell me!?" Tali shouted at her, "I deserved to know! He's my father for ancestors sake!"

Raan held up her hands in defense of herself, "Believe me, I wanted to! But the admirals, especially Gerrel, insisted in not telling you. They wanted to see your reaction; to see if your judgement was a simple mistake on your part or not. I did not intend for this to happen, Tali. I'm truly sorry."

 _Maybe I was too harsh with her,_ "Admiral Raan, I apologize for my behaviour back there, but I wasn't going to stand by and let Tali take this. What she's going through right now is just down right unacceptable."

"I completely agree," Raan admitted, "But necessary if we are to prove Tali's innocence. The admirals have agreed to give you two hours to retake the Alarei. If you do not return before then, you will be presumed dead and, based on your success rate, Tali's fate will be determined. If most geth are killed, you will be relieved of the charges. If not, you will be exiled, both options being posthumously of course. If you return, you must still must present evidence to prove your innocence. If you're lucky, you might find evidence on the Alarei."

He nodded in thanks, "Thank you, admiral. Now, if you'll please excuse us, I want to speak with the other admirals and get a feel of where they are at. I must have pissed off quite a few people."

Raan nodded and gave them a wave of departure, "An unarmed shuttle will be provided on the opposite docking bay. Good luck Marcus'Shepard and Tali'Zorah on your journey. May the ancestors watch over you. Keelah Se'lai." With that Raan, left them and went to talk with the same woman from before. With a nod to Tali, they went off into the crowd, ready to talk with the admirals.

**{Loading...}**

_September 21, 2185_

_1904 hours._

_Docking Cradle 05, Quarian Liveship Rayya, Migrant Fleet, Raheel-Leyya System, Valhallan Threshold System._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Rayya._

"You Captain Shepard and Tali'Zorah?" A quarian man asked them as they approached the airlock leading to the shuttle. Kal and Tali continued to converse behind him so Marcus simply nodded and the man in the lime green suit told them that the shuttle was ready for departure and left them the reassurance that he was one of many people to believe that Tali was not guilty of the treason. Something which Marcus made sure to pass on.

The talk in the Arena had been interesting, he thought as they entered the shuttle and Kal took the pilot seat. He had learned just what the admirals' views were. What enraged him was that this trial was just a ploy; windowdressed justification to hide the true purpose of the trial: politics. Fucking politics. This trial wasn't about Tali's treason at all, it was a place for the admirals to 'advertise' their political opinion on the terms of the geth. By now he'd figured out where they were; Gerrel was firmly in the war camp, wanting to invade Rannoch and take it back from the geth using sheer military force. Koris wanted to avoid retaking Rannoch and find a new homeworld, strongly believing the geth were empty of any wrong. Xen wanted to retake Rannoch from the geth, but also wanted to enslave them as well. Raan was neutral on the topic and apparently Rael, Tali's father, was a supporter of both Gerrel and Xen.

He had wanted to yell at Koris, as it had seemed so obvious that the man hated Tali. But apparently, he didn't. He didn't hate Tali, he actually respected her for what she did during the Eden Prime War, but she hated her ideal with wiping out the geth, as he was an apologist and therefore believed her ideal to poisonous and something to get rid of; hence why he wanted her exiled so badly. Gerrel seemed like an uncle to Tali and made it clear he was close friends with Rael and therefore very protective of her, which gave Marcus some reassurance. Xen was just plain insane and the only reason she was in the trial was to see find out what Rael was experimenting on that caused the Alarei to be in its current predicament.

He also saw some friendly faces; figuratively speaking. Veetor had been his usual stuttery self and his suspicions about him and his doctor; revealed to be Elan'Shiya vas Rayya, being a couple, were confirmed. They talked with Kal for awhile about Peta hadn't even approached them, which Marcus was grateful for. He didn't want to get into a fight with the man right now; a quarian with a smashed mask was the last thing he needed.

So now here they were, about to board the Alarei. When his thoughts returned to the present, Kal informed them that the shuttle was about to dock with the Alarei's trading deck. He nodded, unholstering his pulse rifle and motioning for Tali to do the same with her plasma shotgun which she promptly did, activating her combat drone as well. Kal quickly followed behind them, bringing his vindicator battle rifle to bear as they walked out onto the Alarei's trading deck.

The place was like a ghost ship; not a single sound to be heard. Crates lay around the empty space with a single dead quarian body thrown against the wall, red blood smearing it. The walls showed signs of battle; ripped up bulkheads and destroyed crates lay around the entrance points and all the doors were locked. Complete silence.

"I don't like this silence," Marcus declared, motioning for Tali to take point and open the door while Kal followed him behind her, weapons raised and ready to come to her defense. They were on the door in seconds, Tali already well into hacking it by the time they stopped infront of it, rifles bared and fingers on triggers. Still no sound and no geth coming to kill them. Something wasn't right.

His thoughts halted as the door's interface turned green and the door opened, revealing another empty corridor. But Marcus felt a presence infront of him, one he couldn't pinpoint. But then it reminded him of Kasumi when she snuck up on him in her tactical cloak; and he could feel that presence right infront of him.  _Oh shit..._

He knocked Tali out of the way just as the air infront of them came to life, sparking as the form of a geth appeared infront of them wielding a katana shotgun. The platform was the same size as normal trooper models, but was jet black in color and had unusual appendages sticking out of its back. It also had a tactical cloak, which definitely wasn't good. He didn't recognize the platform model, but Kal certainly did as he fired his weapon into it.

"Hunter!" The quarian shouted, unloading his battle rifle into the shielded hostile. The geth hunter managed to discharge a single round from its shotgun at Tali, but the quarian was gone in a flash, jamming her boot-strapped knife into an exposed spot on the geth's head before ripping it out and firing her omni-bow into its back, the force blowing its optics clean from its head and destroying the platform instantly. Her omni-bow quickly deactivated and she sheathed her knife, nodding to them.

"If the geth have already got enough parts to make hunters then we have to move quickly to stop them making juggernauts or primes," Tali told them, moving down the hallway, Chiktika in tow, "We have to keep moving and we have to move fast."

Marcus merely nodded in silence and followed, Kal closing the door and ripping the circuits to make sure the geth couldn't follow easily. As they continued through the bowels of the close-empty vessel, they found more bodies and with them, more geth. Most of them were half-complete troopers and the occassional recon drone and, rarely, a hunter, but nothing any bigger, which was a good thing.  _Just be happy they don't have room for armatures or colossi. Or the resources._ The more time he spent in the ship the more he felt like he was travelling through a dead vessel, dead eyes looking at him and watching their passage, condemning them for not coming earlier.

They soon reached one of the ship's labs and inside was a half-built recon drone, a datapad next to it where one of the scientists died. The door had been blown open, so opening it wasn't necessary and Tali quickly took the datapad, examining its contents. When she was done, she threw it to the ground in rage, not knowing what to think of the information she had read.

"What's wrong Tali?" He asked, clearly worried about the quarian's mental state.

She turned to him, her hands balled up in fists and rage shaking through her body, "My father...he started all of this! This is all his fault! I sent him bits and pieces and what does he do with it? He decides to make geth!" She pointed towards the half-constructed drone on the work bench, "He decides to make geth and give them intelligence so he can then design weapons to combat them not realizing he was making the same mistake our ancestors did when we allowed the geth sentience," she then looked blankly at the datapad, "This entire incident...my treason...its all because of him. When it comes down to him, he's always involved in the worst things in my life. This...this is his fault, not mine. He's the one who should be facing treason, not me."

Noticing Kal wasn't present he approached Tali and opened his arms but she ignored the offer of an embrace and shook her head, "Not now, Marcus. We need to find my father and find out why he went to these lengths. This has to be stopped. All the geth on this ship...they all have to be destroyed. Even if that means the Alarei must be destroyed." She then turned and walked out of the lab and after a silent contemplation of her words, he followed her out and they continued their mission.

The geth resistance only got worse. They were aware of their presence and were scared that they were making actually progress. They threw everything they had, but they simply stood no chance against their combined might. His and Tali's anger, combined with Kal's battlefield experience, made them all an unstoppable force and they quickly mowed through the geth like they were nothing.

Evidence continued to pop up all over the ship proving that Rael was behind the geth breakout on the Alarei, not Tali. To see Tali's mental state degrade everytime she found the evidence was heartbreaking to see. The remainding faith she had in her father was dissolving and it was all because he couldn't let Rannoch go. But Tali marched on, and he was impressed by Tali's sheer will to push on despite her emotions; she was a true marine. He could see she earned her rank.

Then it hit home for Marcus as they entered another lab like area and they found the bodies of five quarian scientists, all dead and covered in their own blood. Two geth troopers were destroyed and on the ground and he quickly found out that two of the scientists had acutally been marines. He approached one particular body, that of a dead female who's chest had been ripped clean open by a pulse rifle and her mask cracked in multiple places from her impact with the floor. Before her lay a terminal and a paused recording, one he began to play.

The quarian woman's mask appeared on the display and she began to mistake, fear and sadness mixed in her tone as she spoke hurriedly, "I've locked down navigation and the weapons are offline, so the geth onboard are no threat to the fleet. For now," a fire torch is heard and it becomes quickly evident that geth are trying to access the room, "They're burning through the door; I don't have much time!" She begins to sob, "I'm sorry Dorn, I'm so sorry! I love you, with all heart, I truly do! I'm sorry we didn't get to join just one last time! And Jona, be strong for daddy! Mommy loves you very much!" An explosion is heard as the door blows open and the woman turns to the door.

"This is Dagt'Hazt vas Alarei; Keelah Se'lai!" The woman identified as Dagt accepts her fate and is ripped apart by the pulse rifles, screams being heard behind her as the terminal stops the recording. Marcus turned away from the recording, unable to watch it anymore. Those were painful things to watch; a loved one giving their loved ones one final goodbye before passing on. Tali turned off the terminal, not wanting to watch it anymore and kneeled down next to Dagt, who's eyes were still wide open and tears dried on her cheeks. Marcus averted his eyes out of respect for Dagt's privacy and Tali closed her eyes, putting her body to rest and making sure to clean up her wounds before leaving her and continuing on.

"That mother died without being able to properly say goodbye to her husband and son," Tali said, angered and saddened, "A mistake made by my father stopped her from ever seeing her son grow up. This has to end, before anyone else is hurt."

Marcus and Kal nodded their agreement and they continued. They passed through the mess hall, managing to break through a foothold the geth had set up and, to their shock, two geth destroyers were part of the group.  _They're starting to build bigger. We have to hurry and cut them off at the source._ They managed to defeat the geth easily enough, as these geth weren't as advanced as the usual geth they fought and therefore weren't as tactically aware. Moving through the mess hall, they continued through the ship and towards the bridge, where they hoped they could cut off the geth signal at its source.

Just as they came close to reaching the bridge, Tali found a console and began accessing, possibly looking in a futile attempt to find evidence contradictory to that proving her father was responsible. But as she looked up she was disappointed, but explained what she found anyway, "Apparently my father and his project lead, Dagt'Hazt, were performing experiments on geth systems to find a way to overcome their resistance to reprogramming, which proves he's in league with Xen."

Marcus didn't disagree with the quarians retaking their homeworld, but reprogramming the geth? He had no love for the machines, especially considering having seen the result of their butchery on Eden Prime, Feros and Virmire, but slavery was a horrible fate, even for your enemies. Noone deserved that. So despite his hatred of the geth, he couldn't help but ask the question, "Do you really think testing weapons on the geth was right?"

Tali seemed shocked by the question and he couldn't blame her, "Its not testing weapons on prisoners, Marcus! I only sent father parts and even if he assembled them, they wouldn't be truly sapient. You saw what Saren and Sovereign did with the geth. Any research that gives us an advantage is important in our chances of retaking Rannoch!"

He conceded to her point for now, "Any of that information you found able to clear your name?"

Tali shook her head, once again disappointed, "Doubtful. Its mostly results data. The effects of different hacking techniques...I...I don't understand all of it, but they may have been activating the geth deliberately. I don't know! Nothing here says specifically but...if they were...then father was doing something terrible," Tali seemed to be arguing with herself more than him, not knowing whether she wanted to believe what was going on or not. Eventually, she just shook her head and slammed a fist against the console, "Was this what you were doing father? Was this all for that house? Was this going to bring us back home!?"

He sighed, "Maybe your people should let go of trying to retake your homeworld." He regretted the words almost immediately as they came out of his mouth.

Tali turned towards him, glaring at him, "You have no idea what this is like!" She pointed accusingly at him, "You  _ **have**_ a home to go back to! You can go back to Earth whenever you like! My home is one hull breach away from extinction!"

He shook his head, not wanting to continue the conversation, but not being able to ignore the facts either, "You have a place here, Tali. Don't throw that away in some pointless war you don't need."

Tali shook her head incredulously, pushing away from the console and moving to stand infront of him, "Don't need?" she said in barely a whisper, "Marcus, if I don't wear a helmet in my own home, I die. A single kiss could put me in the hospital!"

He moved to argue, but never got the chance as Tali continued her rant, "Everytime you touch a flower with bare fingers...enhale its fragrance without air filters...you're doing something  _I_ can't. Damn the pilgrimage! Without it, I might never have known what I was missing. What we had lost the right to do when we lost our homeworld!"

"What about 2175 Aeia?" Marcus continued, telling himself he was being an idiot for continuing this argument, "Couldn't your people just colonize that planet?"

Tali scoffed, "My people would have a hard enough time readapting to  _our own_ native environment. Adapting to a new one would take decades. Not to mention the toxic food of the planet; we'd probably have to grow our own food artificially, and we don't have the resources to do so! And then there's the Council; always threatening to blow us up if we don't stay away from planets they seem better suited for their own colonization!"

He exhaled, ignoring the urge to continue the argument, "Look, let's just concentrate on taking this ship back. We can argue what world is colonized and when, when we're done. For now, we have to find your father. Kal, you take point." The quarian general nodded, moving up ahead while he gave Tali a reassuring pat on the shoulder, the engineer moving up ahead. He gave her a sad glance.  _You deserve a home, Tali. All those things I said; I could never be more wrong. You need Rannoch. I just hope you'll get it back some day._

**{Loading...}**

_September 21, 2185_

_1938 hours._

_Outside Main Bridge, Zarasis-Class Light Cruiser QMFV Alarei, Migrant Fleet, Raheel-Leyya System, Valhallan Threshold System._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy,Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Rayya._

Reaching the bridge didn't take long whatsoever. Geth resistance here was the heaviest, but it didn't make it the hardest. Aside from being able to construct a few more destroyers, no juggernauts or primes were present, which was a good sign. There was an abundant amount of troopers, hunters, destroyers and hoppers, however and they put up a moderately good fight. But in the end, their victory was assured and the geth were defeated, allowing them to proceed towards the bridge main door. Marcus stopped just short of it, turning back to both of them.

"Split up and search the room. See what evidence you can find. We need to find something that can prove Tali's innocence."

Tali and Kal nodded, splitting off to find something...and hopefully Tali's father. But as they continued through the ship, it seemed Tali's hope of finding him had been dwindling. By the time they finally reached the bridge, it seems all their hope had evaporated, Tali's most of all. She rarely even spoke of finding him now, looking more determined to find something to prove herself innocent.

Just as Marcus turned to search the room, he heard a moaning from behind him. A pained moaning. He turned around and saw the door was now open to reveal a staircase leading up to what he assumed was the entrance to the ship's main bridge. But as he turned to look further to the side, he saw the source of the moaning. A quarian male lay on the ground, leaning against the wall, holding his side, which was riddled with bullet wounds. He coughed and coughed, with the occassional pained moan, proving he was still alive. Hearing Marcus approaching, he turned and let out a 'ah...' of realization.

"Ah...," he mumbled, "You must be Captain *cough* Shepard. The man my daughter speaks so much about."

He needed to know for sure, "What's your name? And hold still, I've got medi-gel."

The man waved a dismissive hand, "I'm beyond saving now; been exposed to the air for too long. And I think you know who I am. You just wanted confirmation, don't you? Fine, you shall have it. Rael'Zorah vas Huzzi.  _Admiral_ Zorah."

It killed him to hear the man admitting his own fate and he knew Tali would say the same. But he knew it in his heart too; the wounds the man suffered from were too severe and he had been exposed to open air for far too long. His chest was ripped open in much the same as Dagt's, but it seemed the quarian skin and skeleton was much tougher than humans, as it was ripped to bloody ribbons like Jenkins' was on Eden Prime. He wanted to cry out and tell Tali, but a three-fingered hand wrapped itself around his armor collar and pulled him forward.

"My daughter...where...is *cough* she? Is she safe?" Rael demanded, entering a coughing fit afterwards. He was dying and wanted to know where his daughter was.  _Does he truly care about her or is this last minute reconciliation?_

"She's with me. She's as safe as any person could be," Marcus replied, feeling the man's grip falter but he heard Rael's muttered reply.

"She'll never be safe with you," Rael mumbled, "And now that I'm dead, you'll be free to do with her as you want. And I'm helpless to stop you. How do you feel human? Amuse a dying man; how will you use my daughter? A sex toy? Will you...toss her aside when *cough* she's no longer useful?"

 _A sex toy? Fuck off._ He suddenly stood up and threw a packet of medi-gel into the man's lap, "I would never use her like that and you don't seem to know me at all. Tali and I have been together since the Eden Prime War. I've looked after her, protected her and shielded her from the racism of others. I've treated her like one of my own and I've eventually come to love her. So yes, your daughter is my girlfriend and I'm proud of it. Is she my sex toy? Never. We haven't even had sex yet and if we never did, I still wouldn't leave her. She is my life, you understand me? I've looked after in ways you never did."

"Excuse me?" Rael asked with fury, "You dare...to accuse me...of not...looking after my own...*cough* daughter? Who do you think you are?"

"Her captain and lover," Marcus replied cooly, "And yes, I do dare to accuse you. She's told me stories of you and none of them are colored well. She doesn't like you, she doesn't like how you've treated her and neglected her ever since her mother died. You've treated her like a sack of shit and for that, you're no true father. You've never once told her you loved her and you've never once shown her any free will. You've tried to control her life and she's sick of it. But even after all that, she still cares for you and was sorried sick when she heard you were possibly dead on the Alarei. And you sit here, pretending to care about her safety?"

"Just words and words and words, human," the admiral continued stubbornly, "You're a danger to her, I know it. I know I haven't treated her well, but I'm at least right in my judgement, knowing full well you're a danger to her. You're just lucky I'm going to die before I can do anything about it."

"Aren't I very lucky," Marcus sarcastically responded, "And if you're so righteous in your judgement, then why didn't you have Tali transferred? Were you conspiring with Peta behind her back, too?"

"Because I cared about her!" Rael shouted in his face, "Because...I cared about her feelings. She adored you, worshipped you. I couldn't just rip her away from you. So I let her stay so she could see the error of her ways and eventually realize it was a mistake and leave. But..."

"...that never happened? Yeah, I figured that," the spectre sighed, not knowing what else to say. Before anything else could be said between them, the voice Marcus dreaded to hear at this very moment came calling around the corner.

"Marcus, I heard shouting. Who are you...?" She came around the corner and her eyes immediately landed on Rael, her father. Her original thoughts were forgotten as she ran forward, "Father!" She slid to the ground, taking his hand and holding it tightly. Kal rounded the corner at that very second and only managed to mouth a single word under his breath, "Keelah..."

"Tali...," Rael greeted lamely, coughing afterwards and wincing at the pain it caused his lungs, "I'm sorry we had to meet again under these circumstances."

"Same," Tali muttered, trying to bite back her sobs before her eyes drifted to the medi-gel on his lap, "I'll apply the medi-gel and some of my antibiotics. You're going to be fine. We'll get you out, you'll see-"

"I'm as good as gone, Tali," Rael bluntly said, uncaring till the end, "I've been exposed too long. I'm not going to make it,  _Rali_." Rael raised a hand and stroked Tali's cheek, who's body suddenly froze, not registering Rael's sudden act of affection.

"No...No No no no no NO! You can't die!" Tali screamed, "I only just found you! I came to rescue you! You have to tell the admirals I'm innocent! I'm not a traitor! I don't want to be exiled! Please father, you can't just die like this!"

"Traitor?" Rael asked, shocked before he seemed to register what was said, "Those idiots. Accusing you of *cough* treason. I'm the traitor, if anything. It was all my fault, Tali. I was so preoccupied with retaking the homeworld I forgot to...I forgot too to check the security. I'm so sorry. All these deaths are on my hand and the admirals want to take the blood and wipe it all over you. I've done this to you and there is nothing I can do to help you. Be strong, my little Tali. You have to be strong and fight. Do you have a defense councilor?"

"Yes," Tali motioned towards the spectre standing before them, forgotten not kneeling again, "Marcus is standing for me. As my captain, he's defending me. He's done pretty well so far. I have a feeling Auntie Raan will like him and Gerrel already loves him."

Rael looked at Marcus, as if examining him before turning back to Tali, "My sweet, this is folly. A human cannot defend you in a trial. Ask Gerrel, maybe he can-"

"Will you stop!" Tali shouted in his face, letting go of his hand, "Even dying you won't leave him alone! Marcus has done right by me! Think of what Meru would think! She would accept Marcus! I love him more than anything and I don't love Peta, do you get it!?  _ **I love him!**_  Stop trying to control my life! Can't you, for once in your life, stop being such a control freak over my life?  _ **Just this once!?"**_

Rael moved to respond but was taken over by a coughing fit. Tali began to sob hysterically and Rael watched as Marcus moved to her side, taking her in his arms and comforting her.  _Maybe I was harsh in my judgement of him. Maybe he is just the right man for Tali. You idiot Rael! You've been so stubborn, you haven't seen the signs! It doesn't matter that he isn't quarian or can't give Tali children; it matters that he loves her and that your daughter has found someone to brighten her life. You were never there for her, so why should you care? Well now's your chance, you old hag. Show that you care. Do it for Meru. You can see her soon; just say this one final thing for your daughter. Give her what she wants; what she deserves before you join the ancestors._

"Tali...," he whispered and Tali broke from Marcus' embrace and faced him, crying, "I...I'm so sorry for what I've done to you during your life. You're my daughter and I'm your father. When your mother died...I neglected you. I'm sorry. The death of your mother destroyed me and I couldn't cope, so I took it out on you. That wasn't fair; you shared my pain and it wasn't fair of me to hate you for it. I'm so very sorry. No amount of words can begin to make up for what I did to you, and I only regret that I couldn't live a bit longer to realize this and make it up to you. But know this...," he turned to Marcus and spoke, "I approve...of this...pairing. Tali, I was wrong about your captain. He is perfect for you. Who cares if he can't give you children or isn't quarian? Its love that matters, and I'm happy that you found it without me. I know you'd love him anyway, but just know that I approve. You deserve that much. Its all I can give you."

"Father," Tali sobbed, now truly crying as she lay in Rael's arms and he wrapped them around her, holding her close as she sobbed into her chest, "Please don't go. Don't leave. You've only just started to change; there's so much left for you to do. I want you to be there when I get married! I want you to see my face! I want to see your face! Please, don't do this...don't leave me..."

"You'll never be alone,  _Rali,_ " Rael responded, a few tears streaking down his own cheeks, "You'll have Shepard. And Raan. And Gerrel. And Reegar. And all of your people. Meru and I will watch over you for all eternity. Know this; you'll never be alone. I love you, Tali. I should have said it years ago, keelah, decades ago, but now's a time better than any. I love  _you_ , Tali. My beautiful daughter. I don't need to see you face; only your mask to know how beautiful you truly are."

Tali sobbed even harder and turned her face to face him as she took his mask, revealing his face to the world. He didn't even object, "I love you too, daddy." And for the first time, she saw her father's smile. Marcus examined Rael's features; the first he'd seen of a quarian. He had brown hair that was long and braided with glowing eyes and pale grey skin. He would have been attractive, if not for the pain etched in his features. But that smile...it was filled with warmth. But as he looked on, he saw the life in the man's eyes slowly dying.

Marcus allowed Tali whatever time she had left with her father, trying their best to reconcile. He stayed with Kal, filling him in on what happened. Kal sympathsized, but was happy to know that Rael had finally reconciled with his daughter. It had been a long time coming.

A moment later, Tali joined them on the stairs, still shaking with sobs as she climbed the steps. He knew it was time; Rael'Zorah was dead and Tali had said her goodbyes. She turned to him, unable to contain herself anymore and just fell into his arms, sobbing.

"I'll make them pay," she sobbed, "Every last one of them. I'm going to kill them all."

Marcus nodded and whispered into her ear, "I'll get Rannoch back for you Tali and then we shall truly make the geth pay. I promise."

Tali nodded and rocked in his arms for a few moments longer, Kal giving them the decency of privacy. Finally, when they were done, Tali parted herself from him and held up her omni-tool, "Before he died, father gave me the command codes for the bridge. He says it will terminate all geth instantly and that we should destroy whatever data we find. He says it isn't worth all the deaths needed to make sure it works. He said to tell this to Xen in particular."

"Okay then," Marcus turned to the door and nodded for Kal to prepare to open it.

Tali nodded, baring her shotgun, "Let's do this. For my father."

With a nod to the quarian, Kal hit the interface and the door shot open and for a second, nothing happened. Then the gunfire started. Fire poured through the doorway from multiple weapons, and the trio rushed forward, shouting war cries as they charged the geth and fired their weapons, Tali going all out. Kal used his omni-blade to cut deep into the neck of the closest geth trooper before emptying his pistol into its back. Marcus followed up by taking down two hunters who had been approaching the quarian from behind before activating his omni-shield and deflecting the fire of a revenant light machine gun. And as the realization dawned on him at what he was facing, his eyes widened.

A geth prime stood in the middle of the bridge, weapon bared. It popped out a heat sink and fired again, the shots pouring into Marcus' omni-shield with little effect. The N7 charged forward before slamming into one of the prime's legs, ignoring the rest of the battle around him. The geth prime didn't topple over, but it was certainly stunned from the sudden assault that appeared out of nowhere and had to regain its balance. Leaving it open to attack. Marcus shot its gun-wielding arm with his rifle, managing to rip through its wrist and disable its arm, causing it to drop the LMG.

The prime shot out its other arm and took Marcus in the side, throwing him to the side. As the spectre tried to stand up, he heard an alien scream and turned to watch Tali pouring shot after shot into the prime's back with flawless execution. She leapt onto its back and unsheathed her knife, dropping her shotgun without reloading it and plunging her knife repeatedly into the prime's neck, hoping to destroy it.

She screamed as she did and eventually the prime stopped moving, no longer functioning from the hacking Tali gave it. Finally done, she let out a final drawn out scream and sheathed her knife, leaping off the prime's back as it fell forward onto the ground destroyed, picking up her shotgun and holstering it before accessing the main bridge panel. It was all Marcus could do not to chuckle at the display.  _A second reminder not to piss her off._

Kal, seemingly done with his geth approached them at the bridge console and Marcus was holstering his rifle as he asked what she was doing, "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Tali asked incredulously, pushing past him and kicking her father's command chair, "My father just died and told me that it was his fault; he verbally confirmed it. He's even sent me...evidence, evidence that clears my name and shows that it was clearly his fault. I'll be cleared of all charges and my father...my father will be...exiled posthumously." She suddenly turned to Marcus in desperation and the next words out of her mouth shocked him, "We can't bring this evidence to this trial. Destroy it. We can't tell the admirals, not anyone. Noone must know about this."

"But Tali-" Kal tried to object.

"But nothing! We must destroy this evidence! The Admiralty cannot know what happened here was my father's fault!" Tali demanded.

Marcus couldn't stand up to this, "Tali, without this evidence you'll be exiled! I promised you I would not let that happen and I'd go to the ends of the galaxy to make sure you were cleared! You can't do this to me! I'm trying to save you and you want me to destroy the only chance we have of clearing your name?"

"Yes, I do," Tali responded pathetically, "I'm so sorry, Marcus, but this has to be done. Do you realize what would happen if the Admiralty found out my father was behind this? He'd be stripped of all his titles and his accomplishments erased from every ship. He would never have existed, according to the fleet. His position as an admiral would be forgotten, his achievements forgotten, himself...forgotten. Everything he did! Children will remember him as a monster! I don't want that for him! Besides, think of how that makes me look? The woman with Zorah blood, I'll be called. He'll bring disgrace upon our entire clan and my blood will be that of a traitor's. I won't do this to him. I refuse."

Marcus could see where she came from, but it didn't make his next decision any harder, "Fine. We'll destroy the evidence and find another way to save you from exile. But we better think fast. Let's head back to the shuttle Tali; remember what your father said. Be strong. We'll get through this, I promise you."

"That's all I can ask for, Marcus," With that, they all headed out of the room, heading towards the trading deck. Marcus wagged behind and took one last look at the downloaded information Tali had printed out. All the evidence on one disk. He could save Tali with it and she wanted him to destroy it. He could keep it; present it in the trial without her knowledge... _No. I'll never betray her trust like that. I love her, for god sake. I will not betray her. I have to have faith in her._ And with that, he tossed the disk onto the ground, drew his pistol and shot it, turning and leaving the room afterwards.

_Yeah. Faith. We'll need alot of it. And alot of words._

**{Loading...}**

_September 21, 2185_

_1954 hours._

_Approaching the Arena, Quarian Liveship Rayya, Migrant Fleet, Raheel-Leyya System, Valhallan Threshold System._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy,Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Rayya._

"...we must face facts...there has been no word. There's no reason think Tali'Zorah survived..." Koris' voice was easily hearable and recognizable from the other admirals as Marcus, Kal and Tali moved through the corridors of the Rayya, having recently returned from the Alarei, reporting it clear of hostiles. But it appeared the admirals were in a hurry and decided to resume the trial early. They quickened their pace.

He heard Raan's voice respond, "...we must give them more time! Its only been an hour!"

Gerrel's voice wasn't as optimistic, "Quarian marines barely lasted fifteen minutes. No way they did any better."

Koris was quick to jump in, "Well, if we're done with this, I move to have Tali'Zorah exiled posthumously."

Silence entered the room and he could feel the shock in the room. Marcus eventually sprinted to the door and slammed his palm onto the interface, entering the room at a rushed pace. Tali and Kal easily kept up with him and they moved through the crowd without being noticed. Everyone was so focused on Koris, Gerrel and Raan arguing, that they barely noticed their return. Marcus finally pushed through the crowd and appeared before the admirals, who broke off their argument to look at them in shock. Tali took up her place next to him and Kal just melted into the crowd.

Tali, in the best sarcastic tone she could, spoke loud and clearly to the admirals, "Sorry we're late."

Marcus leaned on the console infront of him, unimpressed, "You didn't waste time declaring us dead. By the way, we took your ship back for you. Go fetch it when you're ready. We almost died, but hey, doesn't mean you shouldn't  _exile her posthumously,_ hmmm?" He looked at Koris as he said, his glare able to melt steel.

"Oh please do keep your childish arguments somewhere else, Shepard," Xen finally quipped, saying the first words she had spoken for the entirety of the trial.

Raan shook her head by speaking, "Did you find any evidence that could support your innocence?" Marcus locked eyes with her in disgust.  _Doesn't even ask if her father was alive or not. Politics at its best._

But as soon as he did, he found Tali's eyes on him. He didn't need to turn around to see what she was thinking.  _Please don't. Don't tell them. I'm begging you. Don't destroy who my father was._ He remembered his words as well.  _I promise you._ He looked up and he knew just what he wanted to say. He knew how he could save Tali and he was going to do it. He didn't care if the admirals hated him for it, he didn't care about any of them, especially Koris, but he was going to save the love of his life from losing everything she ever cared about.

The words that, before, would have caught in his throat, now spilled out easily, but calmly, "We have found no evidence to prove-"

"Very well," Xen interrupted, "Then we shall-"

" _ **ENOUGH OF THIS!"**_  Marcus boomed and every quarian in the room turned to face him, including the now 'shitting-their-pants' admiralty board. Even Tali flinched at his booming tone as his fist slammed into the console, denting it severely as he whorled around to face the crowd, "Is this how justice is done on the Migrant Fleet? There's no evidence, so you just toss her into the varren pit?" He pointed towards the admirals, "Well you've all wasted your time because this entire trial was a waste of time! Tali has done nothing to harm the fleet at all! She helped me defeat Saren, destroy Sovereign and stop the geth two years ago at the Battle of the Citadel! She helped stopped an invasion that would have ended with everyone in this fleet being dead. You should be thanking her...instead you spit on her name, cast her aside and place her head on a chopping block. None of you give a shit about Tali'Zorah vas  _Normandy_...but I sure as hell do, and I'm not letting this continue."

He pointed accusingly at the admirals, one by one, "These assholes have been using Tali as a political scapegoat. This entire trial is a sham for these bastards to advertise their own political agenda to all of you people! How convenient, hmmm? Geth attack the Alarei, so what a perfect time to blame the fleet's greatest hero so we have an excuse to advertise our plans for war!"

Koris and Gerrel objected at the same time, "That is not true! This trial is for-"

"I care very much about Tali-"

"Don't bullshit me! I've had enough!" Marcus shouted, "You told me yourselves! Hell, Xen told me that herself the true purpose of this trial. If any of you have any true intelligence, you know Tali is innocent of any wrong. She poured her heart into the survival of this fleet, gave up so many things so that it could keep running. She has shown nothing but love for her people, so why would she ever betray it? Come on! All of you; tell her one of the reasons why  _you_ all think she's a traitor!"

Silence. A few quarians spoke amongst themselves, but not about Tali. He could hear them; it was outrage at the true purpose of the trial being revealed. Kal nodded in approval and Veetor seemed much closer to the edge of the crowd than his mentality demanded. But before he could speak, Veetor rushed out, ignoring his doctor and stood next to Tali, fidgeting the whole time.

"I stand behind T-Tali!" Veetor shouted, the man's courage shocking even Tali and Marcus, "While you bickered, it was Tali'Zorah who showed me kindness on Freedom's Progress! She cared enough about me that she looked after me personally and made sure I was okay! Noone else cared enough to do that until my current doctor, and I thank her by being by her side! Tali'Zorah is no traitor!"

Kal was quick to join in, standing at her side, "I've fought for you assholes my entire life and never once have I had the audacity to question my superiors. But I am now; Tali'Zorah is no traitor. She's the finest damn marine this fleet has ever seen and would make a better admiral than any of you. I stand by her side. If you want to exile her; you'll have to exile me."

"And me as well," Veetor declared.

"And me," Marcus saw it was Peta and for the first time since meeting the man, he liked him for doing that.

"You can't exile all of them!" A man called from the crowd.

"I've known Tali'Zorah since she was a child! She is no traitor!" Another called, this one a woman.

"Tali'Zorah is no traitor!"

"Tali'Zorah is no traitor!"

"Tali'Zorah is no traitor!"

Tali was awed by the amount of people sticking up for her against the admirals. Marcus smiled and squeezed her shoulder and she was half tempted to melt into his arms. But it wasn't over yet; she didn't even know if the admirals would-

"Enough! Enough," Raan shouted, "Is the Admiralty Board prepared to render judgement?"

They all nodded and the crowd died down, but Veetor, Kal, Elan and Peta stayed where they were. The admirals raised their omni-tools and casted their votes, deactivating them afterwards. When done, Raan's omni-tool beeped and she raised it, Tali closing her eyes and taking an inhale of breath.

"The vote is unanimous," Raan declared and time seemed to slow down, "Tali'Zorah, the evidence provided proves you are not guilty of treason and you are hereby cleared of all charges."

Tali let out the breath she was holding and this time she didn't stop herself, leaping into Marcus' arms. His instincts took over and he embraced her and after a few seconds, they realized the room had gone silent. They released each other and realized the entire room had been watching and Tali sheepishly backed away, blushing behind her visor.

The admirals knew better than to keep this awkward situation going. Raan turned to Marcus, smiling behind her visor, "Thank you, Captain Shepard for taking the time to represent one of our people."

Marcus shook his head, taking Tali's hand in his, "With all due respect, Admiral. I didn't represent one of your people; I represented one of mine. And one I care very much about."

The admirals nodded, but before Raan could dismiss them, Marcus decided to say one more thing, "And trust me on this admirals; forget about going to war with the geth, at least for now. A much more terrifying enemy is one the horizon; and the Reapers will not stop until we are all dead and wiped from the face of the galaxy. Keep your fleet and prepare for the Reapers; then after and only after can you hope to retake Rannoch. Trust me on this; you'll regret it if you don't listen."

Gerrel nodded, "We shall take your advice into strong consideration Shepard. I'm sure Xen will try her best to find out what to do about these Reapers."

"I certainly will," Xen promised, no sarcasm in her voice.

Raan nodded and seeing the hearing was officially finished, she turned back to the crowd, her voice just as loud as when they started, "This hearing is concluded. Go in peace, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Keelah Se'lai."

The crowd dispersed and Veetor gave one nervous glance to Tali before rushing off, Elan helping him leave before he had a panic attack. Marcus nodded to Kal and the marine left, moving to talk with Gerrel. Peta seemed to disappear as well. Marcus stood there and turned to Tali, smiling.

It was Tali who spoke first, "I can't believe we actually did it. Thank you for being there for me and my father. You really pulled through."

He laughed, "Only for you. Besides, we can go back and get you exiled if you want."

Tali giggled, "Funny, but no. I like things the way they are just fine. Its fun watching you shout."

He laughed and slowly his smile melted from his face, "Tali, about your father...you deserved better than what he did to you and I understand that he reconciled, but-"

Tali placed a finger over his vocalizer and spoke so softly on he could hear her. But her words were like honey.

"I got better, Marcus," she whispered, a smile in her tone, "I got you."

He smiled and hugged her again when Raan spoke from next to them, "Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to say goodbye before you left on your mission again. I've missed you alot, Tali."

Tali broke her embrace of Marcus and turned to Raan, hugging her, "I'm going to miss you too, auntie. We'll see each other soon, I hope."

Raan nodded and broke her embrace, "Just be safe, Tali'Zorah."

"I will," Tali replied fondly.

Raan quickly turned to Marcus, "As for you," her hand shot in a flash and she punched Marcus in the helmet with enough force to reel him backwards, "If any harm comes to her I will hold you responsible. I will bring the entire fleet down upon you Shepard and make you wish you never lived, understand me? She better not die from this relationship!"

"Auntie!" Tali protested moving to make sure Marcus was alright but he waved her off, simply chuckling as he looked at Tali and then to Raan.

"You've got one hell of a swinging arm," he complimented the admiral, "And I'll protect her with my life. Use myself as a shield, if need be."

"Good answer," Raan replied before hugging him. Marcus was taken by surprise by the gesture but returned it lightly before the admiral let go. She laughed at his expression, "Don't look so surprised. I've seen how devoted you are to my Tali and I know from Tali that you had plans for marriage, am I right? So if you're going to be her husband at some point, I'm going to be your aunt-in-law. So, in this case, call me Shala, not Raan. Time to start getting familiar."

 _She doesn't waste time getting to know me._ "Sure, Admir-Shala."

Raan bowed slightly and left, giving way for Peta to approach. Tali groaned and Marcus decided to let her deal with it. But as Peta approached, the man suddenly stopped infront of  _him_ , not Tali. He didn't know what to say, so he just stood there, waiting for Peta to speak. Finally, after a while, the quarian spoke.

"She's mine," he said.

"Pardon?"

"She. Is. Mine," Peta growled, "So keep your hands of. She is mine to love and mine only. You are a filthy human who can never love her, give her children or be what she needs you to be. I can give her all those things. You'll cease your relationship advances right now, because she's taken."

"Back off Peta," Kal growled as he approached, "Go annoy someone else. Tali's already made it clear who she loves."

"She doesn't get a choice in this," Peta declared, "I've already organized a marriage pact with her father. She's to marry me when your mission is-"

"Yes, well things have changed," Tali added, moving towards him and poking a finger into his chest, "My father's dying words said differently. He approves of me and Marcus and says we have his permission to get married. So whatever marriage-pact you had designed is over. I love Marcus, and I don't love you. I've already clarified this, so I don't know why it needs repeating. We are friends.  _Nothing more._ "

Peta looked too shocked for words but when he regained his composure he tried to swing a punch in Marcus' direction. The clumsy punch was predictable and Marcus easily evaded it, ducking and grabbing the man's arm, twisting it back, "You'll leave Tali and me alone, understood? Now piss on off back to your hole." He let go and Peta fell to the ground. He waited for Tali to help him up but seeing as she was moving to help him, he got up and ran off, not wanting to bear the shame any longer.

He turned to Kal, "So, I guess this is goodbye."

"Really?" Kal asked with feigned shock, "Keelah, I should hope not."

"What do you mean?"

"I just a 'cleared of duty' pass from Admiral Gerrel," Kal announced, "I've requested time to serve on the Normandy. If you'll have me, he says I'll be renamed 'vas Normandy.' I'll be a new member of your crew, just like Tali. Just without the hugging and all that intimate stuff. I'm promised to another."

"What about that other?" Tali asked, "What about Madi?"

"She'll understand why I did it," Kal told him, "She'll understand the enemies we face. I'll miss her, but I know my duty and its too the fleet. But now I'll be yours to command. I still outrank both you and Tali, but I'll be yours to command as the Normandy is ultimately your ship. So, will you have me?"

"Damn right I will," Marcus declared, "We could use all the hands we can get. Welcome aboard, Kal'Reegar vas Normandy."

"Glad to be aboard," Kal stated.

"Report to the armoury once you're onboard," He ordered, "You'll be under Jacob Taylor's command. Yes, I know he's Cerberus, but he's one hell of a guy once you get to know him."

Kal nodded without objection and left, leaving Tali and Marcus alone. The spectre turned to Tali and held out his hand, smiling, "Ready to return home, Miss Zorah?"

"Yes," Tali stated as she took his hand to leave, "Yes I am."

**"That trial was truly intense."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"And so was that moment afterwards."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"What moment?"**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"That night in Shepard's cabin."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

_**A/N:** _

_**You want to know how I got the motivation to write that Rael/Tali scene? Well, it turns out listening to sad music helps you write sad scenes. And no, it wasn't Mass Effect either. This music is amazing:** _

_**www DOT youtube DOT com / ? v = TNInwGn3GZ8** _

_**As you know, Fanfiction doesn't like links, so I had to seperate. Don't take the 'DOT's literally, and there are no spaces in the actual link (any basic computer nerd knows that there are spaces in searches you place in the address bar.** _

_**Hope you enjoyed this chapter and how I portrayed Rael's death. And guess what! All those who guessed Kal'Reegar was joining the crew? You were right! You get virtual cookies!** _

_**I can't wait to get my PS4 tomorrow. :)** _

_**...what? Shut up. I am allowed to look forward to console preorders. Also, who's going to see Day of the Doctor tomorrow?** _


	43. First Time for Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kal joins the crew. Tali thanks Shepard for exonerating her, but also mourns her father's death. Peta schemes.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FORTY:**

**FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING**

_September 21, 2185_

_2002 hours._

_Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked with the Rayya, Migrant Fleet._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy._

The elevator ride to their cabin was short and sweet. They had won; Tali still had a hard-time believing it, but Marcus knew they'd pull through in the end. But they had won. Tali had returned to the Normandy unexiled and still a proud member of the Migrant Fleet. Kal'Reegar had even joined the crew, which was a damn good bonus if he said so himself. But most of all, he was happy for Tali. She seemed happier than she did when she got the message.

Being accepted by Tali's aunt was a good thing as well. He quite liked Admiral Raan...Shala. She cared about Tali in a way Rael never did until his death and even accepted him with open arms when he showed his true colors. Gerrel seemed to like him as well, and he appeared to be a uncle of sorts to Tali. Even Kal'Reegar, who Tali said was like a brother to her, accepted him. And Tali had even discussed marriage with them.  _Is that what I want? To be married to Tali? Hell yes. But when? When could we possibly find time for marriage?_

 _After the collectors are defeated. That much is a certainty. I don't want to wait until the Reapers are upon us. We might not even survive. If we're going to die in the coming war, I want us to die as husband and wife, not some unrecognized couple._ He thought about what Rael had said before he died, about how he seemed to accept Marcus in his final moments.  _Even a man who hated my guts game to accept me in his last moments._

The elevator door opened and they stepped out and moved quickly into the cabin, Tali moving silently down towards the sofa and falling into it. Marcus continued to contemplate as he began to take off his armor.  _That entire trial was pointless and nothing to do with Tali, yet we still won against all odds. Not a shred of evidence to help us, and we prevailed. How is it I keep managing to pull off this crazy shit?_ As he took off his breastplate, he turned to look at Tali who was looking at something on her omni-tool.  _Maybe its because I have something worth fighting for. She's completely worth it, that much I know._

It didn't take him much longer to take off the rest of his armor and when he was done, he fell onto the sofa next to Tali and wrapped an arm around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder and closing his eyes to rest them.  _And I've just allowed Kal to convince himself to join my crew. Another man to drag into the meat grinder. A bloody suicide mission and I'm dragging one of the Flotilla's best marines in with me. So many people, so willing to jump into hell with me yet I don't know if I can get them back out again._

He moved to see what Tali was looking at, but before he could, she switched it off and sighed, leaning her head against his. They both stayed silent, not making a single noise. The solace was still peaceful for anyone of them to break and therefore they stayed silent, waiting for the right time to speak.

Seconds dragged into minutes, and those minutes dragged on into an hour. Eventually, Tali spoke, her voice soft and close to a whisper, "Thank you so much for...well, doing what you did on the Rayya, Marcus. I was certain I would be exiled but...you saved me. Just like you always do."

He smiled, not wanting to laugh and break the peaceful quiet, "You don't have to thank me. I did what I did out of love. You shouldn't have to go through that crap they put you through. You of all people deserve better."

Tali nodded, "I know, but I've already got better. I got you, didn't I? I feel so happy when you're there for me. When Shala said that I was relieved of the charges...I was so happy, I could barely contain myself. I couldn't stop myself from just hugging you;  _you_ , the man who saved me from being banished from the home I loved and cherished. I need to thank you. Some way to repay you."

"You don't have to," Marcus stated firmly, "And that's the end of it. Do not thank me for something willingly paid."

"But I  _want_ to," Tali declared before turning to face him, "And I know just how I want to repay you."

Marcus cocked an eyebrow and turned to face her, "Okay, say I accept this offer of repayment. Just what do you have in mind?"

"I love you, Marcus," Tali declared, "You know that, don't you?"

"Not as much as I love you, I'll wager," Marcus responded, smiling warmly, "But of course I do. That doesn't explain just how you plan to thank me. Please don't tell me its sexual."

Tali was wide-eyed, "No! Of course not; we could do that anytime you wanted; in here, I mean. No, what I want to do with you is much more sacred. Marcus, remember what I told you about the suit-linking?"

"You said its something done out of an extreme gesture of trust and acceptance," Marcus recounted, "That its an intimate done between lovers."

"Yes, well I forgot to tell you one important thing," Tali told him before taking a deep breath and swallowing, "Its also a great gesture of trust when a quarian reveals his/her face to their mate. It shows that they trust them, love them and want them to see every part of them. I wasn't ready before, but I feel like I am now. Marcus, I want to show you my face. I want you to see what lies behind this mask."

Marcus eyes widened in anticipation, but he wasn't about to let lust gain control of him, "Tali, isn't that dangerous? Shouldn't we sterilize the room first, shouldn't I wash myself? Tali, we shouldn't do this unless-"

Before he could continue, Tali placed a finger on his lips and silenced him, smiling behind her mask, "I need you to trust me, Marcus. Trust me on this."

"I trust you Tali," Marcus responded, "But this is madness. Have you at least administered antibiotics?"

"Of course I have. What do you think I am, an idiot?" Tali laughed before turning fully to face him, suddenly nervous, "I've never shown my face to anyone; at least not my present one. My father never saught it, Shala hasn't it and my mother hasn't. Only  _you_. You will see my face Marcus; and I-I hope I'm not too bad."

He shook his head, placing a hand on her cheek, "How could I possibly think you're ugly? You're the most beautiful person I know. I'm not going to judge you based on looks Tali. I would never do that."

She smiled, and realized that Marcus would finally be able to see that smile, "I want you to be the one who does it," she told him, taking his hands in hers, "I want you to free me of this mask and expose my face to you."

"I don't know," Marcus informed her, "I've never taken off your visor before, remember?"

"Now you learn," she chuckled, taking his hands and moving them to a spot just under her hood, "Do you feel the latches?"

He seemed to hesitate but after a second he nodded, "Yeah. I think so."

She put on the warmest smile she could muster and took a deep breath, "Keelah, I'm so nervous. I've never done this before."

"We don't have to do it now," Marcus stated, but didn't try to take his hands away, "We could-"

"No," she stated firmly, "I want to do this. Just nervous, that's all. Please, release the latches and remove my visor, so you may look upon my face unobstructed."

He nodded slowly and he sighed. With a slight bit of hesitation that lasted a second, he began to press his fingers and heard a satisfying hiss as the latches disconnected. Hearing this, he continued this motion with all the latches until they were all released, leaving the only thing to do being to remove her mask. They looked at each other for a mere moment, neither knowing whether to continue. But after that, Marcus' curiosity got the better of him, and he suddenly found his ten fingers taking her visor away and laying it on the couch. Once this was done, he looked back up, at there she was; exposed to the world.

He was blown away; he had never seen anything quite like her. Like her father, she had tattoo like facial markings; lines descending from her forehead to land above her eyebrows. Her skin was also pale grey, but that was where the similiarities ended. Her eyes glowed slightly, but the light wasn't bright enough to glow powerfully, but it was entrancing. He noticed that she also had freckles lining her smooth ample cheeks; with thin eyelashes. Her ears were like that of humans except much more pointed, giving her the look of an elf. Her hair was smooth and a raven black in color; he couldn't see the length as her hood was still up. Her jawline was firm but delicate and when she smiled, he saw that, just like humans, she had molar teeth, not the canine teeth he expected her to have. Her tongue was also human like, expect it seemed slightly smaller and much more paler in comparison.

He was speechless. Right here, sitting next to him, was a goddess. The asari were nice, but Tali blew them out of the water. She was simply stunning; beautiful. And he hadn't even seen her full head yet; her hood still covered it.

"W-w-what do-do you t-t-t-think?" Tali stuttered massively, turning her head to look at the sofa, too embarassed to keep her head up any longer. But he was having none of it; and he wasn't impressed that his view of this beauty was now obstructed by the top of her hood. He cupped her chin and tilted her to face him and she saw the warmest smile on his face that she'd ever seen from him.

He had no other words, "You're beautiful," he told her, "I-I just don't know what else to say. You are simply the most amazing woman I've ever layed eyes upon. If Miranda and Liara could see you, they'd be bloody jealous. Are all quarian women like this under the helmets?"

Tali blushed and he noticed the slight blue color rising to her cheeks.  _Well that's something different. Humans blush red, quarians blush blue._ She realized he could see all of her facial expressions now; her emotions were open to him to explore.  _And I love it._ She loved the feel of air on her face and the feel of Marcus' hand gripping her chin gently almost sent her off the edge. She'd already felt his manhood in her mouth; but this was simply something different. This was...better.

"I-I wouldn't know," Tali explained, "I-I've never seen another woman's face before except my mother and Shala, and they were both very attractive by quarian standards, so yes, I guess so."

"Well you're more than attractive," Marcus informed her, his grin widening and hers with it, "You're the sexiest damn thing on this ship. In this galaxy!"

She smiled and at that very moment felt something build inside her that she hadn't felt before. She could do it now; she had shown him her face and he loved it but now she could finally take the third step in their relationship. The one thing she had wanted to do ever since they started this relationship back on the SR-1.

She didn't know what she was doing; she simply acted based on impulse. Before Marcus could do anything, Tali had wrapped both her hands around his face and pressed her lips to his. The most euphoric feeling she had ever felt in her life washed through her lips as she felt multiple different sensations at once; euphoria, bliss and love. She was in heaven, whatever that was. He tasted so good and she savoured every bit of his taste and his scent. Marcus didn't pull away either; his hands wrapped around her hood and pulled it down, allowing her black hair to fall freely around her shoulders and past them to her breasts. She didn't care, she just continued to kiss him passionately, savouring every moment of it.

Marcus felt much the same. Their lips fought in a desperate battle of attrition and dominance in the midst of passion and love. Their lips were pressed firmly but after a while they opened their mouths and tongues explored each other, quarian and human alike. Marcus decided in that instant; she tasted magnificient. Her scent was bliss, a scent he couldn't place but one he absolutely devoured like a hungry beast.

Neither of them noticed as the added weight they placed on each other caused Marcus to push Tali onto her back on the sofa and Marcus landed ontop of her, neither of them opening their eyes or letting their lips part for breath. Tali just held his head to hers, not letting him seperate. Their passion got so hot and intense that Marcus subconsciously spread her legs and placed him himself inbetween them. Tali moaned into his kissing, trying to ignore the buildup that had built up in her core and while she was still kissing him, she let one hand travel to inbetween her thighs and begin to poke and prod. She moaned even louder.

Finally, after what felt like hours of bliss, their mouths parted from each other, leaving a thin line of mixed saliva between them. But Tali didn't stop prodding herself; and neither did her moaning, which quickly alerted Marcus to what she was doing. He stopped her hand and smiled, beginning to continue the prodding for her and as he began, Tali's legs wrapped around him, dry humping him and urging him to continue. She cooed, hummed and moaned and that encouraged him.

As he continued, he gave her quick pecks on the cheeks and lips, loving the taste of her, "You taste good," he complimented.

"So do you," she reciprocated, smiling.

That smile was all he needed to keep going. After a while of continuing, Tali's moans grew louder and she eventually screamed, climaxing inside her suit. He saw the emotional strain on her face as she orgasmed and as eyes locked, their was recognition in both of their looks. They both smiled at each other and once Tali was finished climaxing, tongues locked once more.

After a few moments, they parted and Tali urged Marcus off of her. He sat up, and Tali sat up with him, but just as she did, she got up and kneeled infront of him, "Now that you can see me, this is going to be alot more pleasurable."

He shook his head, "We've done enough Tali. I love looking at your face; and personally, I don't want you to ever put that mask back on, but don't you think you're going to get sick from this?"

"No sicker than normal," Tali contradicted, "And I'm already adapting to you; this'll help in the long run. The more time I stay exposed to you, the less severe my illness will be and the more time we'll be able to spend together and for longer. Eventually, I won't even get sick with you."

He smiled at that prospect, "Okay. Just take it easy."

She giggled, "I always do." He noticed another thing too; her voice sounded completely different without the synthesized tone in her vocalizer. Now her voice sounded even sweeter, much more fluid. Her giggles didn't sound robotic; they sounded like music to his ears. He loved it.

He watched as Tali did what she usually did; unbuckled his pants, pulled them down, followed by his boxers, exposing his erect manhood. She would then grab it and start stroking it before wrapping her mouth around it and beginning to suck. He moaned as he watched her mouth wrapped around it with his own eyes, her parched red lips looking supple at his angle. He cooed as she sucked at a steady pace, speeding up with every throttle. His hand quickly drifted to the back of her head and he gripped it gently, even encouraging her slightly by gently pushing when she did.

Night fell, and two lovers kissed and made love in the only way they could.

The only way for now.

**{Loading...}**

_September 22, 2185_

_0748 hours._

_Medical Bay, Quarian Liveship Rayya, Migrant Fleet, In FTL Inbound for Unknown Destination._

_Veetor'Nara vas Rayya, Chief Medical Officer Elan'Shiya vas Rayya._

"Veetor?"

Knocked out of his stupor, Veetor turned to face the doctor, "Y-yes?"

"Lie down," Elan ordered, "I need to check your blood pressure."

Veetor nodded, lying down on the table and allowing Elan to wrap a device around his arm so she could check his blood pressure. She touched his arm, reassuring him before she began applying the pressure, the appendage squeezing the young quarian's arm.

Veetor had had a panic attack after the trial yesterday, but Elan had told him it had been worth it, and Veetor agreed. What he did would have been insane for others like him, but Veetor had done it. He had rushed out into the crowd, infront of everyone and openly supported Tali'Zorah. He was proud of himself for doing something like that; if he could do that, he was one step closer to being able to handle ambassadorial circumstances. Yet again, that thought only served to remind him that he'll never be an ambassador because his people will never have Rannoch again. He gave the ceiling a sad look as Elan continued to check his blood pressure.

The death of Rael'Zorah hadn't been well received within the fleet. Apparently, after the trial, Daro'Xen and a squad of marines had boarded the Alarei to find the entire crew dead, most of the research wiped from the databanks, all the geth destroyed or deactivated and Rael'Zorah dead. Upon this, the Alarei was welcomed back into the fleet but was rebuilt from the inside out, Gerrel taking the vessel for his Heavy Fleet and retrofitting it into a light cruiser, just like it was originally designed. Rael'Zorah's body had been put to rest and placed in a capsule, shot into space to rest with the ancestors among the stars.

Ever since then, Daro'Xen had launched an investigation into what aboard the Alarei, but nothing had turned up. The Admiralty Board was in disarray, the rumors told; with the Chief Admiral deceased, Gerrel had taken the job as regent until his empty place was filled. However, it seemed the Admiralty wasn't even considering a replacement at the moment, which to people like Veetor and Elan, was odd on the political spectrum. People would have thought that filling an empty gap in the Board would have been a top priority, but apparently it wasn't.

After the trial, Shala'Raan had visited him in the medical bay and given him her own gratitude for coming up to defend her niece, saying it was a brave thing he did. She also extended Han'Gerrel's thanks to him, which had made Veetor's stomach flutter. He hadn't been complimented alot in his life, and especially not by admirals. Veetor heard that the crew of the Huzzi were also captainless, but moves were being made to find a new commanding officer for the vessel; presumably Rael's XO would rise up to the task.

"There we go," Elan announced, relieving him of the material that had been squeezing his arm, "All done. How do you feel? No signs of nausea? You don't find it hard to breathe?"

"No," Veetor stated bluntly, sitting up on the bed, "I-I f-f-feel perfectly fin-ne."

"That's good. That means you're recovering quickly," Elan stated, putting down her datapad and sitting next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "But I doubt you've recovered that quickly. That was a brave thing you did; you realize that? You took a great risk standing up infront of that crowd and yet you did it anyway to protect one of your own. You should be proud of yourself."

And that's what changed it. When Shala'Raan had complimented him, he had felt indifferent, and he couldn't understand why. But when Elan compliments him, he suddenly feels weak, but amazing. It was that effect she had on him; it was like a virus, except good. Everytime Elan complimented him, he felt good, he felt powerful. He felt like he could overcome anything. That was the effect she had; and he loved it. Veetor'Nara loved it; the man who would panic in a crowd, but felt safe in a woman's arms; his doctor's arms.

"T-thanks. I am," Veetor responded shyly, playing around with his fingers, "That means alot to me, Elan."

Elan smiled behind her mask before laying her head on his shoulder, "You didn't seem to think the same when Admiral Raan thanked you. You just shrugged it off. What makes it different when I say it, do you think?"

Veetor stopped. How did he explain this to her of all people? What if he stuffed up and said something wrong? Sounded like a blundering fool? Wait, what difference would there be in that? He always acted like a fool. A selfish fool, at that. He'd made himself look like a complete idiot on Freedom's Progress, that much was certain. So how do you tell a woman you love that they make you feel good?

"There isn't a difference aside from, well you being...well, you know...being my...," he tried to force the word out but it wouldn't. With a subconscious push, he managed to get it out hurriedly, "Being my mate..."

Elan turned to look at him in an instant and smiled. With a laugh, she turned to look at the wall, smiling behind her mask, "Tell me Veetor, has anyone ever told you how cute you are? That's the nicest thing I've ever heard from you."

Veetor blushed under his helmet, "Noone has, except you."

And that triggered something primal in Elan. Something she couldn't stop. So when the next words came from her mouth, she didn't know what she was doing, "Have you ever shown anyone your face, Veetor?"

He was taken offguard by the question. He didn't know how to respond, just that he wanted to. He tried to find the words, and when he did, they sounded perfect, "No, I haven't. None of my parents ever asked to see it and I've been too afraid to show anyone. Why do you ask?"  _Yes, why does that question make me feel warm inside?_

"I've never shown anyone my face either," Elan admitted, "Noone but my father, but he serves on a different ship now. But I'd like to show someone my face; someone I  _love._ Someone I, say, trust...Tell me Veetor, do you trust  _me_?"

Veetor didn't even need time to contemplate  _that_ question, "Of course I do. You've always treated me right; more than Kaso ever did."

Elan nodded, "Trust me as your lover, or your doctor?"

"Both."

Elan seemed to contemplate this answer for a little bit before she turned Veetor around and lay him flat on the table on his back. Before he knew what was happening, Elan was straddling him and she leaned closer to him until their masks were inches apart. Veetor felt more comfortable than he should have; the feel of Elan's large breasts pressing onto him and the way she straddled him; he both didn't like and loved where this was going.

She leaned away slightly and her fingers reached under his hood, looking for his visor's latches. He realized what she was doing and grabbed hold of her wrists. She shook her head, stroking his cheek, "Trust me, remember?"

Veetor nodded slowly and just as slowly released control of her wrists so she could continue her work. He hoped noone walked in on that moment; he'd have a hard time explaining why his doctor was straddling him in the med bay. Just as he finished thinking about that awkward situation, his mask hissed and was pulled free, revealing his face to Elan. She stopped to contemplate his face and as she removed her own mask, he saw her smile, "You look handsome, Veetor."

They both got a good look at each other. Both of them had the pale grey skin that came with being stuck in their suits for so long, and both of their eyes glowed lightly, Elan alittle bit more brightly than his. Her hair was almost like pure silk, cyan curls rounding down her cheeks and smooth cheeks. Veetor's hair was cropped tightly to the point of baldness, but apart from that, he was completely unremarkable. Just an average quarian.

But when Elan leaned down and pressed her lips to his, he didn't feel like an ordinary man. He felt complete. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to be captured in the moment, his hands moving up and down Elan's waist as he kissed him. It was like nothing he had ever experienced. And at that moment, his manhood came alive. Luckily, his suit was bigger than a female's skintight suit, and therefore Elan couldn't feel it prodding the back of her buttocks. But it was there all the same.

Veetor suddenly didn't care if they got sick. He was getting kissed. He had a girl kissing him. That was something he thought would never happen.

**{Loading...}**

_September 22, 2185_

_0920 hours._

_Engineering, Mediator-Class Heavy Tanker QMFV Huzzi, Migrant Fleet, In FTL Inbound for Unknown Destination._

_Mechanic Peta'Yala vas Huzzi._

Peta was angry. Oh yes, he was simply enraged. He couldn't believe he had been defiled; all his hard work shoved down the drain. Everything he had planned with Rael had gone to hell and not only had it been that filthy human's fault, but it was Rael's as well.  _He betrayed our agreement. I should never have spoken to him. I thought his carelessness would prevail, but apparently this human can pull personalities out of his pocket._

Peta angrily slammed a fist against the wall and tried his best to bite back a sob. It was early morning, so the ship wasn't that crowded yet, allowing him to work and think in peace. A sob broke out, but he quickly bit back another, deciding to return to work.  _Sobbing? Are you a little girl? Man up! Don't show weakness. Tali'Zorah doesn't admire weakness; that's why she chose the great Commander Shepard for her mate...for her husband..._

The news had destroyed him more than anything else. Tali's rejection back on the Neema had been one thing; he thought it was something they could overcome. The Friend Zone was never an impassable barrier; merely something to surpass. But he had been foolish and completely forgot about the human factor; and now he had been rejected once more, infront of the admirals no less and had been man-handled by her new mate.  _She even plans to marry him. How am I going to stop that?_

Tali's second rejection of him had crushed him and angered him all at the same. He loathed her, and at the same time, loved her even more. Each rejection was something to fight back and destroy, not flee at like a craven with no purpose. Eventually, his anger had won out and he could no longer take serving on the Neema; the memories were still there and everytime he entered the crew's quarters, he remembered that day she rejected him...

So here he was, the Huzzi's new chief mechanic. He found it oddly fitting to serve on Admiral Zorah's old ship; Peta wanted to rub it in the old bastard's air filters.  _This is what you get for betraying me, you fucking whore. Tali was to be mine; you promised her to me and in the same instant, you snatched her away. How long had you been planning that, I wonder? Days? Weeks?_ _ **Months?**_ _You're a sneaky man Rael'Zorah, but now that you're dead, you cannot stop me. Your daughter will be my wife, even if I have to drag her kicking and screaming back to the fleet. Now, if only I could obtain a position of power so I could do that..._

His secret helper had been very helpful, but so far he had been unable to help Peta significantly in terms of securing Tali's matrimony to him. And Peta would now have to act even sooner, if he wanted to snatch her away before she married Shepard.  _I'm on a clock, and that clock is slowly ticking away._ Rumors had spread around the fleet about him getting help from the Shadow Broker, and they were far from wrong. Yes, the Broker had been so very helpful.

 _Now you can be even more helpful by helping me secure a position of authority. The Conclave maybe. Once I do that, it'll be in my full power to invoke Pal'lakh, and we'll see who gets rejected then. In the end, I'll be the one laughing, not Shepard._ He still carried the red mark on his arm; a token of Shepard's defense of his 'mate'.  _Not his. Mine. He can pretend all he wants, but he's living in a fantasy._

 _Pal'lakh_ was a very old quarian tradition. During the times of the Great Rising, equivalent to the human Earth 'Renaissance', quarians were only just beginning to develop basic civilization, and their culture was ever expanding along Rannoch. Eventually, along the way,  _Pal'lakh_ was invented by Clan Vortl during peace talks with Clans Zorah, Gerrel and Raan, who had, during the time period, created an empire that expanded most of the southern hemisphere, and the Vortl were attempting to appease them in anyway they could. And they found a way through  _Pal'lakh._

It was very similiar to the prospect of marriage-pacts on Earth. Essentially, any clan that wanted to negoitate trade or peace agreements through  _Pal'lakh_ would present a man, while the other clan would present a suitable female suitor. They usually have no choice in who they marry, so the woman and man are usually randomly selected and never of the same gender (during this time period, homosexuality was still considered an abomination). They would then marry, securing a pact between them. If they wanted the marriage to last, they had to keep to the terms of the agreement or else they would be divorced and seperated. This, Peta planned to envoke, as it was technically still part of quarian law and was perfectly legal through political loopholes. But the Shadow Broker could very easily help with that.

Using the excuse that Clan Yala would be much more powerful by having a man wed a Zorah, he would be able to tie Tali into an unbreakable marriage, to which could only be broken by family, and Tali's parents were dead, so it didn't matter.  _Rael, your death might have given me more of an advantage than you did in life. Why thank you for so kindly dying._ Tali would be his. He was sure of it.

 _The bosh'tet bitch can't reject me this time. And just think about it, as soon as we're married, its straight to the clean room! We'll see just how fiesty she is in bed..._ Another part of the  _Pal'lakh_ was, to make sure the woman was fertile and to consummate the marriage, the man would immediately bed her and put her with child. If, after attempted sex three times she does not become pregnant, the offer is seen as stagnant and the marriage ended.

_She can't continue to reject me if my child is inside her, can she? She'd be rejecting the child as well._

It was now that he realized that all these lengths he was going to was to achieve his own selfish goal, and he knew that quarians should never be selfish.  _If Tali can, then why can't I? What, because I'm not a hero like her? Who gives a fuck if she saved the Citadel! She can't save her own father when it comes to it, so who should care?_ He suddenly realized how harsh his own thoughts were.  _Do I truly love her? If so, why do I think so monstrously of her?_

Because she rejected you. Twice. She friendzoned you, humiliated you and made you for a fool. You're done playing the child with the huge crush; you're a Yala, and you will take the intiative and take what is yours. That is why he acts this way, and that is why he will continue to act that way. Its what he is.

 _Peta'Yala vas Neema is dead. I am now Peta'Yala vas Huzzi, and I take what is mine. Nothing will stop me. Not even the Hero of the Citadel. We'll see just how useful he is when quarian law is put in the equation._ He chuckled silently to himself at the thought of seeing Shepard's shocked and distressed face when Tali was forced to the fleet to marry him or face exile. He'd probably beg her to stay. Or come himself.

Now he had just needed a place of authority to make it all possible. And after checking the Flotilla news, he knew just how he was going to do that. He began silently humming to himself, thinking of the prospects of what he could do once Tali was his undisputed wife.

_They're looking for a new admiral. And who said that new admiral had to be a captain, hmmm? And not just any admiral; the admiral of admirals. I'd be in full command of the Admiralty Board, with Tali's fate in my hands..._

**{Loading...}**

_July 26, 2251_

_1654 hours._

_21 Rampart Street, Tuhi District, Sanctum Civilian Zone, Alpha._

_Terra-Rannoch War._

_The Red Star._

All this running really brought her back to her old matron days. Goddess, she could run then. And she was strong too. But now her age was starting to catch up with her. Being a matriarch really wasn't what it was cut out to be. At 892 years of age, she was definitely not far from dying. About 100 years, give or take. Or if she was lucky and kept running like this, she might even last longer, but even she doubted that.

They called her the Red Star. She had forsaken her old name when Thessia had fallen and been reduced to a smoking pile of rubble. She had been a Justicar of the Republics, sworn to protect and ascend asari justice and defend the innocent from the guilty. She had been the asari's sword and shield, bound to protect the Republics from crime and all else.

But now the Republics was gone. It was a shattered memory of what the asari used to be. Now their homeworld was an uninhabitable mess, their government dead, the Council dissolved and the asari people disjointed and disorganized. What remained of her people thrived on in Sanctum space or an occassional few who defected to the Dominion. Red was the last of her kind; the last of the justicar order. Now she fought crime in anyway she could; anyway she wanted. She was Omega's Archangel; reborn on Alpha.

She was Alpha's shadow. She had really struck blows to crime and even harassed the Dominion war effort; she had assassinated Dominion and Covenant officers alike, splintered mercenary groups like the Crimson Ravens and the Titan's Warband. She had destroyed crime gangs before they could rise and killed off anyone who looked to harm innocents. She had killed rapists, murderers, pedophiles and worse. She had faced the scum of the galaxy and killed them all. And now she chased one particular criminal down a street.

And her intention wasn't to kill that criminal.

She was gaining on her target, but she was damn fast. But like Red, she was old and wouldn't last long. She was even closer to dying than she was. She was quarian and of the age of 108, yet she ran like a athlete sprinter. She would fire occassional potshots at Red, but it was nothing the asari could not dodge. The both of them pushed through crowds of people, one to escape and the other to get the one trying to escape. And it was becoming a harder job for both of them as the crowd thickened.

She had heard that this quarian was a Dominion officer; highest of the highest and one of their top scientists (yes, she still worked) and Red knew her from the past. No doubt this quarian would as well, once Red caught up to her. Which she very much intended to do, no matter how fast the quarian was.

She attempted to use her biotics to pull the quarian towards her, but she couldn't aim properly and she was moving too fast to get an accurate shot. And she was unarmed, having left her weapons behind and not seeing a need for them, which made it even harder. The reason Red wanted to capture her was because she could hold valuable intel on the Dominion's intentions, as Sanctum agents in Prometheus seemed to be getting reports that their activity around the Omega 4 Relay had increased expodentially, and a scientist like this quarian might just know why.

The chase continued down and through the streets until the quarian decided to try and lose her in an alleyway; big mistake. Red gracefully leapt into the alleyway behind her. The quarian had had the advantage in the crowd; the mass of people had slowed the justicar's approach, but now she could run freely, noone to interrupt her. She quickly gained on the quarian, but before she could grab her, the quarian slipped out, spun around and aimed a pistol directly at her head. Dazed and unable to retaliate in time, Red could only stand there as the quarian pointed a pistol at the back of her head.

"Turn around," the quarian demanded, her voice hoarse.

Red complied, the quarian not realizing that was mistake in terms of asari. Especially asari with justicar training such as the Red Star. As she turned, her biotics charged up and a warp shot out, hitting the quarian and slamming her into a wall, sending her weapon flying from her porcelain grip. It clattered the ground a few meters away and Red was on the quarian in seconds, hand shooting out to clutch her neck and she pulled her up, unsmiling.

"Daro'Xen," Red greeted, still as grim as always, "We meet again."

"Justicar," Xen hissed back, "What a pleasant surprise."

"Not so pleasant for you, Daro," Red stated in her usual monotone, "You work for the Dominion, do you not?"

"Really? I thought I worked for the Covenant," Xen said sarcastically, "The years really haven't made you any less dull; tell me, is that monotone voice of yours an illness or a mental disorder?"

Red ignored her insults and turned her against the wall, face against it as she removed a pair of omni-cuffs from her pocket and latched them onto Xen's wrists, binding them. Without so much as answering the quarian's question, she turned her around and pushed her down the alleyway, motioning for her to move, and move she did.

Once they were on the street, Xen chuckled, "Why am I out here? Why not just kill me? That's what you do isn't it?"

"Not this time," Red replied bluntly, "This time I need you alive."

Xen seemed to think for a section as they left the streets and headed for the location of where Red landed her skycar. Then the answer to her head, "AH...you think I'm going to give you information on the Dominion. Tell me, what kind of information do you want?"

"I've been getting reports of building activity around and beyond the Omega 4 Relay," Red declared, hope building up in her.  _Is Xen a traitor?_ "I heard you're involved. What's going on beyond that relay?"

"If I ever told you that, I'd find my head decorating Epitaph Station faster than I can pray to the ancestors," Xen blunty refused, "Honestly, you think I'd just give that up? No interrogation or anything? Are you just as thick as your monotone?"

Red ignored the implied insult and pushed her forward, "It doesn't matter. What does matter is that you're my prisoner and until you tell me what I need to know."

"They'll have people looking for me," Xen stated without fear. Xen was always indifferent to everything around her, not seeming to be fazed by anything, "Possibly Skylords, STG or N7. Prometheus if I'm lucky. And don't give me that look; even a justicar like you wouldn't stand a chance against some of the biotics Prometheus has to offer."

"I doubt I would," Red replied. She had indeed seen these biotics in action; they had been present during the last days of the Asari Republics, when the Coalition was slowly pushing towards Thessia, unfazed. It was the Battle of Lesuss and the asari had employed desperate measures; they had deliberately opened the Monastery, letting all the Ardat-Yakshi free. It worked, to an extent; most of them slaughtered the Coalition troops and forced them to fall back, but then they started deploying the Promethean biotic shock troops.

The last of her order had fought and died on Lesuss, and for that very reason. She didn't know what they did to them, but whatever they did, it made them unstoppable. Most of them were human, quarian and krogan, but an occassional few had been rachni brood warriors employed under extended loyalty to Shepard's cause (which it wasn't). Their were swift biotics, then their was the brute biotics. Either way, they were ruthless and utterly trained to be without mercy.

The one they called 'Siren' had been there that day. His real name, she discovered, was Jaris Paltarons, but they called him Siren because when he entered the battlefield, he was like a winged beauty, but when he entered battle, he ripped his foes apart and was horrifying to behold. Even Red shuttered at the thought of him. The one they called 'Prometheus' Guard Dog.' Word had it that Jaris was originally a member of the long dead Cerberus organization, but whatever pro-human allegiance was diminished, and he worked fully with his quarian friends. Siren was the top Promethean biotic, and when Lesuss fell, it was because of his shock troops.

So when Xen said it was possible that Promethean biotics might calm after her, she did feel fear, but never gave any tell-tale sign of it. She continued her unfinished line instead, "But they'd still have to find you."

Xen shrugged, "No trouble for Prometheus. The Shadow Broker isn't at the top of the pecking order anymore; Prometheus is the hunter and knows so much that its said they know exactly where the Shadow Broker's ship is, they just don't act because they still see her as a valuable resource to be maintained."

Red saw some truth in that. Nothing happened in the galaxy without the Dominion knowing, and that was in no small part, thanks to Prometheus. Noone knew where their headquarters was, but wherever it was, it was the hub of an information network so vast that no current broker could surpass it. Its said that even the Shadow Broker works for Prometheus, and not vice versa. But Red knew the Broker, known to her as Liara T'Soni, and she knew the asari would never work for an organization that reduced her people to a pathetic existence. Never.

No more questions were asked and no more words spoken as they reached Red's car and she shoved Xen inside, getting in and driving towards her apartment. It took little under an hour to get there and when they finally got there, Red picked Xen up and threw her inside, uncuffing her as she did, not believing that a woman as old as Xen could possibly escape without Red noticing.

The reason Xen would run so fast at her age, or even reached that age, was due to modern medical technological breakthroughs. Based off the cybernetics in Shepard's body, human scientists managed to design medical implants that, if implanted into one's leg, could improve the stamina of the person;  _permanently._ Meaning that when one aged, they were unaffected by the bone stiffness that came with age and could run just as fast as a young youth could. As for the age, that was an entirely different medical breathrough that Red left to doctors, but apparently it had something to do with modifying cells on a technological level. Organics playing god, Red thought.

When Red was done placing her weapons in her securely locked vault, she turned to see Xen walking around and quickly approached her, binding her to a steel rack on the wall. Xen groaned but stopped when she saw a datapad on the floor, still activated and with the latest news on it.

"Wait...," Xen muttered, causing Red to turn to her, "'The Red Star?' Is that...you?"

Red simply nodded. Xen laughed.

"Seriously, 'The Red Star?' That's the best alias you could come up with. What, was 'Justicar Samara' not good enough for you?"

"No, but my name could have attracted alot of unwanted attention," Samara admitted, "If people knew I had been in contact with Shepard, they'd instantly be looking for me. Including Prometheus."

"And why would your contact with Shepard be of any benefit to anyone? The man's dead," Xen scoffed, "A dead man is definitely no threat to anyone at this point in time. He's been dead for seventy years. This dead man is definitely no threat."

Samara merely smiled, "He is when he's still alive."

**{Loading...}**

_September 23, 2185_

_0626 hours._

_Engineering Access Corridor, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Unknown Destination._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard._

Marcus could only think one thing as the elevator slowly descended to Deck Four.  _This better be good. Good enough that I've been woken from my glorious sleep at six in the morning to deal with some situation with Grunt._ He remembered how, when he left, Tali had still been sound asleep, unmoving and lightly breathing, only moving to wrap her arms around a certain human who wasn't there.  _You're lucky, Tali. At least you get some decent sleep. Instead, I'm here dealing with this shit._

He wiped his sore eyes as the elevator stopped and the door opened. He immediately winced at the sudden beam of light being casted down upon him but quickly recovered, moving down the corridor and towards Grunt's quarters; the Cargo Storage Bay. Engineering was lightly manned due to the time in the morning, so it was likely Zaeed would still be asleep. However, judging from the banging heard inside the Cargo Bay, Grunt wasn't.

He knocked on the door, but he got no answer, so he simply hit the green holopanel and opened it, stepping inside to a shocking sight. Half the room was trashed; his tank had a broken glass casing and most of the crates in the room had been tossed haphazardly across the room. He turned to see Grunt; remorsely bashing his head against the solid thick glass observation windows; but he noticed they weren't holding against the krogan's brute strength and were cracking badly. Grunt moved to do so again, but Marcus shouted at him.

"Enough Grunt!" He shouted, gaining the krogan's attention. The supersoldier turned to face him, rage in his eyes before it died down and he shook his head. He turned around again and looked at the N7, but this time there was no hate in his eyes, only understanding.

"Battlemaster," Grunt greeted, not saying anything else.

"EDI says you're trashing this place and that you looked pretty angry," Marcus stated angrily, "Also tried to start a fight with Garrus on the Crew Deck believe. Good thing Samara was there to stop you from killing him. Just what the hell is wrong with you that you'd go around trying to kill people?"

"I don't know," Grunt answered, and Marcus could tell from the krogan's confused tone that he was being honest, "All this rage is building up inside me, and I don't know why. I...I just...I just need to kill something!" Grunt once again slammed his head against the window, cracking it even more. He cradled his head, more out of confusion than pain and then turned to face Marcus, pointing at the window as he spoke.

"You see that? Why did I do that?" Grunt asked, confused, "Why would I do that? It doesn't make any sense and I'm so...angry! I must kill something! I need enemies to kill! Collectors, mercenaries, anything! Just let me kill something so this fury can...argh!" Grunt quickly sent a kick into the railing and Marcus, all the while, just stood there not knowing what to do.

"Are you sick or something?" Marcus asked.

"I feel fine," Grunt mumbled, "I just feel so damn angry! I've wanted to kill things before, but never this intensely! When I saw Garrus in the Mess Hall I just...I just wanted to strangle him! To bash his brains on my armor and use his head as a trophy! I needed to  _kill him_! What's wrong with me!? I don't understand!" Another assault on the wall was in order, and Marcus merely watched as he commed EDI once more.

"He is causing significant damage to my systems in that area," EDI reported as soon as he was connected.

"I'm aware of that EDI," Marcus grunted, "Contact Mordin and tell him to get down here ASAP; I know he's still awake. Tell him it concerns Grunt. He's got something wrong with him and he might know."

"Right away, commander," the AI responded before going silent. A few moments later, she spoke again, "The professor is on his way from the lab, commander."

"Thanks EDI," Marcus replied before cutting his comm. When he looked up, Grunt stood looking at him, and he clearly wasn't pleased.

"I don't want the salarian in here," Grunt declared, "I don't like him. His kind neutered my people. I will not have him running checks on me."

"I don't give a damn about grudges," Marcus stated firmly, "I want to know what's wrong with you before I clear you. I need this shit sorted out before someone gets hurt or killed."

Grunt said nothing else until Mordin arrived, the salarian stepping inside and immediately nodding to Marcus. The salarian seemed to immediately know the problem and spoke to Marcus in a hushed voice, "I cannot determine what is wrong with Grunt. Going through something I have no information on. Cannot determine source either. Krogan sources rare. Recommend krogan primary source. A primary source like..." Mordin took a deep breath and inhaled, letting the spectre fill the gaps.

And fill the gaps he did. A smile crept onto his face, "A source like the krogan homeworld, perhaps. Grunt, how would you like to go to Tuchanka?" Marcus liked this. If he took Grunt to Tuchanka to figure out what was wrong with him, he'd be able to meet Wrex again. He missed the old krogan battlemaster and wished to see him again, but had never gotten the chance to visit due to the collector threat and all this business with personal missions.

"To see my homeworld?" Grunt inclined, "Wouldn't miss it."

"Technically not homeworld. Homeworld inclination based on birth location. Your homeworld Korlus. Can accept minor mistake however," Mordin raised his omni-tool and looked at it before turning back to Marcus, "Must take leave. Much to do in lab. Research on collectors. Research on scale itch. Research on other...intimate things, as well."

As the salarian scientist left, Marcus swore he saw Mordin wink at him at the mention of 'intimate things', but he quickly dismissed when the door closed behind the scientist.  _At least he cares. I should do what Tali says and ask him about that to...she can't be the only one doing preparations..._

"Intimate things?" Grunt asked, confused, "First I'm told your mate is the quarian female, but now I see it is the salarian? I do not understand."

Marcus' face reddened in an instant at the mistake, "That's not what he...I mean...I should go." He left with haste, Grunt simply grunting behind him and slamming his head against the glass again until moving to rest. Marcus was blushing all the way to the elevator.

**"The first time I revealed my face to you was by far the first stepping stone."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Definitely. Now all it took was the second. And that, my dear wife, was a whole different matter."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

_**A/N:** _

_**Mass Effect 4 Trailer at VGA on December 7! I'M HYPED!** _


	44. Weeping Tears of Horror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arriving on Tuchanka, the old crew reunites with Wrex. The nature of Grunt's aggression becomes apparent, and a solution presents itself in the typical krogan way.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FORTY-ONE:**

**WEEPING TEARS OF HORROR**

_September 25, 2185_

_1445 hours._

_Shuttle Bay, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In Orbit over Tuchanka, Krogan Demilitarized Zone._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Soldier Grunt, Professor Mordin Solus, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko._

He really hoped he didn't need these weapons; the way his team was arming up, you'd think they were storming a stronghold. Marcus fitted the pulse rifle to his back, making sure he brought a good supply of thermal clips and a couple of grenades if he needed them. No matter how much he tried, it seemed only Thane's errand on the Citadel had turned up without any blood spilt, so Marcus was not going unprepared this time. So his entire team was arming up; not just him.

He looked towards the shuttle and smiled. He had told Tali, Garrus and Kaidan that they were heading to Tuchanka and if they wanted to see Wrex again. All three of them agreed immediately, looking forward to seeing their old friend again. Marcus knew Wrex wasn't going to be able to join his crew and just like Liara, he was alittle disappointed at that. He really wanted his entire squad back; and he was definitely happy that he had Tali, Garrus and Kaidan with him, but he would have liked to fight alongside the shy scientist and his favourite grouchy battlemaster once more.

Kal had insisted on coming, wanting to see how things worked within Marcus' squad. The spectre assured him there would be no action, but Kal had simply replied with 'anything is possible with Commander Shepard' and he had left it at that, allowing the quarian marine to join them on Tuchanka's surface. Grunt of course was coming out of necessity and Mordin had decided to come to learn more about krogan illnesses, apparently worried that it might be a sign that the genophage was failing, despite Grunt being invulnerable to the genophage. He had left Lia in command while he was gone; who was apparently getting better at what she did. He also noticed Garrus giving the quarian a few looks, but nothing substantial had happened, so he forgot about it.

Just as he finished grabbing the last of his grenade and attaching it to his belt, Garrus approached him, Kaidan right behind him.

"So, Tuchanka," Garrus started, "I have a feeling you didn't bring us all the way out here in the Krogan DMZ just to have a friendly chit-chat with Urdnot Wrex. Come to discuss raising an army of krogan to help take down the collectors? Because if that's the case, smartest decision you've made. That and bringing those YMIRs onboard."

Marcus eyed the two fetal assault mechs in the bay and observed them before turning back to the turian, "I've made many great decisions, you just don't recognize them."

"I agree. You have," Kaidan quipped, "For one, you didn't try and get the Mako back. Very wise choice. Couldn't begin to stand your driving for another minute."

Marcus sighed, "Seriously? You still go on about that? And my driving is fine. The Mako's just a piece of shit. I can drive the hammerhead well enough."

"Yeah, the Hammerhead doesn't have wheels," Garrus added, "But I see your point; I really did hate the Mako. And the hammerhead might have weak armor, but I'm not complaining about the speed or that cannon. I mean, damn! That thing tore a hole clean through a geth dropship. Definitely more than the mako's main gun could achieve back in the day."

"Amen," Marcus replied before turning to the shuttle, "So, we done just hanging around here or we ready to land on Tuchanka and tell Wrex I'm back from the dead?"

"And to see the look on his face when he sees you?" Garrus asked rhetorically, "I'd kill myself if I missed it."

"Missed what?"

The three of them turned to the elevator to see Jack moving quickly towards them, surprising Marcus by actually wearing the leather jacket she was provided. He looked at her incredulously for a minute before speaking, "Going to see an old friend on Tuchanka."

"Shit, I'll come," Jack declared before noticing the looks they were giving her, "What the fuck is it? What, did I surprise you by the fact that I just happen not to be a crazy psychotic bitch all the time?"

Kaidan opened his mouth to speak but Jack shot him a glare that could light a collector on fire, so he opted to keep his mouth shut. Marcus merely nodded and motioned to the shuttle, "I'm not going to stop you. Its just going to see Wrex and find out what's wrong with Grunt."

Jack scoffed as she headed towards the kodiak parked in the bay, "Nothin' wrong with him if you ask me. He's just acting like a krogan on his period."

Garrus grimaced at that and watched Jack enter the shuttle before looking at Marcus, who simply shrugged and followed her, Garrus and Kaidan quickly following him. Mordin was already inside, as was Grunt. Tali waited for them outside and as Garrus and Kaidan moved inside, Marcus whispered in her ear.

"You feeling okay?"

Tali nodded, "Better. Still a few coughs and sneezing, but I can't complain. I'd never complain about getting to kiss you."

He smiled at her, "I'm not going to complain about seeing your face either. I'd say it should be illegal to keep you locked up in there. A damn crime."

Even without seeing her face, he could imagine the bluish heat rising to her cheeks as she turned from him and moved into the shuttle, Marcus following behind her. Once inside, they found Kal in the driver's seat, ready to take off. He saw Garrus smiling at him.

"You two done talking?" Garrus asked.

"Remember Garrus; shotgun," Tali warned as she sat next to him, causing the turian to squirm.

Marcus smirked, but then...Grunt talked, "Wait, now you are intimate with the quarian again? This does not make sense. Do you plan to mate with the entire crew, Shepard?"

All eyes landed on Marcus and he found himself suddenly hating the unwanted attention; especially the piercing glare he was sure Tali was giving him. The glare that demanded he explain his actions, "I was always 'intimate' with Tali, Grunt. That incident with Mordin was strictly doctor-patient confidentialty pertaining to me and Tali."

Tali seemed to relax as did the rest of the crew, but Marcus noticed the stupid grins on Kaidan and Garrus' faces. Grunt didn't even answer, opting to crack his knuckles. Mordin seemed to barely notice the conversation; too engrossed in his datapad. Finally, Kaidan spoke. By now, the shuttle had already taken off and was probably in Tuchanka's atmosphere.

"So, you and Tali doing the dirty are ya?" Kaidan asked with that same stupid smirk, "Must be if you're looking to a salarian professor on 'intimate' topics."

"Watch what you say Alenko," Marcus warned.

"What, you going to silence me commander?" Kaidan asked, "The crew has the right to know. I'm sure Miss Goto would love this piece of gossip."

"I won't, but she certainly will," he pointed towards Tali and when Kaidan turned to face her, he was immediately met a quarian's glare, along with three-fingers stroking the barrel of a geth plasma shotgun.

"I-ah...," Kaidan stuttered, grin evaporating.

"Feel the pain," Garrus mumbled, only audible to Kaidan.

Tali just shook her head and crossed her arms, turning to him and shaking her head at the smirk on his face. Seeing it, he shrugged his shoulders.  _What?_ the gesture said. Tali merely ignored it and opted to look at settings on her omni-tool while Marcus sat down opposite Grunt to talk to him.

The shuttle was anything but quiet at least.

**{Loading...}**

_September 25, 2185_

_1502 hours._

_Throne Room, Urdnot Camp, Hagalok City Ruins, Que'k Wastelands, Tuchanka._

_Chieftain Urdnot Wrex, Chieftain's Adjutant Urdnot Wreav, Chieftain Gatatog Uvenk._

_Kalros save me,_ Wrex thought. As he sat on his ruined and ragged mismatched stone throne, all Wrex could think was that Wreav's rants might be boring to listen to, but they were at least less annoying than Uvenk's, even if not by a long stretch. Wrex simply watched Uvenk pace along the room, ranting and raving about how 'Gatatog will stand by Urdnot, but only if you do this, this and this.'  _Bloody fool doesn't realize why I'm doing this. His moronic glory won't save him when the Reapers start landing on Tuchanka. I owe this to my friend. To my battle brother. I'm not letting this fool fuck it all up._

And yet Wrex listened. The Clan Shaman had said he would be wise to listen to Uvenk and consider what he said. The Shaman was wise, so Wrex followed what he said, but all the krogan could think of is what Shepard would have done.  _He'd probably tell the idiot to shut up and offer two options; join forces with Urdnot or welcome the Reapers into their minds. He'd do so well as a krogan._ Wrex missed the old days badly. He also missed the comrades he had grown to love as battle family.  _My little quarian niece. Garrus, that turian bastard. Kaidan, his biotics did the talking. Ashley was a fiesty one. Liara, she was pretty good for an asari. And then Shepard...damn it, why did you have to die?_

Wrex continued to lose himself in the old days. Meeting Shepard in Chora's Den back on the Citadel. Their unstable alliance. His initial hatred of Garrus for what his people did to the krogan. Rescuing Liara on Therum. Saving the colony of Feros from a giant-knowledge consuming plant. Fighting rachni on Noveria and then letting the queen live and escape. Losing Ashley on Virmire. Escaping the Citadel to stop Saren on Ilos. The final showdown on the Citadel. Fond memories he didn't want to forget. Saying goodbye to Shepard and his family on Noveria was probably one of the most painful things he'd done his entire life.

_Shepard taught me that my people can be united without violence. That's something my father, Jarrod, could never comprehend, or Wreav, or Uvenk, or Garm, or Guld. None of them can begin to understand what I'm doing here against the Shaman. But that'll change. I'll get them in line even if I have to force them to their knees. I'll do that in your name, Shepard. You've earned that from your battle brother. I promise you, the krogan will rise to give the Reapers something to fear._

He suddenly realized Uvenk was waiting for him to speak. Wrex refocused on the real world and his blood red eyes met Uvenk's blue. Uvenk was smaller than Wrex, about the same size as his blood brother, Wreav. His crest was a deep shade of green, and his armor light but large. Two tubes encompassed the shoulder pads of the armor, blue liquid flowing through them. Uvenk's armor literally lit up in color and it was quite impressive to see; but to a krogan, colors meant nothing, scars everything.

And he saw no battle scars on Gatatog Uvenk.

"So Wrex?" Uvenk demanded, "What do you say to my proposal?"

"What proposal?" Wrex asked but just as Uvenk looked about to object, Wrex feigned an epiphany, "Ah! You mean the proposal about continuing our legacy through violence and the blood of the salarian union? Yes, well if you think that's happening, you might as well go die in a hole, because I'm not listening to this filth. We've been through his Uvenk; Urdnot is not supporting war."

Uvenk was enraged, "You dare deny your own brothers the blood they rightfully deserve? For a thousand years we have rotted on this stupid ball of rock, and when our chance to rise is provided, you sing tunes of peace? Have you become as thick-headed as you are soft, Wrex? What has happened to our society that we let men like you rule?"

Wrex stood from his throne, looking at Uvenk with a piercing glare, "Men like me rule so we don't have to suffer the idiocy of men like you," He waved a dismissive hand at Uvenk, "If you must preach your crap about war, then go it with Clan Weyrloc; I'm sure they'll listen. But I won't. And neither will Urdnot. We must stand together to face the Reapers; don't squabble amongst each other."

"Ah yes, these Reapers," Uvenk spoke condescendingly as Wrex retook his seat, "A worthy foe, from what I've heard. But if the Council does not believe they exist, why should we?"

"First you demand the blood of the Council now you kiss their asses?" Wrex chuckled, "Have you grown as ignorant as you are stupid?"

Uvenk shook his head, "One who does not heed the wisdom of their enemies are not worthy of being their enemies' enemies."

"You can quote your father. How noble of you," Wrex sarcastically complimented, "Doesn't change facts. You chose one path, I chose another. Yours arguably doesn't have a good chance of surviving, but mine might just survive to see first light."

"Your ideals won't last a-"

Wrex saw something out of the corner of his eye that made his head turn. He saw two of his guards holding back a guest and when he looked closer, he saw he wasn't krogan. Wrex examined closer and saw that the guest wasn't alone; a human, salarian, and even a krogan he didn't recognize accompaned him. And when he looked forward even more, his eyes widened to see Tali and Garrus there as well. He moved to stand, but then his eyes got a full view of the human.

Wrex thought he recognized him. The scars, the hazel eyes, the cropped black hair and medium stubble under his chin. His armor was unrecognizable and neither were the weapons, but he recognized the posture. And when he got a full view of his face, he was shrouded in disbelief.  _It can't be. Shepard! Even this stupid bastard can kick death in the face!_

"Shepard!" Wrex stood up immediately, ignoring Uvenk and pushing past Wreav, moving quickly towards his two guards who were now parting. Marcus Shepard said something to the guard before turning to Wrex, smiling warmly. And before the human could fight back, Wrex had wrapped his battle brother in a bone-crushing hug that only brothers shared.

He was back. And now the Reapers had another reason to be fearful again.

**{Loading...}**

_September 25, 2185_

_1509 hours._

_Throne Room, Urdnot Camp, Hagalok City Ruins, Que'k Wastelands, Tuchanka._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Subject Zero Jack, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Soldier Grunt, Professor Mordin Solus, Chieftain Urdnot Wrex, Chieftain's Adjutant Urdnot Wreav, Chieftain Gatatog Uvenk._

"Excuse me," Marcus politely addressed the krogan, pushing past him to get to Wrex, smiling as he did. Wrex hadn't aged a day; he looked exactly as he did two years ago with his intimidating movements, his auroa of fear, his blood red eyes that promised death to those who angered him and a murderous smile that only the crew of the Normandy would find warming.

Marcus was caught unaware as Wrex wrapped him in a brotherly hug before putting him back down, "Battle brother! I heard you were dead! Dead and nothing but meat lying on Alchera's surface! Did you tell Death to fuck off?"

Marcus chuckled, "Cerberus told him to fuck off; they brought me back. And yes, I know, I'm not exactly happy about it either. But Kaidan's back; same with Tali and Garrus along with new faces you haven't met before."

Wrex turned from Marcus and his eyes immediately landed on Kaidan, "Haven't seen you for years. Where the hell have you been?"

The marine chuckled, "Protecting colonies that don't need protecting. I had just survived a collector invasion on Horizon when Shepard saved the day and I joined his crew. Sorry we didn't keep in touch; Alliance had me real busy."

"Of course they did," Wrex scoffed, "If you'd been on Tuchanka, you'd have no reason for not contacting me. We barely do anything hear except eat, drink, shit, fuck and fight. That's the way of the krogan. That's the way of Tuchanka. That's how we're forged," he slapped Kaidan on the shoulder and turned to Garrus, "And look who decided to climb out of his hole."

"Always a pleasure Wrex," Garrus greeted, a smirk on his mandibles, "As for the hole, I rather disliked it. Too many mercenaries and not enough sunlight. Thought I'd grab a beach chair and do some tanning on Tuchanka. Perfect weather for it, wouldn't you say?"

Wrex chuckled and slapped Garrus in a brotherly hug, "I see your humor hasn't died with you on Omega. I heard about what happened with your squad; news travels fast when the Blood Pack lives on Tuchanka. I heard your team died like true warriors."

"They certainly did," Garrus said without humor, "Thanks Wrex."

Wrex nodded solemnly, but that look didn't last long when his look landed on Tali, "And my favourite quarian niece. Where on Tuchanka have you been?"

"None of it," Tali replied snarkily, "I've been travelling the galaxy, doing the usual; killing bad guys and looking amazing while doing it. Chiktika zaps 'em, I give 'em the lead. But seriously, its been a while since we last met, Uncle Wrex. What's it been? A year?"

"Close enough," Wrex joked, making sure not to hug her due to her delicate frame. Quarians couldn't handle krogan hugs, "I just hope your bed's been keeping warm. Shepard, you've been treating my niece right?"

"Damn right," Marcus replied, voice unjoking.

"I expected nothing less," Wrex stated, "Only the true Shepard would say so with such confidence, such endearence."

"This Wrex?" Jack asked and pushed past them to get a better look at him. Wrex just looked at the human he didn't know and she smiled, "He's big. Like, bigger than any fucking krogan I've faced. Looks like a bulldozer too. And shit, those eyes are creepy as fuck. I like this guy! Damn Shepard, why didn't we recruit this guy earlier?"

Marcus smiled and shook his head, "Collectors took precedence. We simply didn't have time for detours. We're sorry about that, Wrex."

Wrex held his hands up, "Don't fret. Actually, maybe you should. Its all your fault Shepard! If you'd arrived and taken me away on some grand mission to wipe out some badass enemy I might have not been caught up in krogan politics. And trust me, its as dull as it sounds. Makes talks with the Council look like an entertaining vid. By the way, where's T'Soni? I thought you'd have picked up the asari by now. Just how long have you been up and running?"

"Liara couldn't join us. Personal reasons," Marcus regretably informed him, "As for me, I've been alive since August pretty much and I've been up and running ever since. Got a brand new Normandy and a whole new crew, and although Cerberus thinks they run the show, we both know who really runs it. Joker and Chakwas are back to. We've also got a pretty badass new set of squadmates, too."

"Take entice me," Wrex practically begged him, "I'd like to join you on your great battle against these Collectors, but I've got a people to unite. Progress has been great since I left you on Noveria. I've basically united all the clans under an Urdnot banner. We just need to finalize the deal with a few of the clans now. The krogan will be ready for the Reapers Shepard, be rest assured of that much."

Marcus nodded and smiled, "Thanks Wrex. Good to know some one-"

"What the hell is this? A petting zoo?" A krogan demanded from behind Wrex and his friend turned to address the angry krogan.

"Uvenk, do me the honor of at least shutting your mouth," Wrex growled, "These people are the Heroes of the Citadel. Show some respect when its due. This is Commander Shepard, the best damn fighter I've ever seen and fought with."

"And he's your battle brother too?" Uvenk asked incredulously, spitting on the ground, "You're soft, unwilling to fight and now you welcome aliens as your brothers-in-arms? What's next, you'll go celebate?"

Tali eyed Wreav who had been getting up to support Wreav and the krogan noticed her, immediately sitting down, but making sure he was unnoticed. Tali smiled behind her mask, remembering how she had beaten Wreav in single combat a year ago on this very planet while Wrex watched.

"Someone will be going celebate in a minute if they don't shut it," the krogan chieftain declared, "Shepard would put you in the ground faster than you could blink. I've seen him defeat dozens of krogan, the best asari commandos, the old enemy and geth. Even took down Saren Arterius himself. How many of you can claim to have done that?"

"I don't care what he's done!" Uvenk bellowed, "He's still an alien and-"

"I grow weary of this," Wrex muttered before lunging forward and slamming his head into Uvenk's, causing the younger krogan to double over in pain, where Wrex was barely fazed, "Fall in line Uvenk, or else leave. But I will not stand here and have my battle family insulted by the likes of you."

Uvenk simply grimaced and didn't say a word in return, merely choosing to melt into the background, allowing Wrex to approach his throne and sit, Marcus and his team moving forward, Mordin ignoring the lingering looks of numerous angry krogan.

"So Shepard, what brings you to Tuchanka?" Wrex asked, "Surely not a social chat. Both of us don't have the time for that, it seems, as much as we'd like it."

The spectre nodded his head sadly, "Indeed you're right. I've come to Tuchanka concerning a squadmate of mine. He is krogan, and seems to be suffering from something that my ship's scientist, Mordin Solus, you'll know him from Virmire, cannot determine. It makes him incredibly more violent than usual and he seems to want to kill everyone in sight. We've narrowed it down to some kind of sickness."

Wrex nodded, contemplating what he was told. After a second, he spoke, "Tell this krogan to step forward. Can't believe I've already been replaced."

"You can never be replaced Wrex," Marcus assured him, smiling before standing aside and motioning Grunt forward. The krogan nodded and moved forward to stand before Wrex's throne, looking up at Wrex, but not kneeling. Grunt just simply looked up at him, unblinking as the krogan clan chief just examined him from his high throne. While this went on, Marcus took time to examine the Urdnot Camp. The great krogan city was nothing but ruins; the camp was located in the interior of what looked to be an old underground transit tunnel, but most of the ceiling had caved in and the stone had aged. Aralakh's harsh rays rained down on them from above, the powerful sun never relenting in its cast. It seemed that even Tuchanka's residents were less friendly the planet itself. It was said Tuchanka was the birth place of Thresher Maws; and he could see why.

Eventually, Wrex spoke, "Where are you from, whelp? Was your clan destroyed before you could learn what's expected of you?"

Grunt replied with fluid determination, still unblinking, "I have no clan. I was tank-bred by Warlord Okeer, my line distilled from Kredak, Moro, Shiagur-"

It seemed Uvenk had been examining Grunt the entire time he was speaking, as Uvenk was suddenly in his face, talking, his voice mocking, "You recite warlords...yet you are the offspring of a syringe!" He shook his head in disgust before backing away, suddenly acting as if Grunt was some kind of disease he needed to stay away from.

Grunt seemed completely unfazed, turning around and bellowing out to the krogan below him, " _ **I am pure krogan! You should all be in awe!**_ " He turned back to Wrex, and to Marcus' slight amusement, noticed that the krogan chieftain looked completely unimpressed.

"Okeer is a very old name," Wrex explained, his last sentence forced and bitter, "A very  _hated_  name," as quickly as the krogan had finished his statement, he stood up from his dias and descended the steps until he stood infront of Grunt.

Wrex was the exact same size as Grunt, but by far more intimidating, but the supersoldier, once again, failed to flinch, "He is dead," the krogan delivered with emotionless delivery, as if uncaring towards his creator's death.

Wrex chuckled, "Of course he is," he jabbed a thumb at Marcus, "You're with Shepard. How could he be alive?"

Marcus let himself chuckle slightly before clearing his throat and stepping forward once more, addressing his old friend, "Look Wrex, I really need Grunt back up to speed. His condition is harming my team's cohesion, and I can't have that. Too much is at stake here. Just tell me what's wrong with him."

Wrex shook his head, waving a dismissive hand before looking at Marcus directly, "There's  _nothing_ wrong with him. He's not sick; he is becoming a full adult."

Mordin let out an excited gasp in realization, "Ah! Grunt must have hit krogan version of puberty! Sexual hormones taking form, will feel the need to mate soon, but also developing the less subtle tendencies of krogan violence. Need to kill becoming greater as he hits maturity. Heard this before; just didn't recognize it until I saw it."

"Oh great," Jack muttered sarcastically, "I'm learning about krogan puberty. What fun."

"When I joined your team Shepard," Kal spoke up, "This is not what I expected."

"So wait, this is like a pilgrimage?" Tali asked, pointing the question at Wrex.

Wrex shook his head, smiling, "You could say that; just a little bit more blood. We krogan undergo the Rite of Passage."

Marcus saw Uvenk fuming in his peripheral vision, but that last line was the final wound. Uvenk stormed forward, enraged to be hearing what he was hearing, "Too far Wrex!" He jabbed a finger into Grunt's armor, "Your clan may rule, but this  _thing_ is not krogan!" With that, Uvenk spared them one last indignant glare before storming off the dias, taking his two guards with him.

Wrex watched him leave, shaking his head, "Idiot. Wreav, make sure he doesn't make a fool of himself."

Wreav mumbled to himself, "Whatever," he grumbled, getting off his seat and quickly following Uvenk outside, taking two of his own Urdnot guards to deal with him. The more Marcus thought about it, he was sure he had heard of Clan Gatatog before, he just couldn't remember from where.

"Who was that?" Marcus motioned to Wreav's retreating body.

"My brother. But only by blood," Wrex said it with disdain, making it clear he didn't like his brother, which explained Wreav's reluctant obedience of Wrex's orders. He was obviously the stronger of the two, and for that Marcus was grateful. A krogan army with Wreav in command didn't look good.

Wrex quickly got back to the heart of the matter, turning back to Grunt, "So, Grunt. Do you wish to stand by us? Do you wish to become a proud member of Clan Urdnot?"

Marcus crossed his arms as Grunt contemplated his choice. The young krogan turned to look out over the Urdnot camp, and was greeted by the impressive sight of lines over lines of Tomkahs, with Urdnot krogan filling the field around them; whole squads of them milling about either arguing, fighting or watching varren pit battles. Eventually, Grunt turned back around and smiled at Wrex.

"It is in my blood," Grunt declared, "It is what I am for."

Wrex smiled a toothy grin, "Smart boy. Speak with the Shaman - he's over on the second level. Give him a good show, and he'll set you on the path." He quickly climbed the steps up to his throne before sitting back down in it, leaning back.

"What does this Rite of Passage entail?" Kaidan asked.

"Its not up for me to say," Wrex stated, "Only for the Shaman. I can tell you that I'm the only krogan in this past century to have beaten the rite fully and survived. But don't worry Grunt, you have Shepard. You couldn't be in better hands. I also noticed you have a claymore shotgun; wise choice. I love that gun, I definitely wouldn't part with it. Pity my little quarian niece can't use it."

Tali shook her head, "I don't need a claymore to rain fire and hell."

Wrex guffawed, "My favourite quarian indeed. You'll learn alot from this little one Grunt; be sure to listen to any advice she gives you. Trained her myself."

Grunt nodded and left, Marcus and his team following behind as they moved to a stairway on the other side of the throne room, leading up to a second story where apparently the Shaman resided.

The stairway itself was representative of the state of the rest of the Urdnot Camp. The stone's coloration had faded away, leaving a hot musty yellowish appearence with cracked stone and bits of dust all over it. The stairs even seemed to press under the weight of them moving up it, but luckily for them, it didn't fall.

They quickly reached the top and were introduced to a wide open room with numerous krogan occupying it. Ambassadors from many krogan clans occupied the room, all in session with another; to see so many krogan talking instead of killing each other showed just how far Wrex had come with the krogan.  _He was meant to lead._

Shouting from one end of the room caused Marcus to focus on particular group of krogan. Upon hearing the voice, he recognized it and turned to see who it was, and wasn't surprised when he saw the back of Uvenk, arguing with another krogan. Wreav was nowhere to be seen, so it was obvious how much help Wrex's brother had been. He motioned for his team to follow, Grunt at his side as they approached the group, krogan eying them from all around.  _They're not used to aliens on Tuchanka._

As he arrived, he saw that Uvenk had stopped shouting, but his aggressor was retaliating. The krogan had a gruff, deep voice, showing signs of severe aging. He wore no armor; just the basic civilian clothing of Tuchanka; brown rags. His head crest was a dark brown in color, and his face held no scars. His eyes were also a deep brown, matching his headcrest. When he spoke, he showed no fear in his voice; obviously not fearing Uvenk.

"You go beyond yourself, Gatatog Uvenk!" The man shouted back, "The rites of Urdnot are dominant!"

Uvenk wasn't submissive, "How do we even know they'll challenge him?" the obnoxious krogan asked, "He's unnatural! The beasts of the Rite could ignore him like a lump of plastic!"

The man scoffed, "They know blood, no matter the womb. Your barking does not help your case."

Grunt's features creased in annoyance, "I'll speak for myself!"

Both of them noticed Grunt in an instant, the man immediately turning to face the supersoldier while Uvenk shot Marcus a piercing glare. Uvenk hated aliens, that much was obvious, but this krogan seemed to hate Marcus alittle bit more than usual.  _Why? I don't know him. Yet again..._

"This is the tank-bred?" The man asked and in that instant, Marcus realized he must have been the Shaman. No wonder he showed no fear in Uvenk's presence, "It is very lifelike," the Shaman took a sniff of him, "Smells correct as well," he turned to Uvenk, a grin on his face that the krogan couldn't ignore, "Your protests ring hollow, Uvenk."

Marcus decided now was the time to interrupt. Jack had wondered off to look down over the a camp, Kaidan soon joining her. Mordin was just enveloped by his omni-tool and Garrus was getting to know Kal through conversation. Tali, loyal and protective as ever, stood right behind him, giving Uvenk cold looks that made him smile. That was his Tali.

"Urdnot Wrex gave us permission to seek clan status for Grunt," Marcus informed the Shaman, gaining the krogan's attention.

The old krogan nodded, "Permission," he grunted, "That is good enough, if lacking in spirit."

Uvenk spat on the ground, an art the krogan appeared to be perfecting apparently, "If this must stand on ritual, then I invoke a denial! My krantt stands against him! He has noone!" He shot a smug grin at Grunt, who just gave him the same stone-faced expression he'd been given anyone. It seemed the young krogan was impervious to emotional provocation. Something that played well to his advantage, it seemed.

Shaman shot Uvenk a harsh glare before turning to them, shaking his head, "My patience is tested, and I feel like I should feed him to the varren, but...," he shrugged, sighing, "but Uvenk invokes correctly. Grunt, who is your krantt? Your allies willing to kill and die on your behalf?"

"Just what is this 'krantt'?" Marcus asked.

"It is Tuchka for those who shed blood along side you," the Shaman explained, "They serve as a krogan's comrades in combat, standing by him and as loyal as any varren. Grunt must choose his krantt, but he can only choose three. Anymore and he will seem like a coward, hiding behind his allies."

Marcus nodded, turning to Grunt, "I'll stand by Grunt, as his comrade in combat. We will shed blood together and when this Rite is over, Grunt will be a man, and I will have only guided him. That's if he chooses to have me."

"Grunt must be the one to-" Shaman tried to explain, but Grunt interrupted.

"Shepard is my battlemaster," the supersoldier explained, "By tradition, he chooses my krantt, not me. I am but a child."

Shaman nods, "Very good. I have heard Wrex commend this human on his skills in battle, and if the stories are true, is definitely worthy of being your battlemaster. Yes, Shepard, you must choose Grunt's krantt. Choose wisely. You must choose two others to fight beside you."

"That's easy," Marcus decided in an instant, turning, "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, will you fight by my side and Grunt's?"

"I will," she replied in an instant.

"Garrus?" He called and the turian turned from his conversation with his new quarian friend to address his friend, "Will you fight beside me, Grunt and Tali?"

"Sure, why not," Garrus smirked, "You'd be nothing without me anyway."

"First an alien battlemaster, now he chooses aliens for his krantt? A quarian? A turian?" Uvenk asked with repulsion, "My krantt would destroy them without a thought. This krantt is weak; meaning this syringe-spawn is weak."

"Any man considered a battle brother by Urdnot Wrex is not one to be taken lightly, Uvenk," Shaman snapped, "Watch your tongue, lest it gets chopped off by those big canines of yours."

Uvenk chuckled, "Aliens don't know strength! My followers are true krogan! Everything about Grunt is a lie fabricated from a damn syri-"

Uvenk suddenly stopped as he reeled backwards, his head being thrown backwards from the force of a headbutt. A gasp came from Tali immediately after. Had it been Grunt or the Shaman who headbutted Uvenk, everything would have been fine. But it hadn't been. It wasn't even a krogan who did it.

Marcus cradled his scalp, moaning from a slight pain his head from having bashed his head against the krogan's. Pain lanced down his body, the spectre learning just how hard krogan heads are. But he ignored it, standing up straight, not wanting to look weak. Tali placed a hand on his shoulder, but he smiled down at her, telling her he was fine, but he could tell she didn't buy it. Still, she pried her hand off all the same. The Shaman guffawed and Grunt smirked, but Uvenk simply glared icily at the human, eyes narrowing.

"You  _dare_ ," Uvenk growled, "First you kill my father, now you have the quad to  _headbutt me!_ "

He was confused at first, but the pieces fell together quickly enough. Memories from two years ago entered his head. They were on Therum trying to rescue Liara and had come across one of Saren's hired krogan battlemasters leading a continegent of geth troops to capture the asari researcher. Gatatog Verx, his name had been. They had fought, battled and blooded in single combat, but in the end, Marcus had beat Verx, killing him with a biotic fist to the face. Tali had been severely injured that day. That had been before they got together.

He judged the krogan with a weary eye before responding, "Get in my way, Uvenk. I dare you. I can tell you now that your brains will be painting the ground if you do."

The Shaman guffawed once more, "I like him! He understands our ways better than some of our own people do!" he shot a chanced glare at Uvenk, "Like a human Kredak!"

Uvenk growled at the Shaman, "You'd allow aliens to pollute the Rite? What kind of Shaman  _are you_?"

The look of amusement on the Shaman's disappeared instantly and he spun to face Uvenk, a look of fury on his face, "You-you dare! I was a warrior since before your mother was born! I speak with the authority of centuries! I decide who is worthy! That is the end of it! Now get the hell out of my sight, Kalros take you!"

Uvenk simply grunted before motioning for his goons to follow him, shoving past Marcus and Tali on his way out, moving towards the stairs. They watched as he left and once he had disappeared below, they turned to face the Shaman again, who was watching Grunt with a close eye; examining him.

Shaman smiled, turning to face Marcus once more, "You have provoked them; that's reason enough for me to like you! They're your problem now." He turned away from them, hitting exit on a terminal he had been working on likely before Uvenk rudely interrupted him.

"I am ready," Grunt declared, slamming his fists together and letting out a low pitched roar.

Shaman grinned wickedly, "Excellent," he stated before turning to Marcus, "You understand how this Rite of Passage works?"

"I was hoping to ask," Marcus stated, "But I won't doubt it involves killing."

"There's no lack of it," Shaman confirmed for him, "Their are many rites a krogan will undertake in his or her life, but the Rite of Passage is the most bloody of them. To be accepted as an adult, you must be accepted into a clan, and to be accepted into a clan, you must complete the rite of passage. You will be taken to the great Pantheon and before the Great Hammer, where you will do your rite. There are three stages; all three containing enemies of Tuchanka. These enemies are not ones armed with guns; but with predatory wit that you must outwit to win. You will face many of Tuchanka's most gruesome lifeforms. However, it isn't likely you'll survive the third phase, but that isn't necessary to pass the right, only to add to your reputation."

"Why's the third phase so impassable?" Marcus asked curiously, "What enemy do you we fight?"

The Shaman looked at Marcus, pity in his eyes, "If I told you that human, you'd shit yourself. Even you, Hero of the Citadel."

**{Loading...}**

_September 25, 2185_

_1631 hours._

_The Great Hammer, The Pantheon, Que'k Wastelands, Tuchanka._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Soldier Grunt, The Urdnot Shaman, Chieftain's Adjutant Urdnot Wreav._

The drive from the Urdnot Camp, through the Hagalok City Ruins and down below the Que'k Desert Wastelands and been a long, boring ride that he had spent napping and other times talking with Garrus and Tali and Grunt, and an occassional question shot at the Shaman. Wreav was driving, but Marcus didn't really want to talk to him anyway. The Tomkah was definitely a great APC plus tank; it was kinda like the Mako, except bigger, more bulkier and more heavily armed; but the vehicle bumped up and down like it was on springs most of the time. And due to the positioning design of the vehicle's four massive wheels, he judged it to be the krogan equivalent of a monster truck.

But, finally, they had arrived at the Great Hammer in the ancient city of Pantheon, the original capital of Tuchanka before falling in the Krogan Rebellions. They had parked the Tomkah and walked the rest of the way out onto Tuchanka's surface and he had to admit; he definitely wasn't prepared for the heat.

Tuchanka's heat was fierce; ten times worse than any desert on Earth. Aralakh's rays beat down mercilessly on his body and seemed to melt the barren red surface of the planet's surface, making it seem like a boiling microwave. The ground was hot to touch in places and his back felt like a furnace. It was lucky he was wearing armor; he might have suffered some pretty severe sunburn pretty quickly from this sun. Normally he'd roast if it was the 21st century, but with the technology of the 22nd, cooling systems in alliance armor were mandatory, especially for marines fighting ground-side wars in blistering hot heat. The last thing they needed were soldiers passing out from heat on the battlefield.

When the Shaman caught up to him, Marcus noticed the Great Hammer. He was surprised he didn't notice it before; it was  _gigantic._ The bloody thing was at least as tall as the Empire State Building. The structure was a tall, blackened spire with a continous outing of rings encircling what looked to be a huge hammer. The structure started at a massive building on the ground, which the emptied out into an arena like area; the place where they'd be fighting. Turning, he could see the basic outlines of Pantheon's ancient skyscrapers, but only a few of them were still that tall, and they were still crumbling.

The Shaman addressed him and he turned back to listen, "This is Tuchanka's most recent scar, the last surface city to fall in the Rebellions," he pointed to the skyscrapers in the distance before turning to point at the Great Hammer, "The keystone was at the heart."

They moved further down the pile of rubble, using it as a ramp to descend into the arena, the Shaman continuing to explain the history of the Rite, "It has survived wars and the passage of centuries. It endures - like the krogan."

Grunt seemed to be looking around in awe, impressed by the sights he saw as they continued moving down, eagerly listening to everything the Shaman had to say despite his thirst for violence.  _Funny how he can go from a blood-crazy lunatic to a eager student in the passage of a few hours._

"If you wish to join Clan Urdnot, you must contemplate the keystone and its trials," the Shaman declared as they arrived at the foot of the arena, the old krogan turning to face them. Wreav ignored them, waiting at the back with a couple of his men.

Grunt seemed to understand, "What will happen?"

The Shaman simply shrugged, gesturing to the arena, "Who knows? You must adapt. You must thrive, no matter the situation. Any true krogan will." The Shaman then stepped out of the way, opening the gate to the arena, "Hit the keystone when you're ready. We shall watch and do no else. Uvenk will no doubt try to intervene, and we will try our best to make sure he doesn't. If we fail, then he'll only become a part of the Rite. Nothing you cannot handle, given reputation."

Marcus nodded, and turned to Grunt, waiting for him. This was his Rite; he'd wait for the krogan to make his choice. Apparently he didn't need to wait; Grunt moved forward eagerly and passed the gate, moving into the arena with steady purpose. Marcus followed, Garrus and Tali not far behind, carrying all their favourite weapons with them. They were only allowed two weapons in the Rite; so Marcus had brought his SMG and pulse rifle, Tali her boot knife and shotgun, Garrus his sniper rifle and assault rifle, and Grunt his claymore and missile launcher. They were ready for whatever this Rite had to throw at them.

The gate closed behind them, but they gave no notice. Tuchanka's harsh desert winds picked up, blowing them in the face and causing dust and sand and dirt to pick up and fly away in the maelstrom of activity. Wind blew at his helmet, but he ignored it and climbed the steps into the middle of the arena, finding Grunt eying a slab of stone jutting out of the hammer; the keystone.

He waited beside Grunt, the krogan contemplating the task ahead of him. He motioned for Garrus to defend the right stairs while Tali defended the left, and turned back to Grunt. But when he did, he saw that the krogan had charged full on into the stone slab, jamming it in and causing the giant hammer to impact the ground in a thunderous crash that was close to deafening. But he did not fear; the Shaman had stated that the first hammer fall declared the beginning of the first phase.

"I can smell them," Grunt smiled, "They are coming." He pulled out his claymore and joined Garrus at his side of the stairs, Marcus joining Tali. He readied his weapon against a piece of broken barrier, almost tripping over the rotten body of a dead krogan. Not far from him was the aged skeleton of another fallen warrior; their bodies left where they died in the Rite.  _Or perhaps something else..._

An aged krogan voice he didn't recognize boomed over the intercom, "First the krogan conquered Tuchanka...and mastered a natural world only we are fit to hold."

No sound was heard for a couple of seconds, only the howling of the wind. Tali was prone on the ground, Chiktika out and standing sentry, while her shotgun lay infront of her, her aim steady. He turned to see Garrus in much the same position with his sniper rifle, except at a much more elevated position, while Grunt stood in the open, his claymore ready. Marcus turned back, but still nothing.

Then he heard howling. Followed by violent snarling and snapping. Soon followed by the sound of numerous feet pounding through the rough soil of the krogan homeworld to find food. And that food was  _them_.

He saw them before they attacked. Varren, packs of them. They appeared from all sides, sounding their terrifying howls like alien wolves before pounding over the makeshift barriers and crawling through abandoned sewerage systems, stalking towards them with slavering jaws promising death to those who did not kill them. Sharp canines exposed themselves to them, and Marcus found himself opening fire the instant they began their approach.

The first varren fell in a goust of gore, just like usual. The pulse rifle tore through the beast's soft flesh, tearing apart its bowels and spilling them out over the ground. The varren did not cease their advance however, and soon Tali's shotgun joined the firefight, bringing down varren left and right.

Grunt and Garrus faired much better pacing. While Garrus gunned them down at range, Grunt just charged the varren head on. He stomped them, gutted them, shot them or pulverized them, either way, he was slaughtering his way through entire hordes of varren, laughing maniacally. Marcus couldn't help but smile at the young krogan's enthusiasm.

Creature after creature fell to his rifle, and still they kept coming. The varren seemed to come in endless waves, just throwing themselves at the group.  _How many varren live in this one area!?_ But he just kept firing, not stopping for one moment. That was until he was taken from the side. He felt it quickly enough.

He gasped in pain as one of the varren clasped its jaws just around his wrist, causing him to drop his weapon. Razor sharp teeth sunk deep into his skin, causing immense pain, the varren twisting and turning in pain to rip it off. With a roar of rage, Marcus threw his hand forward and bured it into the varren's face, the force popping one of the varren's eyes. The poor beast yelped in pain as it leapt backwards, white fluids leaking from its empty socket. Charging with biotics, he picked the varren up and threw it into a wall, ending its misery.

Seeing Tali was now getting overwhelmed, he shot a singularity into the epicenter of the pack, ripping the creatures from their foothold and into the air, the singularity exploding and taking their entrails with it. The varren didn't charge again after that, instead turning to flee. Marcus sighed but immediately noticed the blood stained wound on his left wrist. He touched it, and immediately regretted it as it stung badly. He grabbed a packet of medi-gel and applied it to the wound, making sure upon return to the Normandy to get it checked out.

His wound checked, he turned to Grunt, who was approaching them with a lopsided grin. Garrus stayed where he was, reloading his rifle. He threw a thumbs up in their direction, letting them know he was fine. It was then that Marcus saw the state Grunt was in; he was covered, knee to toe, in varren gore. Red blood soaked him, even his face, but Grunt didn't seem to notice, only chuckling.

"That was fun, but hardly a challenge," Grunt declared, beating his chest, "Barely had to use my shotgun. If that was the first phase, I demand to know the second phase!" And with that, Grunt once more charged the stone slab, which had poked out again, slipping it back into place and causing the hammer to slam into the ground a second time, Grunt rushing back to his original position. Marcus did the same, shaking his head and trying best not to notice his wound. The voice spoke again.

"Then the krogan were lifted to the stars to destroy the fears of a galaxy, an enemy only  _we_ could chase to their lair."

 _The Rachni._ He remembered the creatures from two years ago; he had spared their queen on Noveria so that they live as a peaceful race once more. He hadn't heard from the queen since then, but he planned to find out what happened to her at some point in time. He pushed the thoughts of rachni aside as he turned to face the area once more and just like before, dead silence. Just the wind.

Then an ear-piercing screech, one he didn't recognize. But he could hear it coming and knew immediately it was an airborne creature; the subtle sounds of wings beating through the sound of Tuchanka's winds, drawing ever closer. And it wasn't alone; it had company.

Then he saw it, coming from behind the hammer. It was a huge winged beast he had never encountered before, and it was definitely ugly as hell. It looked like a dragon; its two great wings beating fiercely at the air, four, insect like legs tucked away under its bulk as it descended, screeching. It had a long neck like a giraffe's, and a mouth like that of pacman. It had no teeth, just a beak and two barely noticable eyes. He didn't recognize it, but apparently Tali did.

"Keelah...," she exclaimed, "Harvesters!"

The creature landed directly infront of them, but it wasted no time attacking them, simply screeching at them. It was then Marcus noticed the things crawling off its back and onto the ground; great huge red bugs, kinda like rachni, but with a bigger head, crab like pincers and four sturdy legs. Four of the creatures peeled off the harvester's back, landing on the ground and making chittering noises. The Harvester quickly made its departure, taking flight and disappearing once more. Two more creatures had done the same over near Grunt and Garrus' position.

Marcus and Tali watched the four creatures approach them. He recognized them as beasts called klixen from his school studies; giant bug like creatures native to Tuchanka that could literally breathe fire. It was also said that when they died, they combusted into a gust of flame, but Marcus didn't quite believe it. He ordered Tali to fire on the lead klixen, not wanting to learn if the tale was true or not and fired on the second with his rifle.

He expected the shots to ping off the klixen's brittle armor, but it punched right through, to his surprise and Tali's, causing the klixen to screech and launch a spit of fire at him. It impacted his shield, draining it slightly but he quickly finished the creature off, firing into its skull. And just like the tale, the klixen fell to the ground, exploding in a great goust of flame and heat.  _Exploding fire breathing bugs? Sounds like something a drunk child author would make up._

Tali quickly finished off the lead klixen, allowing them to finish off the final two. Turning they saw that Grunt had retreated up and further into the arena to stay out of range of the klixen, but appeared to have killed five of them. Marcus and Tali joined fire with them, finishing them off. But before they could catch a breather, more screeches followed, followed by more harvesters and a fresh wave of klixen.  _This is going to take a while,_  Marcus judged.

And he could not have judged it any more accurately. The waves of harvesters and klixen were relentless, seeming to never end, just like the endless packs of varren. But unlike the varren, these were not easily scared off, and eventually, in his joust of annoyance, he had fired a clean shot through one of the harvester's heads, killing it. He had been pleasantly surprised by it, and had regretted it later, as it appeared to just make the klixen it carred more aggressive.  _I think I just killed mommy..._

But, believe it or not, the hordes did have an end. When the final klixen fell and, to his shock, Grunt had managed to tackle one of the harvesters to the ground and bash its skull in with the jagged point of a rock, the waves ended and the stone slab slid out again. It was time; the infamous third phase that the Shaman had warned him about.  _If I told you that, human. You'd shit yourself._

_Even you, Hero of the Citadel._

That kind of thought had sent shivers up his spine. He had fought geth, krogan, asari commandos, all three of the best mercenaries the galaxy had to offer, collectors and destroyed a Reaper, not to mention foiled one of their attempts to harvest the galaxy, buying them another decade at best. What could possibly scare him? Was there something the Shaman wasn't telling him? Could it be... _don't be ridiculous. I doubt the Shaman captured a Reaper just to test krogan. And even if it were just that, he wouldn't be able to control it. That single Reaper would have indoctrinated them all by now._

He turned to Grunt, who was approaching the keystone, scorch marks on his armor from klixen fire, "You ready for this Grunt? The Shaman says this phase is close to impossible. Wrex says he's the only one to have survived it and has become a legend because of it."

"I heard what he said," Grunt declared, "And I  _will_ become a legend. I will be Urdnot Grunt, and I will  _complete the Rite!_ " And with that, a final thunderous roar boomed out of the supersoldier as he hit the slab again, the krogan's neverending reserves of energy seeming to never dwindle as the slab slid inside, hammer crashing down for, hopefully, the final time.

They took their usual positions, Grunt hanging around and breathing the air as the voice boomed one final line, "Now all the krogan bear the genophage. Our reward; our curse. It is a fight where the only goal is survival!"

 _Survival?_ Marcus thought.  _Is it truly that unbeatable?_

Then, for some reason, the hammer boomed again.  _A second hit?_

Then the ground began to rumble beneath their feet, and shake. Grunt looked at the ground with uncertainty, "What is this? What kind of enemy do we face?"

The tremors got worse, and  _closer._ Memories from years ago raced back into his mind and Marcus suddenly felt one thing; petrified fear. Sweat poured down his brow and he couldn't understand why. Why was he so afraid? Then the tremors intensified until eventually they stopped and silence. It was then that another instinct took place in Marcus' mind;  _run. Don't fight, run. You can't win, just run!_ Marcus couldn't understand.

Then the ground infront of the arena exploded in a great whorl of dust and sand, a titanic creature gracefully arising out of the ground and when it reared its ugly head, Marcus' eyes widened in horror. His fear made sense now. He should have run!  _No,_ Marcus thought,  _No, god no, please not here. Not now. Not after all this time. Oh please...no no no no no no._ He couldn't face this creature; memories of Akuze rushed back into his memory and the memories of his squad dying as they ran into the nest...

The Thresher Maw loomed over them and posed to strike, its two arms arching forward and is tunnel like mouth opening to reveal a huge amount of huge teeth. Armor plates lined the giant worm's body, adding to its terrifying appearence. He just froze where he was, unable to speak, hear or think. He just saw the Thresher Maw, and froze in fear. He barely noticed his weapon falling to the ground.

Tali was yelling at him, but he didn't hear her. But eventually, like the pieces of a puzzle coming together, sound returned to him and he saw Grunt running over to Garrus' position as a plume of acid spun past him, hitting the ground beside him and melting the stone. Tali grabbed his arm and shook him and he turned towards her, fear in his eyes.

"Marcus!" She saw the fear in his eyes and understood, "We have to seek cover! We can't fight this thing!"

"We're going to die," Marcus stated in the most pathetic way possible, "We can't fight...Thresher Maws...not there, please no...oh please no..." he collapsed into Tali's arms and she heard one thing she had never heard from him before; hysterical sobbing. Marcus just couldn't hold the images out; he could feel all the senses returning to; the smell of burning flesh and dried sweat and piss as they fled, the feel of dust flying past them, the sight of men being consumed by a horde of thresher maws. The terrifying images returned one by one, nightmares he thought he wouldn't have to return to.

Tali rubbed his back and lead him into cover, Garrus comming her. She answered the comm holding Marcus in her arms as they lay behind a pillar.

"Tali! What the hell is wrong with him!" The turian demanded, "He just stood there! He's lucky the maw targetted Grunt and not him!"

"He's terrified Garrus!" Tali shouted back, "Its a damn Thresher Maw! His squad was butchered by a horde of them on Akuze years ago. He's... _terrified!_ " She wouldn't dare tell Garrus that their great and fearless commander, the man who seemed so invincible and indifferent to all things and smirked at the meer thought of him dying, was sobbing in her arms because of a damn  _thresher maw._ That was a side of Marcus only she needed to know about.

"Well Grunt proposes to fight this thing!" Garrus stated but didn't reply, "Damn it!"

"What? What's wrong?"

"Grunt has just run out to face it! You idiot, a grenade launcher won't do shit! Its a fucking thresher maw! Get into cover, you halfwit!"

Booming laughter was his only reply.

"We can't fight it," Tali declared, "We wait it out. That's all we  _can do_."

"Right, got you. Meanwhile, I'm going to get Grunt's sorry ass back behind cover before he gets himself killed," Garrus declared, turning back to his current activity, Tali cutting off the comm as she realized Marcus had stopped sobbing and had turned around, laying the back of his head on her chest. He took off his helmet, lying it on the ground. She immediately began ruffling his hair, the sound of Grunt battling the Thresher Maw easily heard in the background, along with the maw's angered screams followed by Garrus' angry shouting.

"Marcus," she whispered.

"I'm a coward," he stated so bluntly it felt like he had smacked her in the face, "I broke down in the middle of a battle and that's unacceptable. I put you all in danger with my incompetence. I'm so sorry."

Tali shook her head, "You're scared, Marcus. I get that. You don't have to be fearless all the time; we know you're just human and you have things to fear as well. Don't be so hard on yourself. You're anything  _but_ a coward."

Marcus just wouldn't give it up, "You don't understand, Tali. I'm your commanding officer. I'm not supposed to be afraid; that's the point. A commander who's afraid is a commander unworthy of command. Fear is a deadly virus; the CO is the carrier. If he shows any fear, it will demoralize the troops under his command. That's not the case here, I know that, but I put you in danger by just freezing. That was stupid of me. I almost...I almost got  _you_ killed...I already lost one squad to a Thresher Maw attack...I can't bear losing you..."

She wanted to take off her mask and just kiss him; but she knew she couldn't. Coupled with her own sickness, the harsher bacteria of Tuchanka would most likely kill her within hours. But she wanted someway to comfort him, to show him she forgave him for being scared, forgave him for being  _human..._

She stroked his face and tapped her mask against his scalp, "You haven't lost me, nor will you. I am Brigadier General Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, a proud Migrant Fleet Marine and Combat Engineer, Chief Engineer of the Normandy and the girlfriend of the Hero of the Citadel. I can look after myself, and I will continue to look after myself. But whenever I need help, I will ask for it, even when I'm scared. I was scared before my trial; and you helped me. Now allow me to return the favor; you are not a coward. You are Commander Marcus Shepard, Bane of the Reapers, Destroyer of Geth and Slayer of Saren Arterius, and  _I love you._ You hear me? So stop acting like such a mopey bosh'tet and lets kick some thresher ass!"

Marcus suddenly jolted into action, sitting up and turning to face her, traces of a weak smile forming on his lips.  _He'll be back soon enough, give him time. I just need to help him face his fears._ She stood up and offered a hand to him, one he willingly took and he moved over and back into the arena, picking up his rifle as he did.

But as he looked back up, he saw the Maw's mouth descending towards the ground, inches from it.

And Grunt right inside its jaws.

 _ **"GRUNT!"**_ He yelled, but it was too late. The Thresher Maw clasped its jaws around the young krogan's form and he disappeared inside its jaws. Tali was shocked by the sight and Garrus ceased his yelling to look on in horror at the sight of their comrade being consumed. Marcus couldn't believe he was-

_**BOOM.** _

A massive explosion of gore blew through the wind like a massive fart. The Thresher's body combusted in a shower of blood and gore, bits of flesh crashing into pillars and other parts decorating the arena all over. Marcus could scarcely believe it.  _He could killed a Thresher Maw...he killed a Thresher Maw!..._ _ **on foot!**_  Wrex was going to be proud.

Standing in the area where the Thresher had been was Grunt, grenade launcher in hand, laughing loudly. To add to the varren blood coating his armor and the klixen scorches, Grunt now had teeth scratches on his neck and green goo coating him, most likely the Maw's saliva, coupled with loose bits of the creature's skin. Grunt shook it off and grabbed a piece of the meat, moving over to Marcus and lay it down before him, his roar echoing across the plains of Tuchanka.

"Let it be known that one of Kalros' spawn was defeated by  _ **URDNOT GRUNT!**_ " Grunt demanded and smiled, seeming to forget how his battlemaster had frozen like a craven in the middle of the battle, but Marcus dared not bring it up.

Before they could celebrate further, the gate opened to the Great Hammer, and they turned to see who it was. They expected the Shaman, Wreav and his guards to appear and greet them, but instead what they got was a less pleasant sight, one that made Grunt scowl and Marcus growl.

Walking down the steps towards them was Uvenk and his goons, the krogan in question smiling like a child who got his first toy for Christmas.

The krogan stopped a few meters infront of them, four of his krogan standing behind him with old model shotguns, assault rifles and SMGs. Uvenk continued to show his shit eating grin as he turned to Grunt, still smiling and with confidence in his body language.

"You live, and you brought down the Thresher Maw," Uvenk said, visibly impressed, emphasizing so by slapping the krogan on the back but threw a disgusted glance in Marcus' direction, "This human just cowered in a corner, sobbing like a two year old child while this quarian cradled him. I watched the whole thing; tell me, was it your weeping that saved the Citadel or the quarian fucking you?"

Tali visibly brissled, but Marcus held his hand out for her to stop, turning to face the krogan, not responding. He was ashamed that Uvenk had gotten that much enjoyment out of his horrible moment; and he felt like a pathetic mule for cowering when he should have fought.  _They call me an N7 and a Council Spectre, yet you'd be a fool to believe it._

Uvenk, getting no response, just smiled once more and turned back to Grunt, "What you've done? Noone has done that in generations! Urdnot Wrex  _was_ the last," he slammed his fists together, "But no more! The Thresher has been defeated by Grunt!"

 _ **Urdnot**_ _Grunt,_ Marcus corrected in his mind, but didn't speak out loud. The krogan's response might force him to kill the stupid fuck.

Grunt nodded, motioning to the squad, "My krantt gave me strength beyond my genes. Which are damned good!"

Uvenk scoffed, giving one look at Marcus, Tali and Garrus, "I doubt it. You did most of the look; the best these weaklings did was weep, cradle and shoot from afar. A true warrior faces his enemies head on, not hiding behind a scope."

"A stupid warrior, you mean," Garrus shot back, "Only a deficient moron charges an enemy head on. That, or someone looking for a quick death."

"A quick death which your people prevented us when you gave us the genophage. Speak when spoke to turian, or I'll gut you where you stand," Uvenk growled, before turning back to Grunt, Garrus clenching his fists, but so far, not responding to the threat.

Uvenk continued with Grunt, "What you did will cause discussion," Uvenk announced, "I wonder...you say you are pure? No alien meddling in your construction? Built purely by Warlord Okeer?"

Grunt nodded, "I am pure krogan. I am distilled from the proper genes of krogan before the Rebellions, when we were ten times as strong, witted and quick-footed. A time where we were pure. I am a supersoldier, a krogan like no other. The only  _true_ krogan."

Uvenk didn't seem to like the last part of Grunt's sentence, but ignored it, placing an arm around Grunt's shoulders, "You are powerful. You are a mistake, but your potential could tip the current balance of the clans."

Grunt was angered by that statement, "You spit on my father's name? You spit on Shepard's name and call him craven? But now you stop ranting because I am strong?"

Uvenk nodded, that stupid smile still on his face, "There will be restrictions. You could not breed, of course, and would not be allowed a mate. You would not be allowed to serve on an alien ship, either," he shot glances at Grunt's krantt, "But you would be clan in name. Gatatog Grunt. Lacks pattern, but you'd get used to it."

Marcus stepped in, "You dare you plot behind my battle brother's back. One word to Wrex, and you'd be executed for treachery, Uvenk. Grunt, its time to draw the line in the ground, but I'm telling you right now, I'm not standing by while this arrogant fuck plots to betray my friend and comrade!" His hand drifted to his SMG, but did not draw it.

Uvenk merely laughed, "You? Will you cry a nice big puddle of tears for me to slip in? Will you make the quarian scream and deafen me? Or maybe-"

 _ **"YOU GO TOO FAR, UVENK!"**_ Grunt declared, shoving Uvenk away who was now in shock as Grunt drew his claymore. Marcus smiled, drawing his SMG in an instant, and Tali her shotgun, followed by Garrus and his mattock.

Grunt glared harshly at Uvenk, "You are a problem, Uvenk!  _ **I AM PURE KROGAN. You**_ are nothing but a pretender!"

Uvenk brissled, drawing his own shotgun to aim at Grunt's, which Marcus noted was dramatically smaller than Grunt's, "Your head is valuable whether you're alive or dead!"

His goons immediately raised their weapons, but chaos already broke out. Uvenk had charged forward and barrelled into Grunt, knocking them onto the stone as they tackled each other. Meanwhile, his krantt engaged Uvenk's henchmen. Tali lunged forward like a ninja; one moment she was next to him, the next she was ramming her boot knife into a krogan's neck and opening his throat from cheek to cheek, throwing his dead body to the ground before slamming the butt of her shotgun into another krogan's hand and kneeing him in the quad, causing him to double over. Before she could finish him off, the third krogan grabbed her from behind, but Garrus was already on it, taking his head off with a clean shot.

Marcus focused on the last of Uvenk's men, the krogan charging clumsily at Marcus, but the spectre simply sidestepped it and tripping him over, allowing him to fire a full burst into the back of his head. He watched as Tali used her shotgun to blast the last krogan's head off before they all marched towards the scene of Uvenk and Grunt's battle.

Grunt had won; it was obvious. Uvenk lay on the ground, laying in a pool of his own flowing blood. Grunt moved to finish him, but Tali stopped him, pulling her knife out as she did it. Before Marcus could see what she was doing, she leaned down and whispered in Uvenk's hear.

"You won't hear me scream, Uvenk," she promised, unsmiling, "But I'll hear yours."

And before he could do anything, she jammed the knife into a crack under Uvenk's headcrest and yanked upwards...taking the crest  _with it._ Uvenk screamed in agony, his screaming echoing through Tuchanka and surely heard by the Urdnot Camp. Blood gushed from the opened wound; and Marcus saw that under the crest was just muscle and veins along with mass amounts of skin and blood.

"Now look who's weeping," he muttered before nodding for Grunt to finish him. Grunt nodded before ripping a grenade from his belt, priming it and shoving it into Uvenk's mouth. They all fled the scene and watched as Uvenk's head exploded, followed by the rest of his body, the krogan's form exploding like a popped air balloon. Just as they emerged, they heard clapping and they all turned to see the Shaman and Wreav approaching, Wreav actually managing to look impressed.

"Urdnot Grunt indeed!" the Shaman cheered, "You killed a Thresher Maw  _and_ ended an attempted coup! You are truly Urdnot!" He grabbed Grunt's hand and thrust it into the air, as if showing the krogan's victory to a massive audience.

And all Marcus could do was laugh. He ignored the wound on his wrist. He ignored the painful memories of Akuze the Thresher Maw had brought up. For now, he had just watched one of his own crew members enter adulthood...twice, he noted, looking over at Tali and shuddering.  _The way she ripped off his crest...what did I turn her into? Was I the cause of that?_

And happiness disappeared from his mind. Was he really turning innocent people into his own personal killing band?

**"The Rite of Passage was brutal. And Tuchanka's heat? Keelah, almost unbearable."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Spirits be smiling on me that day. All I did was lie down and snipe."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"And Uvenk died. I think I inwardly cheered that day. But, as I'm sure you remember, our problems on Tuchanka were hardly over yet..."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

_**A/N:** _

_**You guys probably don't realize this but...we are nearing the end of Prophecy! Yeah, I know right!? I hardly believe it myself! But its true. A few more missions, and we'll be getting to the meat of the situation and we'll wrap this story up. But don't worry; where one story ends, the quadrilogy continues. We still have two more installments, so don't think about going anywhere. ;)** _


	45. One Thousand Years in the Making

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clan Weyrloc captures one of Mordin's former associates. Wrex and Shepard work together to rid themselves of a common enemy.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FORTY-TWO:**

**ONE THOUSAND YEARS IN THE MAKING**

_September 25, 2185_

_1745 hours._

_The Hollows, Hagalok City Ruins, Que'k Wastelands, Tuchanka._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, The Urdnot Shaman, Soldier Grunt, Chieftain's Adjutant Urdnot Wreav, Chieftain Urdnot Wrex, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Professor Mordin Solus, Subject Zero Jack, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Senior Assistant Lia'Vael nar Ulnay._

Marcus was awed by the sheer size of the area around him. The Hollows was a sacred burial ground to all krogan, where violence was absolutely forbidden. The place reminded him of the huge Colliseum back on Earth and it was just as big, if not slightly bigger. The design was almost exactly the same, except there was one huge entrance at one end and the center had a pyre in the middle, unused, and now moved to the side to allow Grunt and Wrex room to complete the maturity ceremony.

His team sat in a tight circle around the pyre, mingling in with the rest of the krogan to witness Grunt become a fully acclaimed Urdnot warrior. Tali and Garrus to either side of him, Kal standing next to Tali with Kaidan next to Garrus. Lia had come down with Miranda from the Normandy to witness the ceremony, the young quarian standing next to Mordin while Miranda stood with Kaidan, wanting to keep away from Jack who, luckily for them, was nowhere to be seen. The Shaman stood on the side with the new Gatatog Clan Chieftain, who had finally bent the knee to Wrex. Wreav stood guard while Wrex stood before Grunt, who was now on one knee, looking at the ground with his eye closed and head bowed. The dusty ruins of the Hollows may have been old, but it was definitely more impressive with hundreds of krogan gathering to witness Grunt's coronation.

"Grunt," Wrex announced, his voice booming, announcing the beginning of the ceremony as he stood before Grunt, "You are brought here today in the sight of Kalros and all your brother and sisterly kin to join your life with that of Clan Urdnot. You are no longer the warrior without clan; without family. You will be Urdnot Grunt; from this day, until your last day. These people will be your brothers, your sisters, your kin. I will be your chieftain, and you my warrior, ready to die on my command. Do you, Grunt, accept this?"

The krogan's eyes met with Wrex and he stood up, turning to face his new chieftain, "I accept. Clan Urdnot; its banners, its colors and all it stands for will become a part of me for as long as I die draw breath. I, Grunt of Clan Shepard swear this."

Wrex nodded, holding out a shotgun, "Then take this weapon, Urdnot Grunt, and complete your journey into adulthood."

Grunt nodded and took the weapon from Wrex's hand, fluidly slotting a thermal clip into the slot before raising the weapon, roaring as he did. When done, he holstered the weapon and turned to his people, raising his arms above his head and roaring once more. The krogan roared with him, while Marcus and his squad stood there baffled, not sure what it meant but keeping their silence. A minute later, the roaring ended and Grunt descended the steps, the ceremony now over. The krogan began to split up and leave, Wrex descending the steps behind Grunt who was heading over to Marcus. Wreav took his leave and left for the Tomkah with the Shaman.

The crowd dispersed, allowing Wrex and Grunt plenty of room to reach them, both of them smiling widely.

"Urdnot Grunt," Wrex repeated, "Now there's something I'll have to get used to saying, but I'll say it with pride. Grunt is definitely one of the first to have destroyed the Thresher Maw apart from me, so that's made him a legend among the krogan. Two krogan who have defeated the Rite, and they both belong to Urdnot. Our strength grows everyday, Shepard, and one day we'll be strong enough to return our people to our former glory, just without the war this time. The Reapers will have reason to fear us once more. Urdnot is proud to welcome Grunt into its ranks."

Marcus nodded, slapping Grunt on the shoulder, "I'm sure you heard of Gatatog Uvenk's attempted coup?"

Wrex waved a dismissive hand, "Dealt with, as I'm sure you heard. When the Shaman told me, Uvenk's assassin made a jump for me. Bloody coward. Killed him quickly enough, then it was on to the Gatatog Camp, and I took a strong host with me; twelve Tomkahs with two platoons of my best warriors. Gatatog submitted to our rule fast enough when they heard you killed Uvenk and I took command over their clan, inserting one of my own warriors as their new chieftain. If they want to rise up and fight me? Then when I beat them, I will take away their rights. Gatatog belongs to Urdnot now, and will for a time until they can prove themselves to me. Maybe the Reapers will be enough for them to do that."

He smiled, Grunt standing attention behind him, "So, that's it? Every Tuchankan clan has united under your banner?"

Wrex shook his head slowly at that, "All of them, except Weyrloc. Like Gatatog, they seem to be of the mind that the Council won't accept us until we make them bend the knee to us, which means a repeat of the Rebellions. They aren't the first, but now, they're certainly the last. Every other clan has come to their senses, but not Chieftain Guld and his bloody Weyrloc. Shouldn't be surprised; Weyrloc are heavier backers of the Blood Pack. Blood Pack even have a base on Tuchanka; located somewhere within Hagalok. Guld is the current leader of Blood Pack now; apparently two of their leaders have been killed so far. Wouldn't have been involved in that, would you?"

"Only if we're talking about Garm and some other krogan who's name I've already forgotten," Garrus quipped, "Both we killed, if you're that curious."

"You've dealt the Blood Pack heavy blows then. All the more reason for Guld to both hate and fear you," Wrex jested, "Still, until I can get Weyrloc under my belt this entire process has been ground to a halt. I depise Weyrloc immensely, but...there are two major clans that all the others answer to on Tuchanka Shepard; Urdnot and Weyrloc. We have the Tomkahs, but they have most of the blooded warriors. Then there's Guld. He's convinced he's immune to the genophage, and his followers seem to worship him. Its pathetic, but its inspired loyalty in his ranks, and it makes them harder to simply oppress."

"So what are you saying? If this Guld were to be defeated, you'd be able to turn Weyrloc over to your cause?" Marcus asked, curious.

"Simplified, it sounds silly, but that's the heart of it," Wrex explained, "Killing Guld would destroy Weyrloc's confusion, allowing us to catch them unaware and force them into surrender. But remember, they are major backers of Blood Pack. They won't just have krogan; and as stupid as they are, vorcha can still be lethal in numbers."

"I think I'd be willing to help if that's the case," Marcus told him, "We're meant to find the IFF of a Reaper so we can traverse the Omega 4 Relay, but the Illusive Man says it ain't going anywhere and that preparing for the Reapers is a number one priority next to stopping the collectors. I'd say making sure this krogan army is secured in time for the invasion is a priority; and if we need Weyrloc's strength, then so be it. You planning an assault on this base?"

Wrex smiled toothily, "Before now, nope. But now? You can bet. Like before, I'll rally two platoons of my best men and storm the rear of the base while you storm the front. Hopefully, we'll catch Guld with his tale between his legs. His camp is based out of an old abandoned hospital facility; mostly rubble now, but sturdy enough that it can survive artillery strikes for a time. You'd take another Tomkah and storm the front. Guld would send most of his power to deal with me, so the resistance on your side will be lighter."

"Sounds like a plan," Marcus announced, looking at his team and motioning for them to follow him and Wrex to the Tomkah, "And we'll see just how much of a pounding that hospital can take; Miranda, contact the Normandy. Tell Jacob, Thane and Kasumi to bring down the hammerhead and land it just outside the camp," he then turned to Wrex, "We won't be taking a Tomkah, if thats okay with you."

Wrex just chuckled, "That's fine by me. When do you want to commence the assault?"

"Take us back to the camp first," Marcus asked as they stepped into the Tomkah and took their seats, "We'll need a breather and I need to get my wounds checked at, so does Grunt. I've got a nasty migraine from headbutting Uvenk, the wound on my wrist is killing me and I'm pretty sure I got burnt from one of those klixen. Miranda, make sure to send Doctor Chakwas down as well. There's only so much medi-gel can do, but I'm telling you, healing ain't one of them."

Wrex simply nodded as he headed up and plodded into the driver's seat, revving up the engine. Wreav sat next to him, looking bored with his shotgun in his lap. The Shaman stood in the cabin, nodding at Marcus as his eyes moved past to look at his team. They were all strapped in and ready to go and Marcus slammed his fist into the wall three times; they were ready to leave.

The ride back to the Urdnot Camp barely took about an hour, and when he walked out of the Tomkah, he was not greeted by the usual beam of light that was Tuchanka's boiling sun. No, instead he was greeted by a beautiful sunset; Aralakh's making all due haste to hide behind the horizon. Night was falling on Tuchanka, and with it, the planet's many wildlife. Thresher Maws, Varren, Harvesters and Klixen; the krogan homeworld would be coming alive tonight.

Once back inside the camp's boundries, he noticed that the hammerhead had been brought down like ordered and next to it were the waiting forms of Jacob, Thane, Kasumi and Doctor Chakwas, all of them looking in their direction as they approached the camp structure. Upon reaching the gate, Chakwas was on him in seconds, ordering him to find a place to lie down so she could check his wound and he complied, disappearing with the doctor, Garrus accompanying him just so he could mock him.

Wrex showed them to their sleeping quarters; as the attack would take place tomorrow, and then left them there to get some sleep or to walk around. Grunt had gone with Chakwas upon Marcus' orders to get cleaned up, and everyone else was at their quarters, so Mordin took this time to find a silent place to work.

He found it out outside their quarters; everyone else was inside sleeping or talking, and the hallway was empty, unused for centuries, so it gave him perfect solace to work. He was running over the information he had gleaned from his lab on the Normandy and was currently looking more procurements to help with the planned intimacy between Chief Engineer Zorah and Commander Shepard. He smiled as he did so, not happy that Miss Zorah had taken the risk of kissing the commander before she was ready, but had let it slip when she said she had injected herself with antibiotics prior to taking off her mask.

He searched through all the data he had collected selectively, making sure that he didn't miss a single byte of data. If he overlooked anything, it could mean for death for Miss Zorah, and he knew the commander would never forgive him for that.  _Leaving clinic on Omega best choice of my life. Love new environment, so good, many things to do. Nice lab, lots of equipment, much to research. Opportunity of a lifetime. Great way to satisfy end of my life. I will be dead soon; might pass down everything to my nephew...or maybe my assistant...Miss Vael has done a wonderful job as my assistant. She deserves something out of it._

His omni-tool suddenly beeped and he frowned.  _Was sure I had switched omni to silent. Should not have heard sound. Forgetful, so forgetful._

He opened his omni-tool to check what the message was and his thoughtful expression was quickly replaced by one of deepening horror. He couldn't believe the contents of the message.  _Maelon captured? But how? And by the Blood Pack? What would they want with him? Apparently brought to Tuchanka and being held prisoner..._

Then it hit him in an instant, and he thought himself a fool for not seeing it before.  _Of course. Maelon involved in genophage modification project just like me. Perfectly logical krogan would capture Maelon and attempt to force him into manufacturing a cure. But how did they find out about that and manage to capture him? Doesn't matter. Maelon is in severe damage; might need help. Might be STG, but Blood Pack ruthless. Will torture him until he makes cure for them. Must rescue him. Maybe Shepard can help._ Taking the coordinates found on the omni-tool, he raced out of the hallway and towards the room where Marcus was being held as his wounds were tended too.

He just hoped it wasn't too late. For Maelon or the genophage.

**{Loading...}**

_September 25, 2185_

_1746 hours._

_'Humanity's Sanctum,' Upper Level, Cronos Station, Anadius System._

_The Illusive Man._

Smoke rose from TIM's cigarette, slowly rising into the air as he watched Anadius; the sun still managing to make him gape in awe and its simple beauty. The flares, its bright orange surface...everything about it had a majestic puzzle to it, and it made him think more and more that he had placed his headquarters in the right place; noone would think to look for a space station near a sun, let alone so close to a majorly funded colony.

He sat there, swirling a glass of whiskey around in his hand and contemplating the task that was laid before them.  _The Reapers are indeed a big threat. They will wipe out all galactic life if they aren't checked, but does that mean we have to destroy them? Can we not find another way of...stopping them?_ He knew Commander Shepard wouldn't agree, which is why he hadn't informed the commander of his plans. Shepard wanted to destroy the Reapers, but Cerberus had different ideas.

_What if...just what if, the Reapers can be controlled? Just imagine the power we'd wield if the Reapers were_ _**our** _ _thralls, not the other way around? Why not fire with fire? We could indoctrinate the Reapers and bend them to our will, and humanity would be unstoppable. We would be able to establish an empire over the galaxy that would last for centuries. So long as humanity controlled the Reapers, we'd be left unopposed. The Council would bow to us, as would the quarians, the krogan and everyone else. Yes, Shepard._ _**This** _ _is how we stop them. Not by wiping them out, but seizing control of our rightful prize. Its waiting for us; all we have to do is reach out and take it._

This idea hadn't been without its risks however and the Illusive Man was afraid of the consequences if it were to backfire, so he had dedicated what was left of the Lazarus Cell to researching as much as they could on what they already had on the Reapers, making sure all things were covered. Meanwhile, he had put his military division into full redistribution. Cerberus' military was being redesigned completely; from the ground, up.

He had taken to having a few of his agents in the Alliance steal some of their new prototype armor and for his scientists to begin replicating the cybernetics used to rebuild Shepard. He had recalled his entire fleet, deciding that they needed to expand and build a proper navy, not a mishmash of retrofitted tugs and freighters and tankers. Proper warships for fighting the Reapers. He might want to control them, but he wasn't going to wait and tweedle his thumbs while his scientists tried to exert control over them. No, he'd need a way to delay them, and Cerberus needed to change for that to happen.

Cerberus, for now on, would be building its own fleet using stolen alliance designs. They would build alliance corvettes, frigates, destroyers, light and heavy cruisers, battleships and even carriers and dreadnoughts if the resources were made available. The only difference would be the change in banner; instead of alliance blue and white, they would be colored in the gold and black of Cerberus and would bear Cerberus insignias and names. His men had already managed to steal the newly completed alliance dreadnought, SSV Elbrus, which would subsequently be renamed CAW Elbrus, and it would spearhead his new fleet. He had also managed to secure the allegiance of an old veteran alliance general, General Oleg Petrovsky, who had won many battles and had sworn his full allegiance to Cerberus, to which he had made Petrovsky supreme commander of Cerberus' ground forces and Fleet Admiral Regent of the Cerberus Navy until he found an admiral worthy of the position.

With the 'Supremacy Project' in full swing, he had moved to matters of enhancing his troops on the ground. It was clear that hiring mercenaries and calling them commandos would no longer do, so he would have to give those mercenaries proper training and upgrades to go with them so they would, if needed, outmatch alliance marines on the field. Thanks the stolen alliance armor designs, his scientists were already well on their way to developing their own kind of revolutionary armor, whilst also finding a way to make the cybernetics put in Shepard mass-producable so they could be placed in all his troops, making them a hundred times more lethal. Everything was falling into place.

All Cerberus stations were all on deck. Every cell was working overtime and Cerberus was rising from the ashes. Not only would his 'terrorist organization' rival the military might of the Systems Alliance, but it would also be able to battle the Reapers.  _Everything's going according to plan. And with the Elbrus and the Normandy acting as the vanguard, Cerberus will rise to control the Reapers and gain dominion over the galaxy._ Shepard would come to him, he knew it and he knew he had the commander on a leash.  _Now to make sure the leash doesn't snap._ The Normandy was still his ship however, its crew Cerberus, Miranda and Jacob were Cerberus and the AI was Cerberus. He had control over Shepard; he just didn't know it. And soon, he would exert that control.

One of his ships, a stealth frigate under the name of CAW Tajikistan, was monitoring the Omega 4 Relay. He would be ready when the Normandy hit the relay and when they came back out,  _if_ they came back out, the Tajikistan would be waiting, EMP emitter on standby. He would disable the Normandy, board the ship and order the crew to yield. Shepard, being the alien lover he was, would give up and the Normandy, his crew and himself would be the Illusive Man's to command.

The door behind him opened to omit someone. Illusive Man turned his head to see who it was and smiled faintly when he saw it was one of his most dedicated followers; even more dedicated than Miranda, and that meant alot. He was as loyal to Cerberus as a dog was to its owner. TIM turned his chair around to face the man, cigar still in his hand and cup resting on his armrest.

He examined the man once more. He wore jet black armor with the golden hexagon of Cerberus embroidened on his breast. His armor was sleek and skintight, but was also armored in other areas, but flexible in others. His knee joints and elbows were heavily padded, but other areas were just material so speed wasn't reduced. All in all, his armor covered him from shoulders to feet, not a single opening to be found.

His armor even covered his hands; and in his palms was one of Cerberus' latest weapons. It was a eezo-blaster; it built up a charge of eezo energy and when prompted fired it had a hyper-velocity so fast and dense, that it acted as a claymore shell, easily smashing shields down with a single blast. What it did to flesh was unknown, but if it shattered shields, then flesh most likely exploded like a rock impacting water.

His agent was asian in origin; to be more specific, he was Chinese, having originally served in the Systems Alliance and been dishonorably discharged due to misconduct and unethical combat decisions that resulted in war crimes. It was then that he had turned to Cerberus and joined them. Apart from Shepard, he was the only human in Cerberus to have cybernetic enhancements, making him faster, stronger and deadlier than a normal human, making him the perfect Cerberus assassin.

His helmet was practically molded to his head; you could see where it had been 'nailed' into his face, bits of red showing up around them. Even his eyes were covered; replaced by two large metal eye pieces with real-time navigation computing systems, making it look like he was wearing steel, opaque glasses. His hair was also long and dark black, reaching down to his neck in thick, unmeasured tangles. His features were drawn and tight as well; not surprising, as he was still suffering from the leg wound Anderson had dealt him.  _He covered quickly enough._

Kai Leng was his name. He was fast, powerful and overall an efficient killer that was without mercy or pity. He was ruthless; if you asked him to kill a child, he'd do it. If you asked him to detonate a nuclear weapon over a populated city of millions, he'd do it, no questions asked. Cerberus couldn't ask for a more mindless killing machine. Shepard was invincible when he needed to be, but his morals got in the way of his actions. Kai Leng had no morals; he killed because he enjoyed it. 'Killing is a sweet, juicy thing,' Leng had told him once, 'It tastes delicious and when you smell it, it gives off the sweetest fragrance there is. When I smell blood, I smell that fragrance.' Either he was just mindless, or the Illusive Man had found the most murderous human alive.

"Kai Leng," TIM greeted, eyes glazing over his personal guard dog, "Have you recovered from that shot Anderson gave you in the leg?"

When Kai Leng replied, his voice was full of uncaring and purpose, as always. Leng had learnt english at an early age and funnily enough, he didn't even know a single word of Chinese or Mandarin, "It was but a flesh wound. Nothing substantial; I recovered well enough."

"Good," TIM replied cooly, "I need you for another mission. I want you to take a shuttle and take command of the security detail on the Elbrus. I trust you'll be able to handle this?"

"Of course," Leng replied without emotion, "I will depart for the Elbrus immediately. But I have a question."

"Ask your question," TIM ordered, taking another sip of his alcoholic drink.

"Why do you place so much faith in Shepard?" Leng asked, voice full of loathing, "The man is an alien lover. You told me yourself that he  _sleeps_ with a quarian. How do we place the fate of a galaxy in the hands of a man who fucks suit-rats?"

"Sleeping and fighting are two different things, Leng," he explained, "As far as I'm concerned, he could be in a relationship with an elcor and I still would have faith in him. Commander Shepard is a decorated war veteran Leng; he has fought battles on large-scale, medium-scale and the small-scale. He has killed, negoitated and secured alliances with people you thought would never work with people like him. He killed Saren Arterius, the Council's most decorated spectre. He's saved more humans than I can count simply by stopping the geth, killing Saren and destroying Sovereign. He can sleep with Tali'Zorah if he wants; its his ability to win battles that interests me, not his fetishes."

Leng merely scoffed, "I think its an offense to humanity to have him alive. Allow me the honor of slitting his throat."

TIM scowled at him, "Are you bloody stupid? Why would I revive him only to have you kill him? Believe it or not, he is the one chance we have against the Reapers. Like it or not. He's an asset I need maintained, not drowning in a pool of blood."  _He is a blunt instrument. A tool that kills and only kills. He lacks wit in everything else, and if he doesn't like it or understand, his answer is to kill it. He's a simpleton; but a lethal simpleton. A idiotic instrument is better than one that asks questions._

Leng rolled his eyes, obviously not agreeing with the motion, "He's impure. He's making us look bad."

 _Too you or humans?_ "I've never known the Commander to be one who cares about what other people think of him. He certainly doesn't care about what I think about him,"  _But he soon will,_ "Now, you will take your leave and I will hear no more talk about killing Shepard. Do your job and you'll be able to kill other defilers that we don't currently require."

Leng said nothing, simply bowing and leaving, allowing the Illusive Man to turn back and continue gazing at his star. Anadius; the beginning of a new era for Cerberus.

This is where the War against the Reapers would start; with Cerberus, with his ships, his armies, his weapons. And pretty soon, once the Reapers were firmly under his command, humanity would rule the galaxy. But he needed more resources, and Cerberus' contacts only went so far. But he knew just the man who could help him.

**{Loading...}**

_September 26, 2185_

_0922 hours._

_Hagalok State Hospital, Hagalok City Ruins, Que'k Wastelands, Tuchanka._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Soldier Urdnot Grunt, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Professor Mordin Solus, Subject Zero Jack, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor._

How a pack of events like this could be so perfectly coordinated, Marcus had no idea. But at the moment, it made less work for him and his squad, so he didn't care. Chakwas hadn't been happy about him getting patched up only to jump right back into combat, but he had explained the necessity of it. He was not having a repeat of the Miranda/Kaidan mission split off. It worked well, but he hated when he was able to be with his team.

Mordin had arrived in the camp's medical tent last night to tell him that Maelon Heplorn, who he had also met on Virmire, had been captured by the Blood Pack and was being held prisoner on Tuchanka, possibly being tortured. And when Mordin had given him the coordinates, it had been all he could do not to smile at the coincidence cross convienience.

Maelon was being held in the Hagalok Hospital; where Guld was.  _Guld_ was the one holding Maelon hostage; the exact same krogan who they were about to overthrow and kill today. What a perfect set of events.

And now here they were, standing by and gunning down numerously Blood Pack forces as the hammerhead bombarded the hospital from afar, cannon pumping shell after shell after shell into the building, blowing hole after hole after hole into its interior. The hospital was sturdy, not surprising for something built by krogan, but it had a hard time of putting up with all the punishment being launched at it by the hammerhead. It was all Marcus could do to not simply level the building via an orbital strike from the Normandy; he had actually thought of proposing it to Wrex; but that was until Mordin had come up and told him his colleague was in there.

The Blood Pack mercs and the Weyrloc krogan decided that they weren't getting anywhere by trying to push on them and fell back, trying to find positions to defend. So now instead of being on the offensive, they were now forced into the defensive; something the Blood Pack were not very good at.

"Follow behind the hammerhead. Protect it!" He ordered, motioning to his team, "Grunt, Kal, Garrus, Tali, Jacob, cover the right side! Everyone else, with me on the left! Move!" His group quickly moved into the positions they were ordered and together they pushed forward with the hammerhead inbetween them, protecting the tank as it continued its relentless assault. They moved over the rubble to find a bridge leading to the other side; on the bridge was multiple barricades where Blood Pack and Weyrloc forces alike had assumed defensive positions, but there weren't many. Wrex had kept his word and Guld was focusing the majority of his firepower on what he deemed the larger threat.

The enemy opened fire on the hover tank as soon as they saw it rise over the rubble top. But as soon as the tank's shields failed, his team appeared and fired on them, gunning down krogan and vorcha alike. Bullets hailed down on the enemy mercs and warriors like a swarm of locust, ripping through them with fluid and brutally efficient ease.

The vorcha fell the quickest; as good as they were at regeneration, their armor was never that good to begin with and they stood no chance as rounds caught them in the face, legs, eyes, necks and even shoulders. The krogan put up the biggest fight, but there hadn't been that many of them to begin with, and they didn't last long under their relentless onslaught. In the end, the hammerhead crossed the bridge easily, leaving the enemy utterly defeated and unable to retreat.

They soon reached a fork in the path where it broke off into two sections; one narrower path lead up and around the hospital, allowing a small team to flank. The larger path lead directly towards the hospital, wide enough and big enough for the hammerhead to fit at least.

He turned to his team, "We're going to split up and circle around. Guld knows we're coming now and will have sent forces to man the entrance way to block our path inside. I want a team ready to ambush them from above when we come into view and draw their fire," he turned to his favourite quarian, "Tali, its time you put those leadership skills to use. I want you to take a team and use the path to circle up and around the hospital. The rest of you will be with me."

Tali nodded, smiling behind her mask.  _He has faith in me. I won't let him down._ She turned to her team, entering marine mode, "Grunt, Mordin, Kaidan, you're with me. Let's move it!" Tali barked and Grunt, Mordin and Kaidan rushed past her and up the path, the quarian giving Marcus one last look before rushing up the rubble path behind them, disappearing from view. Marcus turned back and climbed up ontop of the hammerhead, "Everybody on. This path is only wide enough for the hammerhead and we can't hide behind it while its taking fire. Come on, get on."

The rest of the team climbed on quick enough and the tank took off just as quickly. He turned around in his perch ontop of the hammerhead's hatch, aiming his rifle downrange so he'd be ready for any surprises. They'd be reaching the entrance soon; he could see the form of the hospital getting closer and closer.

Quite quickly, the hospital came into view, and he saw it. The entrance was quite large; but a huge blast door had been closed down infront of it. A Tomkah lay to the side of the structure but apparently the hammerhead's assault had been more effective than they thought; a piece of rubble about the size of the hover tank itself and exploded from the building and crushed the Tomkah's rear half, leaving it useless.

Five krogan and a dozen vorcha waited for their arrival and once in sight, one of the krogan shouted orders and suddenly fire polluted the air. He opened fire and managed to get a direct hit on the vorcha pyro's gas tank, igniting the flame inside and causing it to explode, consuming the krogan next to him and two of his fellow vorcha.

He also heard a booming war cry followed by Tali, Mordin, Grunt and Kaidan leaping off a ledge and taking the enemy from behind. Grunt crushed one krogan under his weight and fired a claymore shell into another before entering hand-to-hand combat with another while Tali slaughtered multiple vorcha at a time, Mordin backing her up by incinerating any trying to flank her. Kaidan ripped into the leftovers with his assault rifle.

When the battle was over and the enemy was defeated, the hammerhead resumed its assault of the building, but instead staying put. Gunfire could be heard from the other side of the building, accompanied by explosions. Wrex was hard at work hitting the Weyrloc forces, and he was giving them a pounding.

He leapt off the vehicle, followed by a squad and looked at Mordin, motioning to the building, "Its your mission now, Mordin. Lets find Maelon and get the hell out of this joint."

The salarian simply nodded, raising his SMG and using his omni-tool to hack into the blast door. It opened with a loud * _bang*_ and they moved inside, expecting darkness, but only finding windows with Tuchanka's bright rays beaming inside. Marcus had almost forgotten what Tuchanka's sun felt like on his skin. He didn't want to remember it, actually.

"Place looks like a fucking shit heap," Jack noted, looking around her in a sick-kind of awe. He nodded and noted for himself that the hospital was not in pretty condition; most of the windows had been shattered, the walls had lost their color over the centuries and most of the lighting didn't even work; the source of light was portable power boxes or Aralakh beaming down. Rubble and dust and dirt coated the floor in a fine film, leaving little to the imagination. This hospital had seen better days.  _Hagalok had been nuked during the Tuchankan Civil War, not the Krogan Rebellions, though. So this hospital has to be_ _ **ancient.**_ _Older than two thousand years, for sure._

They were immediately greeted by a stairway leading down into the building to the right. The building shook and dust fell from the ceiling onto his armor, coating it in crap. He wiped it off, but noted they had to hurry up before this building collapsed around them. They quickly followed Mordin downwards, but came upon an unusual sight.

A dead human male body, lying on the ground. He had milky brown skin and wore basic civilian uniform, but what he was doing on Tuchanka was beyond any of them or even how he had ended up here. They approached him catiously and curiously, but Mordin had no such worries and kneeled down next to him, omni-tool out almost immediately, running scans of the dead body.

"This body," Mordin began, "Human," his voice seemed to echo through the hospital, bouncing off the walls. A diagram of the human's anatomy appeared as a hologram floating above Mordin's omni-tool, "Sores, tumors, ligatures showing restraint at wrists and ankles. Track marks for repeated injection sites."

Marcus stood tall and watched as Mordin continued examining the human victim, his team spreading out and covering the room to make sure noone got any bright ideas on attacking them. Mordin shook his head as Marcus joined him, kneeling on the ground next to the salarian and the dead body.

"Test subject," the salarian concluded, "Victim of experimentation."

"I guess there's no way of finding out who this poor bastard was?" Jacob asked from his position ontop of the stairs.

Mordin shook his head, "No tattoos or ID. Maybe slave or prisoner. Maybe merc or pirate. Irrelevant now," the salarian stated, "Clearly part of krogan tests to cure genophage. Confirms need for Maelon to seek cure. Humans useful as test subjects. Genetically diverse. Enables exploration of treatment modalities."

Kal shook his head, "How are humans more genetically diverse than other species?"

"More variable. Peaks and valleys, mutations, adaptations. Far beyond beyond other life. Makes humans useful test subjects. Larger reactions to smaller stimuli."

"What can you tell about the experiments from looking at the body?" Miranda asked, "Anything to confirm that it is genophage cure work?"

Mordin nodded, typing more commands into his omni-tool, "Position of tumors suggest deliberate mutation adrenal, pineal glands. Modifying hormone levels. Counterattack on glands hit by genophage. Clever. Beyond the abilities of krogan scientists, but if Maelon was being forced to do it..." He didn't need to finish that sentence. Everyone understood its meaning well enough.

Kaidan asked the one question that hung around the room, "So...you think they might be coming close to curing the genophage?"

Mordin cursed under his breath and shook his head, "Can't tell. Need more data. Conceptually sound, though. Genophage alters hormone levels. Could repair damage with hormonal counterattack."

Marcus couldn't say what was being done here was right; capturing people and forcing them to be test subjects was utterly barbaric, but he couldn't disagree with the goal, as much as he didn't want to voice it to Mordin. The krogan had endured enough of the genophage and deserved the cure, despite how much the salarians wanted to continue enforcing it. But this wasn't the way to cure it.

"Now we've got two reasons to shut this place down," Marcus declared, standing up with rifle in hand. Mordin switched off his omni-tool and quickly followed Marcus' example, unholstering his SMG once more as the building shook from another bombardment.

"Let's move," Marcus ordered.

Mordin nodded, moving on ahead, "Finding Maelon is priority. Too late to help the dead." And before the spectre could object to that, the salarian disappeared down another stairwell, heading further into the hospital. Marcus shook his head and motioned for his team to follow, leaving Grunt and Kal to cover the flank while they proceeded further into the hospital's interior.

Once down the stairwell, they turned left to see a large section of wall had been blown apart by a Tomkah's main cannon, allowing sunlight to break through and light the usually much darker area. Flames enveloped the area around the blast radius, but they easily moved past it. A door further on stretched across the room for five meters, with a green panel to the side; one of the older door mechanisms.

Hitting the panel, the door opened with an intense grinding sound which echoed throughout the chamber behind it. It was quite a large room and judging by the layout, it had once been the hospital's triage center. Crates lay left and right along with tossed over hospital beds, rusting metal, corroding stone and weapons laying about. The room had been left in haste; most likely to deal with the oncoming threat of Wrex's assault.

Up above was a balcony that had a door presumably leading into the next room. But as they examined it, the door slid open, a large Weyrloc krogan followed by two Blood Pack warriors and six vorcha moving out onto the balcony while the Weyrloc regarded Marcus and his team with disgust.

He wore milky white armor and had a brown crest and scarred neck, along with aqua blue eyes. As he leaned on the railing, looking down on them, he spoke, his deep voice echoing off the walls, "I am the speaker for Clan Weyrloc offworlders. You have shed our blood. By rights, you should be dead already. But Weyrloc Guld, the chieftain of chieftains, has given you leave to flee. He has shown mercy, and you would be wise to take this opportunity."

Jack chuckled loudly while Marcus grinned, "Excuse me, am I in the right battle?" Jack asked, barely able to contain her laughter, "Last I checked,  _we were winning this battle._ "

"I should be giving Guld the right to flee," Marcus declared, "Wrex's forces must be giving you a pounding outside, and it can't be easy going, with me attacking you from the front and my tank keeping your men pinned. So, maybe I'll be giving  _you_ mercy?"

The krogan was arrogant as ever, "If you walk away now, you can tell your children that you saw Clan Weyrloc and the Blood Pack before they conquered the stars. You think the Urdnot impressive?  _ **They are pitiful!**_ Weyrloc Guld will destroy them, and destroy Urdnot Wrex! The salarian will cure the genophage, and the krogan will spread across the galaxy in a sea of blood!"

Mordin shook his head, "Discovered Maelon's work. Unfortunate. More reason to stop them."

 _Or reason to help them,_ but he dare not say that aloud. Instead, he responded in kind, "It doesn't have to happen like this. If Guld simply yields and joins with Clan Urdnot, no more blood has to be shed. I can understand wanting to cure the genophage, but this isn't the way."  _Really? 'No more blood has to be shed?' You think they like that thought? Krogan crave blood! Grunt proved that well enough._

"No human, you understand nothing!" The krogan bellowed, "You have not seen the piles of children that never lived! The krogan...were wronged. Weyrloc will make it right; Chieftain Guld will make it right! And then we will have our revenge! Urdnot wants to appease the Council; but we won't. We will destroy Urdnot. Weyrloc does not forget how Urdnot Grunt murdered his good friend and ally, Gatatog Uvenk! But he will be avenged too when we take both his and Wrex's heads!"

"You'll have to take it from me first," Grunt growled, weapon on his trigger.

Marcus shook his head, "Half the galaxy knows what was done to the krogan was wrong. If you attack now, you won't just lose their support, they'll concede to the Union's stand on it."

The krogan shook his head, "We have the Blood Pack! And we have the salarian! When our clan numbers in the millions, we will not need  _support_ ," the krogan spat the word like it was poison, "When we cure the genophage, Weyrloc Guld will rule  _all_ krogan! The Krogan Rebellions will become the krogan empire! The surviving races will frighten their children with tales of what the Blood Pack to Palaven and the turians. The asari will scream as their Citadel plunges into the sun and we sack Thessia! We will keep the salarians as slaves, and eat their eggs...as a delicacy," that caused Mordin to visibly shiver.

The krogan wasn't done, "The hanar will watch as their oceans on Kahje shrivel up and die from the heat of our bombardment! We will pop the suits of the volus and watch them explode like hot air balloons and we will use the elcor as our personal transport. The quarians will beg and plead as we throw their ships into Earth, one by one, and then enslave the rest of them as our personal slaves," he looked at Tali and Kal; the former looked extremely pissed while the latter was slowly grabbing a thermal clip from his belt to slot into his rifle.

The krogan continued, but his words became background noise as his eyes drifted to a gas pipe under the balcony. Looking at it intently, he immediately unslotted his pistol and pointed directly at it, causing the krogan to stop and smile, "You talk too much," Marcus merely stated before pulling the trigger and unloading a shot into the pipe, igniting it.

A few seconds passed without anything happening and the krogan chuckled, "You see? The human cannot hit a simple-"

The pipe exploded in a gust of orange flame that cut off the krogan and engulfed him in pure fiery death. He screamed in agony as the blast engulfed the vorcha as well, including both warriors; all of them, burning, screaming, tumbling. His team merely watched; the men bringing promises of death to their peoples, now burning.  _'You wanted to hear me scream,' he thought, remembering Tali's words, 'But now I'll hear yours.'_

A few moments passed after the explosion that the krogan finally stopped screaming and his body went limp, toppling over the railing and hitting the ground below with a loud and wet thump. The vorcha were long dead by this point and both warriors with just twitching on the ground, their talk of desolation and death now over. He motioned for his team to follow, Mordin right behind him as they ascended the steps to the balcony and walked through the wide open door. He commed his channel to Wrex to see how he was going.

"Wrex," he spoke, "How goes the assault?"

"Better then I thought," Wrex responded immediately, gunfire heard over the comms followed by shouting and roaring and explosions, "Guld is throwing everything he has at us, while leaving his reserves to deal with you. He doesn't see you as that big of a threat. If you move quickly, you might be able to catch him in the rear and we can close in on him from both sides. Did he said a clan speaker to talk with you?"

He was surprised by the question, "Yes. How did you know that?"

"He sent one to us too," the chieftain answered, "Although he barely got a word out before Wreav filled him full of lead. I might hate my brother and at least he knows bullshit when he hears it. We're moving through the main facility; how about you?"

"Just got through triage and pushing on through. Minimal resistance, as you said," Marcus replied as they continued walking down a corridor.

Wrex chuckled, "Come on! You're so slow! At least try and keep up!"

Marcus smiled despite himself, "We'll be there soon. Try not to die before I get there. Shepard out."

"Smartass," Wrex muttered before cutting the comm.

"Lab is likely through here," Mordin pointed out, pointing to a door up ahead, "Smells of antiseptic. Hint of dead flesh."

Tali sighed, "Sometimes...I'm really glad I can switch off my suit's olfactory filters."

Kal chuckled, "Embrace it, ma'am. These smells are as good as they're going to get."

Kaidan muttered under his breath something along the lines of, "I doubt its the only thing she'll be smelling before long..."

Tali shot him a glare, informing the human sentinel that he had been heard and he quickly retreated to Garrus, not wanting to risk Tali's wrath. Kal simply guffawed, mumbling, "Most interesting team I've ever worked with. I love it already."

"Welcome to the Normandy," Marcus responded cheerily before hitting the door panel and opening it.

The door opened out into a long corridor with multiple wards; the main frame of the facility, most likely. Medical equipment long abandoned from centuries of neglect lay all over the place, but some of it had been restored most likely to assist in working on the cure. Mordin grimaced at the sight of the place before climbing a misshappen looking ramp into a particular ward with a bed. A single occupant sat on it, a sheet covering it to show it was dead.

From under the sheet, he could make out large three toed feet and talons along with the headcrest of a krogan. But the body was smaller and much more petite than normal krogan, and he noticed the outline of breasts under the sheet.  _A female krogan? What's she doing here?_

He could hear Jack kicking things nearby and Miranda typically trying to get her to stop, but only getting curses in return.  _I swear those two hate each other more than I despise volus._ He approached the table that Mordin was now scanning with his omni-tool, shaking his head in regret before leaning on said table as he examined the results of his scan.

"Dead krogan. Female. Tumors indicate experimentation. No restraint marks. Volunteer," Mordin contemplated, sighing, "Sterile Weyrloc female willing to risk procedures. Hoped for cure. Pointless," the last part was a whisper, "Pointless waste of life."

Despite his best intentions, Marcus could stop himself from saying something stupid, "I didn't think you'd be disturbed by the sight of dead krogan." His tone was bitter as he said it.

He swore Mordin shot him an icy glare, but if he did, it was soon gone, "What? Why? Because of genophage work? Irrelevant. No, causative! Never experimented on live krogan! Never killed with medicine! Her death not my work! Only...reaction to it," Marcus could see it in the salarian's eyes; the denial. He was beginning to regret the side effects of what he'd done, but didn't want to believe it. He wanted to believe what he did was for the greater good.

Mordin sighed again, "Goal was to stabilize population. Never wanted this. Can see it logically; but still unnecessary. Foolish. Waste of life! Hate to see it."

Marcus shook his head, moving to stand next to the ex-STG agent, "I didn't think you'd have much contact with things like this. Did you...did you come to Tuchanka, after dropping your plague?"

Mordin nodded, "Yearly recon missions. Water, tissue samples. Internal mistakes. Superiors offered to carry it on. Refused. Needed to see it in person. Need to look. Need to...see, needed me to accept that it was necessary. See small picture," he took an inhale of breath, "Remind myself why I run a clinic on Omega."

Mordin turned to the dead krogan and waved his hand over the corpse, closing his eyes as he did, "Rest, young mother. Find your gods. Find somplace better."

Marcus was pleasantly surprised, "I didn't expect spirituality from you, Mordin," the sentence came out more of a stupid insult then an actual question; something which he never intended.

Mordin didn't seem fazed though, "Genophage altered millions of lives. Then saw results. Ego, humility, juxtapositions. Frailty of life. Size of universe. Explored religions after work completed. Different races, no answers. Many questions. Are you religious, Shepard?"

"I am," Marcus admitted, "Jewish, actually."

"Interesting. Did much research into Judaism, most legitimate claim out of all Earth religions," Mordin responded, "But ultimately not the one I chose."

"Which did you choose?"

Mordin hesitated for a moment, before looking him in the eyes, "The ones...the ones I...I...I..."

 _Wronged._ That's what Mordin wanted to say, but he didn't. He couldn't. His stubborn belief of the greater good got in the way and stopped him from saying it, and when Mordin turned around, he simply forgot what he was about to say, instead going silent.

"Hard to see big picture," Mordin finally said out of nowhere, "Behind a pile of corpses. Some would say I should feel gulity. Not guilty, responsible. Genophage massive in scope; but ultimately necessary to ensure galactic stability and security. Cannot risk second rebellions. Cannot give them that chance."

"And what of what Wrex has achieved?" Marcus asked the salarian, "Wrex has united all the clans except Weyrloc under his ideal of a better krogan people. They can change Mordin; but they won't have the chance to show their true colors if the Council continues to hide in fear from them and continue to modify the virus that wronged them everytime it looks about to fail. Wrex needs this chance; especially if we want to fight the Reapers."

"Not all krogan like Urdnot Wrex," Mordin responded quickly, "Wreav proves this. Krogan a naturally violent species. War has become a norm among them; they cannot be trusted."

"Humans have a norm for warfare too," Marcus stated bitterly, "Did the salarians give us a sterility plague?"

"Humans don't breed like rabbits," Mordin responded just as harshly, "Krogan birth rates before genophage utterly ridiculous. Their spread main reason of what lead to rebellions. They overpopulated colonies far too quickly, required more planets to colonize. Council refusal to hand over Council worlds to krogan main reason for war that lead to genophage. Curing it would result in same byproduct. Cannot allow this. But enough of this, we must find Maelon. Genophage not up to us anyway; Council would need to approve."

 _Just like they approved me leaving to stop Saren on Ilos,_ Marcus thought, but decided not to voice that particular thought and his team followed Mordin out of the wards corridor and into what was possibly the largest chamber in the entire hospital.

The room was at least half a kilometer across, with large stone pillars holding up the structure. What would have been the waiting room for the hospital, he surmised. As they turned to assess the area, they found the source of the main battle; Guld and his forces engaged Wrex and his Urdnot. He motioned for his team to silent approach from behind and when they crouched behind a collapsed stone pillar, he looked up to spot Guld.

It wasn't hard; Guld was a behemoth. He was even bigger than Wrex; or maybe it was the bloody tank armor that the beast wore that made him look so big. He couldn't see Guld's face because it was hidden behind a krogan helmet, but his claymore shotgun definitely spoke wonders for how dangerous Guld would be to engage. His armor looked thick enough to repel Tali's shotgun too; not to mention a couple of missiles.

Guld and a large force of Weyrloc and Blood Pack krogan, along with some vorcha mercenaries all assumed defensive positions as Wrex's forces converged on them. The enemy were outnumbered; that much was obvious, but they were putting up enough of a fight that Wrex couldn't advance any further and was slowly taking casualities. But with Marcus in the mix, that would soon change.

"Garrus, take Grunt, Mordin, Jacob and Miranda and flank right. Everyone else with me and we'll flank left. On my mark. Mark." They immediately rushed out, guns blazing, but not a single war cry uttered.

Garrus' team hit first and hit hard. Grunt bashed the skulls of two vorcha together while Miranda and Jacob used their biotics to cause hell amongst their ranks. Mordin hid, harassing the enemy with SMG fire and occassionally hitting them with a cryo blast or incineration burst. Either way, the attack was effective.

Marcus smashed his omni-blade into the face of a turning vorcha and quickly whorled around, ducked and managed to dodge a krogan's omni-blade before impacting his own into the warrior's kneecap, smashing it. Falling to his knee, the krogan was unable to stop Marcus as he tore out his omni-blade and threw it into the krogan's throat with full force, tearing it open like an overripe melon, blood coating the floor in thick droplets.

Guld terrified him the most. Jack had charged at the krogan, but he had quickly turned around and used his arm to swat her aside, causing her to hit a wall and screaming in pain as her arm broke from the impact. The massive warlord immediately raised his claymore and fired at Kaidan, who managed to raise a biotic barrier just in time and retreat. Tali and Kal were smart enough to know they could not take Guld on, which just left Marcus.

And Wrex.

His krogan friend whorled around the corner, his own claymore out and body alight with biotic fury. He roared in tandem with Guld, both of them smashing into each other, Guld's own body lighting with biotics, which added to his power. But despite Guld's size, Wrex easily countered his punches and kicks, showing just how powerful Wrex could be as well. But he couldn't last forever, and Wrex wasn't invincible.

While Guld was distracted, Marcus pulsed with his own biotics and charged managing to land on Guld's back. This enraged the krogan and for a moment, he forgot Wrex was there, allowing the krogan to rip Guld's head off. He was ugly; that much was for certain. He had far more scars than Wrex had on his face, black eyes and a bright blue crest. Guld roared in fury as he tried to shake Marcus off, but it was pointless.

Tali moved towards Guld while distracted and pulled out her knife. And before the warlord realized what was happening, he found Tali's boot knife wedged in his eye socket, causing him to growl with rage and vehemence. Before Tali could pull away and celebrate her victory however, Guld grabbed her wrist and violently twisted it, snapping it. Tali screamed in agony before she was tossed into Wrex, Wrex having to stop his assault and catch Tali as they fell to the ground together in a heap.

Guld turned to deal with Marcus, who still clung to his back, but now he was pissed. Seeing Tali's delicate wrist snap had been all that was needed to awaken the primal beast inside of him. He grabbed ahold of Tali's knife and yanked it out, dark red blood gushing out of the wound in a steady flow, but Guld barely noticed. Turning the knife in his grip, he posed to strike, but due to having to release one hand to grip the knife, his grip on Guld's back was weakened, allowing the krogan to rip him off and throw him on the ground.

Pain lanced up his head as it hit the ground, but his adrenaline rush burned it out. As Guld moved for the finishing blow, Marcus leapt up and buried the knife in Guld's mouth before cutting his tongue clean off. Guld couldn't even scream as he cradled his jaw, Marcus picking up the limp piece of flesh on his chest and throwing it aside before he rammed the knife, once more, into the krogan's other eye socket.

Without eyes, Guld could only flail around as Wrex's men combined their fire, raking his heavy armor with gunfire. Eventually, Guld finally fell, his body going limp and a massive pool of blood quickly forming around his head and spilling out onto the levels below. Marcus looked at Tali's knife, the blade now thick with krogan blood. It was then that he realized.  _Tali._

He got up and rushed over to her, Wrex laying her body on the ground as she squirmed, cradling her broken wrist while moaning in agony. Wrex turned to him and Marcus nodded, the krogan motioning for his men to secure the area while he tossed Guld's body over the edge of the balcony. Marcus kneeled next to Tali and held her in his arms, just content to hold her.

"It hurts...Keelah...," Tali muttured, "Please...something for the pain..."

He grabbed a syringe from his first aid pouch on his armor and filled it with a decent amount of painkillers. He quickly plunged the tip into one of the injection ports on Tali's suit, easing the liquid into her bloodstream. After a few more seconds of excruitating agony for the quarian, she stopped squirming and relaxed but quickly realized she was getting sleepy, "What...what did you..." she barely finished as her eyes fell shut, her body going limp but for her slight pulse.

"I've put her to sleep," Marcus informed Garrus, "Take Jack and Kaidan, and head back to the ship and inform Chakwas of her injuries and Jack's broken arm. We're going to finish the mission and evac Maelon. Keep her safe, Garrus."

Garrus nodded in understanding and gently picked up Tali's unconscious form in his arms, "I'll protect her like she was my little sister; which she technically is," With a warm smile, he headed off with Tali in his arms, Kaidan helping Jack back to the hammerhead despite her protests.

With a nod to Wrex, who was taking his troops to secure the rest of the building and root out any Weyrloc and Blood Pack survivors, Marcus took the remainder of his team and entered the main laboratory of the hospital; where they assumed Maelon would be found.

They assumed correctly. As the door slid open, they were greeted by a large lab full of equipment and crates and at the end, examining a holographic terminal, was the familiar form of Maelon Heplorn. But what was surprising was that Maelon had no guards; he could easily have tried to escape, but he didn't. He was working willingly.

Mordin moved forward, confusion on his features, "Maelon? Alive, unharmed. No signs of restaint, no evidence of torture. Don't understand."

Maelon, having pretended to work finally turned around, revealing his largely unchanged face, grinning and shaking his head, "For such a smart man, professor, you always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions. How long will it take you to figure out that I'm here because I wish to be here?"

Marcus glared at Maelon, "He wasn't kidnapped. He came here voluntarily to cure the genophage."

Maelon nodded in his direction, "Of course I did."

Mordin shook his head in anger, "Impossible. Whole team agreed! Project necessary!"

Maelon sighed, pointing to the screen he was working on, "How was I supposed to disagree with the great Doctor Solus? I was your student; I looked up to you!"

Mordin kicked down one of the medical benches in his rage, "Experiments performed here! Live subjects, prisoners, torture and executions,  _ **your doing!?**_ " Marcus had never seen Mordin so angry, but he knew it was too late to chain the beast and decided not to interrupt.

Maelon made the mistake of trying to rationalize his ideals, "We've already got the blood of billions on our hands, doctor," Maelon explained, omni-pads still present on his wrists, "If it takes a bit more to put things right, I can deal with that."

Mordin fumed but Marcus stepped in before he could blow it, "Mordin, did you  _ever_  perform experiments like this?"

Mordin turned his blazing eyes to the spectre, but the fire in them died alittle, "No. Never taught you this,  _Maelon_ ," he turned back to the salarian, vehemence back in his eyes.

Maelon shook his head and slammed a closed fist into his console, "Oh, so your hands are clean? Who cares if the ground is stained with the blood of billions? You taught me that the ends justify the means. I will undo what we did professor, the only way I know how."

Marcus couldn't deny the possibilities of a cure, "What happens if the genophage is cured?"

Maelon turned to Marcus, hope in his eyes, "We justify this attrocity for saying the krogan will wreak havoc and spark war when we can't even be certain of that! Who cares about simulations; they are computer-generated and based on calculations taken thousands of years ago! The krogan have changed! And now look at the galaxy; batarian attacks in the Traverse, the geth attack on the Citadel. Tell me, just how peaceful is this galaxy? The assault on your Eden Prime might have been averted if the krogan weren't stuck on this planet! The krogan might have even stopped the geth attacking the Citadel, Feros, Noveria, Therum. Think of it Shepard; Ashley Williams might never have died and the entire battle on Virmire averted!"

That hit Marcus dead center.  _Ashley Williams might never have died._ He saw the truth in it. A galaxy with a powerful krogan presence could have easily stopped the Eden Prime War before it even began. Ashley might even be alive. Sovereign could have been stopped early. Eveyone who died, could have been saved. Even Jenkins didn't have to die...

Miranda quickly jumped in, "How does a krogan population explosion help stop Saren, Sovereign and the geth?"

Maelon turned to the woman, regarding her strongly, "An increased krogan population would have forced the Council to take steps. Likely involving colony rights in the Traverse; the turian fleets would be strictly vigilant for any military action in the area. With this action, Eden Prime would never have been attacked because the turian and krogan fleets patrolled would have detected their presence and engaged them!"

Mordin shook his head vehemently, "Superstition; impossible to be certain!"

Maelon sighed heavily, leaning against the console, "Don't you see? The Salarian Union tried to play god and we failed; we only made things worse. And me? I'm going to fix it all! I'm going to undo the greatest war crime in this galaxy's history!"

"You keep talking about blood on the ground," Jacob added, "But the genophage only effects fertility rates."

Maelon scoffed, "Yes, and do you see how the krogan love to fight over females? They make love, if you can call it that, in the hopes that a child will be born out of it. Others turn to piracy or mercenary work because they see no other alternative. They would be thriving in a cultural renaissance had we not decided that this is what they deserved! And its not even their fault; we uplifted them to begin with to fight a war we couldn't win! We are to blame!"

"Of course we are to blame! No dalatrass has ever denied it! No salarian has ever shied away from it!" Mordin shot back, "Our fault, our responsibility! We fixed it! Genophage filled the gap our mistake left and left no room for the krogan to regroup and try again!"

Marcus sighed heavily, turning to Mordin once he was finished, "Look, this argument is going nowhere. Maelon clearly doesn't need rescuing so what do you want to do with him?"

Mordin looked at Maelon with a strong, relentless gaze before responding, "Have to end this."

Maelon quickly pulled a pistol from the back of his console and aimed it at them, STG training taking effect as he aimed his weapon at them, "You can't admit the truth can you!? Can't admit that your brilliant mind was able to commit an attrocity!" He aimed it at Grunt, as he moved to aim at Mordin, the salarian professor was suddenly right infront of him. He tried to squeeze the trigger, but Mordin ripped the carnifex hand cannon from his grip, tossed it aside and pinned him against the wall, his own SMG coming to bump against his chin.

"Kirrahe would be disappointed," Mordin stated simply, "Believed you had potential. Believe he was wrong now. Unacceptable experiments, unacceptable goals. You won't change..." he seemed to hesitate for a second before his finger began to tighten on the trigger, "Have to kill you."

"Mordin wait!" The words and actions happened before Marcus could stop himself. He grabbed Mordin and tore him off of Maelon, pushing his SMG down. The salarian gave him a dirty look, but he quickly sought justification for his actions, "You're not a murderer, Mordin."

Mordin seemed to think about this for a few moments before looking at Maelon. The salarian gave him a sad, weary look and Mordin gave it back in equality before turning back to Marcus, "You're right," he holstered his SMG, "Not a murderer. Thank you, Shepard."

He quickly turned to Maelon, "Get out of my sight, Maelon. Weyrloc decimated, only Urdnot scouting building. Be gone and leave Tuchanka."

Maelon shrugged his shoulders, "Where am I supposed to go, professor?"

Mordin shrugged his own shoulders in response, "Go to Omega. Ask for Daniel; maybe you can help at my old clinic, set you on a better path. Least you deserve for attrocities committed here. Your actions...I will pass them onto STG Command and they'll most likely strip you of all rank and dishonorably discharge you. Like I said; least you deserve."

Maelon seemed about to argue but simply stormed off, shouting behind him, "The krogan don't deserve what we did to them, professor! The genophage needs to end!" The door closed behind him, Maelon disappearing. For his sake, he better hope Mordin doesn't seem him again.

Mordin shook his head, examining the data on the console, "Not like this. Apologies commander, misunderstood mission parameters. No kidnapping; my mistake."

Marcus placed a hand on his shoulder, causing the salarian to turn around and face him. The spectre shook his head, Don't worry about me Mordin; how are you doing?"

Mordin sighed, not knowing what to say as he examined the endless streams of data. Maelon had progressed well, it seems, "Should have killed him. Wanted to; easier than listening. Easier for him too. Experiments indicate how far he's fallen. Expected it from krogan; not him."

Marcus shook his head, "Maybe you'll remember that the next time you discuss the ethics of the genophage."

Mordin nodded in agreement, typing at Maelon's console, "Yes. So many variables, stress responses, impossible to truly predict. Something to think about; Maelon's research, only loose end. Could destroy it; closure, security. Still valuable, though."

Marcus contemplated what to do next and decided in that instance what was the right thing to do. Maelon was right; the genophage did need a cure, and it wouldn't do to start from scratch. They'd need it, when the future called for it.

"Save it," Marcus ordered, "They don't deserve this and when the time calls for it, we  _will_ cure the genophage. Just not today."

"Point taken Shepard," Mordin responded before a beeping sound resounded from the terminal. A few seconds later, "Saved the data onto local OSD and will take back to Normandy for safe keeping. I've wiped the rest of the terminal and am ready to leave when you are."

Marcus nodded, motioning to outside, "Come on, I've had enough of this place."

"So have I," Mordin responded.

"Do you ever regret modifying the genophage Mordin?" He asked as they left.

Mordin turned to him and shook his head, "Had to be me,"

"Someone else might have gotten it wrong."

**{Loading...}**

_September 26, 2185_

_1127 hours._

_Landing Pad, Urdnot Camp, Hagalok City Ruins, Que'k Wastelands, Tuchanka._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Soldier Grunt, Chieftain's Adjutant Urdnot Wreav, Chieftain Urdnot Wrex, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Professor Mordin Solus, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Master Thief Kasumi Goto._

"Leaving so early, Shepard?" Wrex's booming voice asked and Marcus turned from the shuttle to face him. Wreav stood behind him on guard, as always, as did a few more Urdnot krogan. Marcus motioned for Kal, who he had been talking to, to enter the shuttle and wait while he said goodbye to Wrex. Memories of saying goodbye to Liara on Illium came flashing back into his mind; another friend he was leaving behind.  _How many more?_

"I'd love to stay and catch up Wrex, but this mission is extremely important," Marcus informed the krogan, "The Collectors have to be stopped, and I can't do that on Tuchanka. Maybe, when this whole business with the collectors is over, we can talk. And we'll really talk. I've got alot to catch up on, it seems. Being dead for two years leaves gaps in a man's memory."

"I'm sure it does," Wrex stated and wrapped Marcus in a brotherly hug before letting him go, "Tell my little niece I hope she's okay. I would have killed Guld for what he did, but you beat me to it. Weyrloc is under our control now and Blood Pack are fleeing Tuchanka; any still left will be taken by Thresher Maws or will be killed by men before long."

He smiled, "I wish you well Wrex. We will meet again."

"I've heard what you're doing is a suicide mission," Wrex told him, "You might not come back alive."

Marcus merely gave him a huge grin, "I intend to prove them wrong."

Wrex slapped him on the shoulder, "Wish I could prove it with you, but someone's got to keep these pyjaks in line. Good luck to you Shepard; just make sure you come back alive. The galaxy still needs you."

With that, Wrex and his men left, Wreav giving Marcus one last glare before leaving with his brother and Marcus moved into the shuttle, ordering the pilot to take off. As he sat down and listened to all the conversations in the cabin, his eyes drifted over to Mordin, he eyed the OSD in his hand with vain interest. He saw hope in the salarian's eyes.

_The genophage needs to end._

And from the look in Mordin's eyes, someday, it would.

Just not this day or this week or this month. This month, there was collectors to fight.

**"He did it in the end, didn't he?"**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"He certainly did."**

**\- Marcus Shepard**

**"So, apart from breaking my wrist and you checking up on me, what happened next?"**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"A Dead Reaper."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

_**A/N:** _

_**Sorry guys for the delay, but shit really went down this week. Not only did I have a glass explode in my hand at work and I had to have a cast put around my pinky finger, but my computer spazzed out on me. If it weren't for a certain miracle called 'System Restore', my profile would have been corrupted and all of Prophecy would be GONE. Completely gone. I'm incredibly lucky.** _

_**So, next up is the Dead Reaper mission. I think everyone has been anticipating this chapter the most, haven't you?** _


	46. Dead Sovereigns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cerberus extracts a Reaper IFF from a Derelict Reaper hulk. Unfortunately, contact is lost. Shepard's team is sent in to retrieve the IFF, but find more than they expected.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FORTY-THREE:**

**DEAD SOVEREIGNS**

_September 26, 2185_

_1138 hours._

_Medical Bay, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Mnemosyne, Thorne System, Hawking Eta Cluster._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Chief Medical Officer Karin Chakwas, Subject Zero Jack._

Leaving Tuchanka without properly talking with Wrex had been hard, he wouldn't deny it, but knew it had been necessary. He, also, couldn't deny that Tuchanka had taken alot of energy out of him. Grunt's Rite of Passage and Mordin's not-rescue mission had all involved fighting krogan, and krogan were tough sons of bitches. But it was over now, he was back on the Normandy.

And heading straight for a Derelict Reaper.

He had been pleasantly surprised when he had found out that noone had any personal issues to bring to his attention. When that happened, that had left only one destination; the dead reaper in orbit over Mnemosyne, where the IFF was located.  _And the key to the Omega 4 Relay and the galactic core, where we can finally take the fight to the collectors._ His squad had their doubts; the Illusive Man definitely wasn't to be trusted less now since the collector ship incident, but Marcus was confident this information was good.  _He sent us into a trap, justifying it was for the good of humanity. We need this IFF to stop the collectors. That's for the good of humanity; why would he lie about that?_ Yet again, Marcus was coming to learn alot about the Illusive Man these days, and alot more about Cerberus.

And as he approached the medical bay to check on Tali and Jack, he thought of Miranda and Jacob. Their loyalty to Cerberus had definitely been shaken up by the Illusive Man's actions that day and, as ludicrous as it may sound, even EDI sounded disjointed by it. Jacob had become increasingly doubtful of Cerberus' intentions and Miranda, as much of a hardcore Cerberus loyalist as she was, had given TIM an earful that day in the comm room. The tables were turning; and the Illusive Man's grip was slowly starting to fall away. He just had make the final yank.

He arrived at the med bay, hitting the interface to open the door and he stepped inside. He immediately spotted Jack to the immediate left, fast asleep by the sounds of it and with a milky white cast encompassing her broken arm. And just across from her bed was Tali, but he couldn't see what she was doing as Chakwas stood infront of her, but he could tell she was awake; she was talking to her.

He approached the two of them and stopped at the foot of the bed, Tali noticing immediately and looking at him, "Marcus," she greeted and he responded with a warm smile, moving opposite Chakwas on the other side of the bed.

"How's your wrist?" He asked the quarian, concern replacing his smile.

She looked at her wrist bitterly, "Chakwas said it'll heal fine. She's given me an omni-splint. State of the art technology, she tells me and I should be able to return to duty in three days. In the meantime..."

"No combat missions and no working in engineering," Chakwas finished for her, smiling at the look of frustration pulsing from her eyes, "Light duty only, but since Miss Zorah is incapable of that, she will not work at all for three days. You, as Commanding Officer, must approve of this."

Tali looked at him pleadingly but he shook his head, "Doctor's orders Tali, and I don't want you hurting your wrist. You want it to heal don't you?"

"What am I meant to do?" Tali asked incredulously, "Sit around all day? I broke my  _right_ wrist! That's the one I do everything with! I'd have to sit around for three days doing  _nothing!_ I'd feel so useless! And I can't go on combat missions, which means I can't go with you on the Derelict Reaper. Make sure you're safe..."

He took her hand and held it, "Tali, its just a dead reaper. I think I can take care of myself. Besides, I'll have half the squad and Garrus with me. And all we're doing is collecting an IFF; nothing serious or anything. If we're lucky; we won't have to fight anything. Knowing my luck, that probably won't happen, but what use is hope if we can't use it?"

"I know," Tali responded, "I just feel so useless now. I can't even hold my shotgun; do you realize how humiliating that is? My omni-tool; I can't even use that! I'm going to be bored out of my mind! I mean, I can talk to you, but for a solid three days? That just can't happen! Damn that bosh'tet krogan; damn me! If I hadn't been stupid enough to charge him, I'd still have an intact wrist!"

"Don't you  _dare_  damn yourself for that," he scolded her, "If you hadn't wedged that knife in his eye, that fight could have gotten alot uglier. Its not what we wanted, but it saved our lives besides. You did the right thing Tali."

She sighed, "So, what  _can_ I do doctor?"

Chakwas laughed, "You really shouldn't complain so much," she pointed over at Jack's limp form, "She's got a broken  _arm_. You're lucky its just a wrist."

Tali finally gave in, "Fine! I'm not completely crippled! I hate you Marcus. I love you, and I hate you. Just...when we reach Mnemosyne...you be safe, alright?"

"We won't be there for a day Tali," he assured her, stroking her cheek, "And I will come and give you a kiss goodbye before I leave, so why not leave this until then?"

"Give you food for thought."

"I see you've been learning more human metaphors," he smiled, "I'll be fine, I assure you. I will come back; completely unharmed. Please Tali, you worry too much."

"She has good reasoning," Chakwas mumbled before turning to look at her, "You're free to go, Tali. Remember; no working!" With that, Chakwas retreated to her desk, giving the sleeping form of Jack a glance before picking up a datapad and looking over the data on it. Marcus merely smiled at the irritated posture Tali assumed before offering his hand to help her up with an overexaggerated pose. Tali rolled her eyes and swatted the hand away, causing the spectre to laugh. She stood up and examined her wrist before taking Marcus' hand and leaving the med bay.

They headed up to their cabin; Marcus had nothing to do but wait and wanted to do the rounds later when he wasn't so drained. Tali wasn't allowed to work, which means they both had sometime to each other. He had to remember to ask Mordin too.  _I'll definitely ask him later._

It wasn't long before the elevator reached Deck One and the elevator door opened. They both moved past the door and quickly entered the cabin, both of them stopping to stretch limbs. But as he did, his eyes glanced over a familiar bag lying underneath his desk. With a warm smile, he turned towards his quarian girlfriend, "Tali, go sit on the sofa. I've got something to show you."

Tali gave him a curious gaze, but quickly saw that he wasn't going to elaborate, so gave up and headed down the steps to plop down on the couch. With a smile in her direction, and allowing his eyes to momentarily explore her body, he moved over to his desk and crouched under it, grabbing the handle of the bag and tugging on it, making sure it was the bag he was thinking of. He heard the sound of stone grating, and came to the conclusion it was indeed the right bag and pulled it out, carrying it over to the sofa.

Tali frowned as he came into view, her eyes watching the bag, "Wait...wasn't that the bag you had in that vault when we raided Hock's mansion?"

Marcus grinned as he sat down next to her, placing the bag on his right so she couldn't see its contents, "Your memory serves you correctly. But do you remember what I put in it?"

Tali quickly shook her head, unable to fathom what he had taken from the vault, "Something from the vault, I'd gather, but I can't possibly know or remember what it was. But from the look you're giving me, you're about to show me."

Marcus guffawed, squeezing her shoulder, "You know me too well."

Tali grinned sheepishly under her mask, "A few months serving under you, especially as your girlfriend, means I get to know you  _very_ well," she finished with a lace of seduction in her tone and Marcus had to fight the urge to rip her mask off and kiss her right there. Instead, he turned to the bag and pulled it into his lap, before stopping and having a change of heart. Instead, he placed it on Tali's lap and leaned back, arm around her shoulders.

Tali eyed the bag for a mere second before she reached in and grabbed at whatever was in it. Her three-fingered hand wrapped around a thick stone block; it was smooth but old, she could tell, and it was at least 10 centimeters thick. How wide, she couldn't tell. But there was two, she thought, as her hand caught on a second block, the same size as the other. Curiosity taking over, she grabbed one block and immediately pulled it out.

A great stone slab fell into her lap and she grunted from how heavy it was, but she immediately noticed there was nothing on it. Turning it over in hopes of finding something, she gasped in surprise when she saw a mass amount of Khelish scriptures all along it. She regarded Marcus with a stunned gaze, her jaw dropping. He just smiled warmly at her, squeezing her shoulders.

She pulled out the second slab, it being exactly the same as the first, but the writing different. Tali examined the blocks, but as she looked at Marcus, she realized he had  _no idea_ what he had just given her, and that warmed her heart even more. As she read, she realized that she was reading a very, very,  _very_ ancient variant of khelish, a dialect she could barely read and was one of the more primitive of the dialects.  _This kind of khelish died on Rannoch. These slabs...they're from Rannoch itself..._ she also recognized them from her history classes. These slabs were  _the very first_ examples of written language on Rannoch; when the quarian people began left their underground holes and took to building civilization and culture; where they had evolved from being simple-minded four-legged predators to civilized two-legged omnivores.

It was said that quarians once had sharp canines and that they hunted in packs, but since then, evolution had obviously taken its toll, with the quarian canines taking the form of the less lethal molar teeth. But this writing was remarkable; the very first incriptures of the quarian language. The slabs that sat in her lap were the symbols that marked the end of quarian prehistoric times and dawned quarian history.

The khelish was engraved in the stone, not painted, showing a level of building intelligence. It was also pure form khelish, not the translated form using human english letters for translation, which meant Marcus couldn't read it. How something has old as this got in the hands of Donovan Hock, she had no idea, but she was holding a piece of her history in her lap and that made tears well in her eyes.

The Migrant Fleet barely had anything on their history anymore. They had abandoned most of it when they fled from Rannoch at the end of the Morning War, and there was only so much a school could teach you with their own knowledge. As far as the quarian people were concerned, their history had died on the homeworld, along with mostly everything else they lost to the geth. And to be holding a piece of her history when her people had none, made her weep.

When she began crying, she noticed Marcus' demeanour changing almost immediately and he cradled her head on his chest, rubbing her arm, "What's wrong? Is it offensive? I can get rid of it if you wish-"

She waved a hand at him, "No, its not that, its just...do you realize what you've given me? Truly?"

"No," Marcus admitted honestly, "All I know is that its quarian, and it has something to do with Rannoch, your homeworld."

"This is from the early days of quarian history," she explained, " _Very_ early days. This writing is the very first example of quarian writing and marked the end of quarian prehistory, and the start of our history. It makes me weep because...because my people...we don't have anything like this. As far as we're concerned, everything we are and ever will be died on our homeworld when the geth took it from us...our purpose, our goals, our hopes, all gone. What I'm holding...its...what's that human saying? 'A wake up call?'"

"I didn't realize," the spectre admitted, still cradling her, "So..you do like it?"

Tali managed to laugh despite herself, "I love it; I couldn't ever repay you for something like this. And don't ask me not to; you just gave me something that my people could never dream of. Next you'll tell me that the geth dropped dead and you're taking me to Rannoch for vacation; if that happens then medication be damned..."

He laughed, examining him, "Unfortunately, I don't have a Rannoch to give you. But consider this just the beginning; your people have been wronged for far too long Tali. You've travelled the galaxy three centuries too long; this will be fixed. And I swear to you, you will see Rannoch before you die; I  _promise_ you."

"How can you promise something like that?" Tali asked, "The geth won't give it up without a fight, and my people won't stand a chance in an all-out war."

"We'll think of something," he promised, still holding her and feeling his eyes drooping, "Just-"

Tali waited for him to finish but didn't hear him. She looked up and saw his eyes closed, softly snoring. She smiled and snuggled in closer, careful not to wake him. She closed her eyes, holding the tablets close to her with her other hand. A piece of her history, always close, never letting go. She dreamed. She dreamed of Marcus. She dreamed of Rannoch. She dreamed of a house promised by a dead man and she dreamed of children.

**{Loading...}**

_September 27, 2185_

_1419 hours._

_Beachhead, Batarian Pirate Outpost, Northern Hemisphere, 2123 Pelaan._

_First Lieutenant Madi'Soi vas Ceresa, Infantry Weapons Officer Bema'Sad vas Pelpz, Command Sergeant Major Weya'Koris nar Qwib Qwib._

Her scope lowered over one of the batarian guards protecting the base, but she did not pull the trigger, merely watching. As did the rest of her company; they hid behind rocks, just watching the batarian patrols. Her weapons officer, Bema'Sad, crouched a few meters to her right, down a low slope and the closest to the enemy base, his vindicator cradled in his grip. Weya'Koris, her pilgrimage recruit, sat next to her, shotgun at the ready.

Their shuttle had landed a couple of hours ago, and thanks to the duplicated stealth technology, the pirates were unable to detect them. Their ship, the Hutbyk, the same ship that had smuggled quarians onto Haestrom, hung in orbit, undetected by the enemy pirate ships. The captain of the Hutbyk's thought he had detected something on radar, but it had turned out to be a phantom reading.

They had landed the shuttle a kilometer away and continued on foot; and now here they were, moving to rescue pilgrim Yyll'Inas nar Mariy, who's ship had been boarded by the pirates and captured. Due to the base being on the planet the pilgrim's ship was destroyed over, the Admiralty Board figured she was being held here and sent them to clean it out. And here she was, leading skylords, to rescue a pilgrim.

"Daro, Hya, Poro, Saq, move around to the left and get closer," Madi ordered through her comm, making sure to keep her look on the entrance to make sure no more guards came, "Orah, Pein, Farql, follow me. Weya, you're in command of Delta Platoon; keep a look out on the entrance and assign a sniper. Bema, take your squad and be prepared to come in guns blazing. Attain positions, radio affirmative, then this operation is green. Move."

Her company moved with straightforward precision. By the time she had issued her orders, Bema had taken his squad and were assuming positions behind an outcrop of rock just infront of the base's main entrance, ready to activate their tactical cloaks, which were standard issue for all skylords. Weya and her platoon were up on the overhang, ready to provide cover fire. Weya and her weren't best friends, but she respected Madi enough to follow her orders. Madi had heard Weya had been close to the original commanding officer, before he was killed during a similiar operation on another world.

Madi swapped her viper sniper rifle out for her valkyrie rifle; which had been found in a batarian stockpile during one of her earlier missions under Kal. The thought of her mate brought her sadness; she had gotten a message from him confirming that he had joined the Normandy, and that he hoped to see her soon. The fact that when she returned home to the Migrant Fleet, she wouldn't see Kal, tore at her. Being away from him had been getting more and more painful lately, especially since their first joining.

_Get yourself together. You're a marine, a skylord at that. You have feelings of steel; you can handle alittle seperation. Besides, when he gets back, you can join with him as much as you like. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as the human saying goes._

She needed to get her mind off of Kal. She focused back on the mission, and hit her comm, motioning that the operation was green, "Weya, sniper, guard."

A second later, a whistle of air hit her ears and was soon ended as the bullet impacted the batarian's head, killing him instantly and spreading red blood all over the wall. His body slumped to the ground and Farql, her team's engineer, began hacking the door while Madi's team made sure noone spotted her.

The door slid open, and four batarian guards came rushing out, weapons drawn, but saw nothing as her team engaged their cloaks. But just as soon as the guards had popped out, wielding pistols and shotguns, Bema's team came charging down and disposed of the guard's quietly. Disengaging cloaks, they gave each other thumbs up before Madi took the lead and moved inside, Bema's squad not far behind.

They were met by a dull-grey corridor and what looked to be the logos of an old asari research corporation. The building looked like it had been repopulated recently and packs of crates aligned the entrance, open and displaying many different kinds of weapons and stock and many more logistics. Madi motioned for her squad to move up and move the second door just ahead while Bema's squad took up the rear, Bema deploying his combat drone.

The place was quiet; eerily quiet. There was not a single sound to be heard and that scared Madi.  _Where are all the pirates? Where are the batarians?_ Madi's apprehension caused her to tighten the grip on her rifle and her anxiety seemed to spread to her squad, who seemed to share the same fears, but not Bema. He simply didn't care; he was always dense that way. Sometimes she wondered why he was even here: he was useless at tactics. He was good for nothing but building weapons. He could barely fire a weapon either. But there was a cool demeanour about him she didn't like either; he just seemed too...okay with everything that went on around him, like he was out of sync.

The next door opened without so much as a hitch; noone moved to intercept them or try and stop them. Apart from the guards at the door, no sign of the pirates was in the base. Not even their ship was there; it was completely absent.  _Maybe they've left to raid another hapless traveller? Or maybe a corporate vessel?_

The deeper they went, the less they heard. Eventually, they were forced to split up to cover more ground, and Bema had taken to checking the upper levels of the base while Madi checked the lower levels. Weya reported no activity outside, and for many minutes, no contact was made, just more empty rooms. It was starting to drive Madi mad.  _Where the hell are they!? And where is our pilgrim?_

Finally, Madi and her squad reached the final room and they moved inside, checking the room. Once again, it was empty; a non-descript room with a single chair in the middle along with numerous featureless walls. The room was a box; it looked as if it had once served as sleeping quarters when under asari control, but obviously that had changed. She commed Bema to request a status report.

"Squad B, sitrep," Madi requested.

"This is Bema, we're on the top level and I think we've found him," Bema reported, "Rao, blow this door open, use the C9 charge. Everyone else, breaching positions." A few seconds passed, followed by a loud explosion and she heard Bema's team charging inside.

"Bema," she asked, "Give me a visual."

"You'll love this," Bema replied before she raised her omni-tool and established a video link from his. She looked over and gasped in shock when she saw the state the young pilgrim was in. She was dead; that much was obvious, but the way the batarians had treated her; it was monstrous. Her mask had been ripped off and her hood was shredded in many areas, with one of the quarian's eyeballs missing. Her limp body was strapped to a chair, with her lower torso suit sections having been torn away to reveal her sex, still dripping with batarian sperm.

_They raped this poor pilgrim then they tortured her and then left her here. But why? If they had killed her, why would they keep her body? They had their fun with the poor soul, ancestors have mercy, and they keep her? Strapped to a chair? What's the meaning...I mean..._

"Wait, do you hear that?" One of Bema's men asked and she moved forward infront of the omni-tool's video and went behind the chair. Her eyes lit up and she turned to Bema, "Sir! Her omni-tool's still active! And its displaying something!"

"Well, what is it?" Bema asked.

"Numbers," the woman replied, "Somekind of countdown..."

_Somekind of countdown. Keelah, they were waiting for us. It was a trap. They raped and killed her and then left her as a..._

Her voice barely found the words to speak but when she did, she screamed, " _ **GET OUT OF THERE! GEEEETTTTT OOOOOUUUUUTTTTT!**_ " she roared.

Bema nodded motioning to his team, "Everyone, we are-"

The pilgrim's body exploded and the video feed went to static, but Madi heard the aftermath of the explosion before the omni-tool died; screaming, gunfire and Bema screaming; his arm had been severed, from what she heard, but that's all she heard before the unit died.

She turned to her team, urgency in her voice, "Pack up, we're leaving. Double back to the entrance-"

"I think not."

She wheeled around, as did her team, weapons raised at the source of the voice. Standing in the doorway was a single batarian, SMG drawn and his face taught. His features were ragged and stiff, and his look was devilish. He looked at her.

"Identify yourself, you murderer!" Madi shouted.

"No need to be rude," the batarian responded in kind, "I am Division Regent Balak Uhtero, esteemed officer of the Batarian Hegemony."

"You're a murderer," Madi repeated, her weapon still pointed.

"I murdered noone," Balak responded cooly, which provoked Madi further.

"Ancestors, you think I'm stupid?" Madi replied venomously, "Of course you did! You batarians captured our pilgrim, raped, tortured and killed her and then rigged her to explode and kill my men when they arrived!"

"Like I said, not me," Balak replied, "And although I'd like nothing then to rape you, torture you and blow you all up, my clients would prefer their subjects alive and healthy. So, I'll leave you to them. Meet your new caretakers."

Madi moved towards where the batarian's hand pointed to and her eyes widened in horror when she saw a collector walk through the doorway, assault rifle in hand. Following behind it were several more, along with one that looked like it was on fire; pulsing bright fiery orange and with deadly eyes to match.

She commed Weya, "Weya, take your team and proceed to the shuttle! Go!"

No response. She repeated her orders but Balak simply shook his head, "Your reinforcements seem to be preoccupied with survival. A praetorian sent to collect them, no less. The collectors may be interested in humans right now, but that doesn't mean some quarians wouldn't be delicious. If you catch my meaning, of course."

"Hutbyk, we need immediate assistance-" Madi tried.

"Don't bother with that either," Balak told her, "Your ship has impressive stealth technology, but so did the Normandy, and I'm afraid she didn't last very long against a collector cruiser either, and neither did your Hutbyk. They are gone and you are trapped. Noone is coming to rescue you. Lay down your weapons."

_I'll be a slave. I'll never see Kal again. I'm be taken away in some pod and I'll finally see what the collectors do to those they abduct._

But before she knew what was going on, the collectors closed in, and she was suddenly on the floor, pain stabbing through the back of her head, and the world was going black. It was all she could do to quickly activate her emergency beacon on her omni-tool.

_I love you, Kal. Please come find me._

**{Loading...}**

_September 27, 2185_

_1438 hours._

_Artificial Cerberus Airlock, Derelict Reaper, In Orbit over Mnemosyne._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Assassin Thane Krios, Justicar Samara._

He didn't know that a dead sentient starship could be so...deathly silent. He'd been on other ghost ships, the 'disabled' collector cruiser included, and they were silent, but this was a different kind of silence; it was deathly, like something was waiting in the shadows to leap out and kill them at a moments notice. It was a kind of silence that scared Marcus Shepard; and his pace almost increased, but he kept it regular. He couldn't show his squad the fear he felt.

The Illusive Man hadn't been wrong about Mnemosyne's atmosphere. It was extremely hostile and chaotic, like being trapped in the middle of a whorlpool, and he could almost hear the aggressive battering against the frigate's hull, as if wishing to rip the ship apart. But the Normandy's shields held; and so did the crew's resolve. Reapers were never hard to spot; it was hard to miss the great, gigantic two kilometer long squid looking dreadnoughts. But it really stood out now; a Cerberus station had latched itself onto the Reaper's hull, and now the dead starship was covered in Cerberus logos.

The Reaper was certainly did. The weapon the Illusive Man had mentioned had ripped a massive hole in its side; two of its six main legs were completely missing and floating in the area around the derelict reaper, with its wound leaking debris into space. Marcus had never had a chance to board Sovereign; so he had no idea what a Reaper would look like from the inside. So when the Normandy docked with the cerberus station, he had no idea what to expect.

He still had a hard time convinicing himself that it was definitely dead; not a bit of life left in it; had been for millions of years. But as they moved through the empty space station, he just couldn't help but feel like he was being watched and from time to time, he was dead sure he was hearing tiny voices in the back of his head. But he shoved these fears away and continued through the station.

Finally, they arrived at the Artificial Cerberus Airlock; the thing that seperated Reaper and Space Station. It was a big, colossal thing; it was a round circle with a red haptic interface in the middle, but just like the rest of the space station, there was no sign of the Cerberus survey team.  _Maybe they're inside the Reaper, hiding from whatever attacked._ But it couldn't have been an attack either, as the Cerberus survey ships were unscathed and the station showing no signs of battle.  _Collectors maybe?_

But the situation for them didn't look good. As they had traversed the station, they had found video logs made by Doctor Chandana, the survey team's leader, and it didn't look good. The more videos they watched, the more Chandana's mental state seemed to be disintegrating and in the final log, Chandana only seemed to be screaming, Kaidan making out his words to be 'get out of my head!' before Chandana shot himself.

His team, or at least Garrus and Kaidan, were convinced it was indoctrination. They had seen the effects of it in the past; Saren, Benezia, Herau, Gatatog Verx, the protheans and recently, the collectors. They all knew what it did to a man or woman's mental state; it turned them insane, made them do things they normally wouldn't do; they became a pawn of Reaper will, brainwashed into becoming one of their servants. But Marcus didn't want to believe it; how could something that was dead still have the power to indoctrinate? Or was it simply just a processing unit, a field that generated the effects of indoctrination, that still powered it? Or was it...or was it...

_Is this Reaper even dead?_

_Yes. I know it is,_ Marcus convinced himself, returning to the present as he opened the door, turning to his assigned squad, "Be ready. You saw what happened to Chandana; the rest of the survey team might have gone just as insane and could be potentially dangerous. Shoot to kill, but only if the target looks unreasonable."

His team nodded in confirmation and he opened the door, the sliding door opening much like a door in Nos Astra would, and soon it shot open to reveal the monolithic bowels of the Derelict Reaper.

It was massive; it was like taking a trip in the human body as a microbe. The insides of it looked like massive cylinder corridors; the ceiling reaching high above them for at least a hundred feet or more. Wires and other mechanical machinery, all long dead, stretched along the walls, like veins pulsing with the life source of the once seemingly invincible dreadnought. So this is what Sovereign had looked like inside. Before the Fifth Fleet destroyed it, of course.

_We are each a nation._

Sovereign's words rung in his head as if they had happened yesterday. He still remembered that one conversation on Virmire with the beast; the first and only conversation. Sovereign had spoken with a mechanical monotone full of horror and dread and his words had shilled him to the bone. It talked of death and destruction, chaos and order, darkened skies and blood-soaked soil.  _But it was destroyed. And so was this thing, whatever its name was. And that means they can all die. Reapers aren't invincible; Sovereign proved that._

_I am the Vanguard of your Destruction._

Vanguard, no more, it would appear.

Cerberus had set up catwalks along the Reaper's interior, allowing free and easy access along the bowels of the colossal beast. His team moved further inside, ready to find the IFF and just get out of there, having enough of the place already.

"Holy fuck, this place is creepy," Zaeed muttered, "I'm seen fucked up shit in my life, but why am I...why am I creeped out by this place?"

"If you truly knew what the Reapers were capable of," Kaidan responded, "You'd be scared. Even the most fearless leaders can be frightened. The Reapers are the thing of nightmares."

"Nightmares brought to life it would seem," Samara added.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the airlock behind them slammed shut and locked and they all turned towards it in surprise. Before they could rush towards it though, the entire Reaper shook and pulsed with a split second energy before it died down again and it was once again dead silent. Joker's voice shot into his comm.

"Commander!" Joker shouted.

"We're fine," Marcus reported, "What the hell just happened?"

"The Reaper's main core...it just came online!" Joker explained, horrified, "Shepard...I don't think that Reaper's dead, I think its just been sleeping. I don't know; EDI can't explain it either! Readings are all over the place; its a mess! You'll get no explanation on this end, Shepard. Its not dead, and yet it is."

"So its main core came online," Zaeed grumbled, "Why should that goddam concern us? A man can die and still have a heartbeat, but it doesn't matter worth shit if he can't lift an arm."

"Yeah, well what if I told you  _this_ man decided to close all his holes?" Joker shot back, "The Reaper has raised its barriers which means we're going nowhere until you disable the central core. But Shepard...when we disable the main core...the mass effect fields...everything will go offline..."

Marcus realized what he meant in an instant, "The ship's mass effect fields will go offline and with nothing to contain its orbit, the Reaper will plunge into the fiery heart of Mnemosyne. Got it. Come on people, lets find that IFF, disable the main core and get out of here. Keep your eyes peeled; if this Reaper is alive, we can certainly expect defenses."

But as they moved along the ship's catwalks and watched more videoes of the survey team going crazy, they encountered no defenses. No automated turrets, no death traps... _Maybe the Reapers didn't entertain the idea of someone managing to board them. Can't blame them for that oversight; it would be next to impossible to board a Reaper._

But as Marcus continued and they rounded a corner, he heard an all too familiar moaning from behind him and turned in time to watch Zaeed hit a leaping husk in the side of the head with the butt of his rifle, stomping its face and caving it in, black liquid coating his lower armor as he raised his rifle to face the rest of the husks attacking their rear.  _The survey team. We're too late to save them._

Moaning came from infront too and he turned to see not only husks, but more of the kamikaze husks, the ones his team had dubbed 'Abominations', were with them, charging fully. Marcus cried out and ordered Kal and Thane to join their fire with his. He focused his fire on an abomination in the middle, the husk screaming as its light brightened and then exploded, tearing apart whatever husks were close to it and throwing the ones on the brink of it away like ragdolls, heads snapping and breaking and twisting.

But still the husks kept coming. Miranda joined Thane, Kal and himself in pushing through the front horde, while Garrus, Zaeed, Samara and Kaidan covered the rear, gunning down husk after husk.  _All of these can't be just the survey team. More likely some of these are from previous expeditions. Shouldn't be surprising; this Reaper's been here a long time, bound to have been found long before now._

But the abominations proved to be more to detrimental to the Reaper's defensive efforts that supportive. His team merely used them to clear waves of the mindless horde, and quite quickly, Marcus gave the order for his team to push onward and through the horde, not wanting to waste time getting boxed in by the creatures. The husks had numbers; and they'd be overwhelmed if they didn't continue.

Abominations stopped approaching and it was just husks leaping and charging at them now; coming from all sides. Kal roared as he fired his weapon, completely unrelentless as he tore into rows and rows of the pale creatures, the Reaper servants growling, snarling and moaning in pale, dark voices long warped and twisted and dead, glowing blue eyes ripping into their soul; slavering jaws wishing to taste alien flesh.

Thane grunted as one husk took him by surprise and knocked him over, but he quickly recovered and in one fluid motion, he grabbed the husk's head and snapped it, before raising his phalanx and emptying a round into other and quickly enough, he was back on his feet and fighting again. He heard Zaeed curse as a husk raked him along the face, leaving three bloody lines along his features, but he quickly grabbed the husk by the throat and tore its throat open, snarling as he picked up the husk's limp form up and battered five more uselessly aside. He then primed an incendiary grenade and tossed it into the horde's ranks, bright orange flame burning through them.

Marcus and his team advanced up the steps to another level of the catwalks, entering a smaller section of the dead Reaper. More moaning signalled the arrival of more husks, and Marcus almost moaned himself, but he stopped when he saw the look Miranda gave him. She was covered in black liquid; her white catsuit seeming to taking on a new color and her hair was wet from the liquid; drenched was the word.

As his pulse rifle beeped as empty for the seventh time, he didn't bother reloading it, simply holstering it and pulling out his shotgun, pulsing with biotics, "I grow fucking weary of this shit! Everyone, stop playing around! We need to move forward! So pull your asses in and lets get through this! Everything you have, let's go!" And with that, his palm shot out, shooting a bolt of dark eezo into two husks, throwing them backwards before he shot out a shockwave, adding another six to that count.

But even with all their firepower combining against them, they still struggled to keep the husks at bay and continue, and Marcus' biotics had a limit, as did everyone else's. Samara had a cool expression on her face as always as she decimated ranks of husks with her biotics, but he could tell she was gaining fatigue due to the sweat on her brow. Miranda was tired as well and Marcus could feel blood dripping from his nose, showing that his implants were working over time.

Finally, the numbers dwindled but as Marcus fired his shotgun again, he found he had no ammo. He had spent his pulse rifle and shotgun, and all he had now was his SMG. He pulled it out, deciding his biotics were exhausting him too much and he wouldn't be able to keep up this fight if he kept using them. He watched as the final wave of husks, it seemed, approached and his weapon raised their weapons for one final battle.

Then gunfire; and it wasn't theirs. Confused, they watched as the husks were gunned down with ruthless precision, but they weren't being taken down from the front; they were being gunned down from  _behind._

They all watched in thankful shock as the last of the husks fell. Marcus looked up to see where the shots came from, but he saw no sight of their rescuer. Marcus had remembered; the shots were bright purple, and he had only seen shots like that from his pulse rifle. He turned to look at the husks, and he saw the husks' backs had been ripped apart; just like a pulse rifle or any other geth weapon.

"A mystery savior," Garrus noted, "One that wants to keep to the shadows, apparently. One of the survey commandos?"

"The survey team, last I checked, didn't have access to a cache of geth weapons," Kaidan noted, "I saw the color of those shots and the wounds on those husks are consistent. They were killed by geth weapons; a pulse rifle maybe, considering the automatic fire."

Kal shook his head, "Are you seriously suggesting a  _geth_ saved us?"

"We're not suggesting anything of the sort," Marcus declared, "Simply that someone has gotten their hands on a geth weapon and wishes to aid us from the shadows; and I'm certainly not complaining."

"We can't even be sure he or she is an ally," Kal noted, "For all we know, it could have been a crazy mercenary or pirate that is scared shitless. Probably saw the husks, panicked and fired. He or she might just as well shoot us for the claim of killing Commander Shepard and then leave. We shouldn't assume an ally. We should assume foe until proven otherwise."

Marcus couldn't deny the logic, "Agreed. Let's keep moving; and make sure those husks don't take us by surprise again."

They moved forward and just as they cleared an archway into another section of the catwalk, he saw a stockpile of thermal clips stacked in a crate. He raised an eyebrow,  _What was a survey team doing with weapons?_ He simply shook his head and motioned his team towards the crates.  _I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth,_ he thought and his team quickly salvaged as many thermal clips as they could before moving further into the beast, continuing their search for IFF and the Reaper's heart.

The husks didn't let up. As they rounded a corner and came across a 'shrine' looking complex, they were attacked by a new wave of husks and abominations, but they weren't alone either; he could make out the shape of a scion at the back of the room, the conglomeration of creatures creating a piercing shriek, as if commanding the husks before firing the cannon combined with its flesh; a concussive shell of dark energy ripping towards them, but his team dodged out of the way just in time to avoid it.

He hoped their mystery helper made his/her appearence soon.

**{Loading...}**

_September 27, 2185_

_1456 hours._

_Shrine-Looking Complex, Derelict Reaper, In Orbit over Mnemosyne._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Assassin Thane Krios, Justicar Samara._

The scion screamed an early splitting cacophony as it burned, fire enveloping its form and incinerating it, Zaeed laughing as his grenade did its work. Garrus stomped an armoured foot onto the ribcage of a fallen husk, caving its chest in and killing it instantly and his squad moved forward to examine the shrine. He left Kal, Kaidan and Samara to watch the rear and alert them of any contacts while he and the rest of them examined the 'shrine' the survey team had established.

Dragon's teeth; he remembered the reaper devices well. Horrible devices that were given their name for their shape; a huge spike ontop of a three-legged pedestal. The Reapers, or the geth during the Eden Prime campaign, would take captors and impale them on the spikes and Reaper nanites would climb onto the body, from the spike, sneaking in through the wide open wound. And once inside, they couldn't be stopped. Within seconds, the poor being was converted into a husk; a creature that served only the Reapers. But it appeared husks were only the form humans took when transformed; the protheans were infected and they became the collectors, and they definitely showed more power and intelligence than husks, so different races must have taken different forms. He didn't particularly want to think of them, however.

And here they were, dragon's teeth, aligned in a pattern throughout the room. All of them had been used recently, and only one body remained on the spike, and it was Chandana's. Obviously, the transformation process depended on how long the body had been dead. If it was death via the dragon's tooth, transformation was guranteed.

He turned away from the spikes, "At least we know what happened to the survey team."

"Arashu, have mercy. Kalahira, guide their path to the afterlife swiftly," Thane muttered, horrified by the sight.

"These are the same dragon's teeth we saw...well, everywhere during the campaign with Saren," Garrus pointed out, smirking weakly, "Well...at least that proves their Reaper, not geth, right?"

Marcus gave Garrus an unamused look, but before he could scold the turian, EDI contacted him.

"What is it, EDI?"

"Commander, I've just run individual of all the ships docked with the Reaper to make a calculation on how many husks you'll encounter, but I've encountered something. One of the ships isn't human; the IFF shows it as geth, and visuals tell me its a geth fighter."

His looks locked with Kal, "Why would a geth fighter be all the way out here?" Marcus asked, confused.  _You'd think the Battle of the Citadel taught them that invading the galaxy is a bad idea._

"Not a clue," Kal responded honestly, "Could be that they're sending expeditions to attempt a second invasion, but I doubt they'd use a fighter for that, and I don't know what they'd be looking for on a Reaper; they could be trying to revive it."

"I doesn't matter now," Miranda declared, "A geth fighter can house four geth, tops. That's no threat to us and I think we've got more pressing matters; like a certain IFF, main core and Reaper swarming with husks?"

"Well, you heard the woman," Marcus barked, motioning to a Cerberus insigned door, "Let's get moving. I want out of this place quickly."

His team approached the door and just as he went to unlock it, the locked spazzed out, switching between green and red rapidly before deactivating all together. He cursed and motioned to Kal to give him an explosive, but just as he grabbed it and prepared to latch it on, a green interface appeared, beeped like he had hit it and the door slid open. Grunting, he shoved the explosive back in Kal's direction, and the quarian took it back in his pouch and they continued down a white and gold Cerberus corridor before taking to the catwalk once more; the dark red interior of the Reaper ever dark and horrifying.

The whispers were growing stronger, but they were still distant and he shoved them out again.  _Its trying to indoctrinate me and my team, but we're strong...we've encountered this before and we know about its existence. We'll be gone before it takes control of us._

Eventually the come upon the wound of the Reaper. His team gape at the size of the hole; you could fit an alliance battleship right through the hole and dock it, it was that big. Bits of debris strayed dangerously close to the reaper, but they bounced harmlessly of its defensive barrier. To their left continued a chamber that most likely lead up the spine of the derelict, leading straight to the heart. The catwalk connected with a massive artificial platform that had numerous pieces of Cerberus equipment layed out on it; you could tell, they all had the tell-tale logos on it.  _The Illusive Man really wants people to know that he owns this stuff, doesn't he?_ They moved forward, but no husks jumped out to meet them.

His thoughts...they should never have been brought to light.

He heard scraping against metal and out of nowhere, popped a praetorian. His team raised their weapons to face the great creature, which had four husks on its back that now leapt off of it, moving towards them. The praetorian opened its jaw, letting out a piercing screech that he mistook for a war cry, its multiple eyes glowing with purple fury. The equally purple armor on its back shone in the dark red light of Mnemosyne and the Reaper, and it hovered above the ground, poised to strike.

The four husks charged and the praetorian fired its eye beams, lines of white hot death streaking towards them and coming to land on Garrus' omni-shield, who had been the main focus of the praetorian's attack. The husks battered into them, but luckily two had been taken down by a combined assault by Zaeed and Kaidan. One husk leapt towards Marcus, but its head exploded in that same instant, followed by the second husk, leaving his team baffled for a second time. The praetorian screamed as something appeared behind it; a purple combat drone.  _What? Tali's is orange! Who the hell has a purple...?_

_Could it be our mystery ally?_

Two shots pulsed against the praetorian's shields and the deadly assailant turned backwards to face its opponent, only for the drone to return and strike again, this time from the side. The praetorian raised a leg and swatted at it, but the drone flew away, zapping it again. Eventually, the praetorian's shields died.

 **Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.** Four successive, all to numerous areas of the praetorian's facial structure. Its face caved in from the force of the rounds, and due to the non-automatic nature of the weapon and the distance of the shots, it was a sniper rifle.  _An extremely powerful sniper rifle. Even Garrus' Reaper isn't that powerful; what kind of sniper rifle can do that?_

The praetorian's destroyed face couldn't even contort; its body just fell to the ground and exploded as the beast's always did upon their death. But noone noticed the praetorian dying; or particularly cared. They were all looking at their assailant; who had decided to make his, or  _its_ appearence, standing on a piece of railing above them and not far from sight, a black-brown looking sniper rifle in its powerful grip. Everyone's jaws dropped; or they should have.

Their mystery ally; it was a  _geth_.

It stood there, examining them with its bright white optics, sniper rifle still in its grip. It had a pulse rifle on its back, confirming its identity and was definitely of the usual trooper platform design, but it had a few tell-tale differences from the geth. It had a gaping hole in its chest, to its right, right from just under its shoulders to just above its hip section, the area around it being singed and scarred. On the same shoulder above it, it wore an N7 armor shoulder pad; the red and white colors recognizable from anywhere.  _What is a geth doing wearing N7 armor?_

This one was different from other geth as well because of its head flaps;  _they moved._ Normal geth flaps opened to dissipate heat and signal when it was in standby mode, but this one was moving them like a man wiggles his eyebrows.  _Trying to communicate emotion, perhaps? No, damn it, of course not that! Its a geth; they don't know emotion!_

And finally, it spoke, "Shepard-Commander," it greeted before walking off and disappearing, a shot from Kal's rifle streaking past and missing it as it vanished from view. He turned from looking at the geth, to his incredibly confused team.

"Did it...did it  _recognize you_?" Kaidan asked incredulously, "That thing just  _addressed_ you, Shepard.  _It spoke._ Can geth even speak? Please tell me I just imagined that."

"I think it makes perfect sense the geth would recognize the man who defeated their forces during the war," Miranda added logically, "But the geth talking is a different manner."

"Geth don't," Kal explained, "They simply don't. They used to be able to, but we took away that feature after the question."

"The question?" Garrus asked.

"The question that started it all, they call it," Kal told them, "One day, a geth approached its creator and asked, 'Does this unit have a soul?' Its how the geth even came to rebel. It was  _the_ paramount reason, or so we believed. It was how we came to know that the geth had evolved too far, but by then it was too late to stop it."

"Well, its helped us so far," Marcus added before pointing to the stairs, "But if it approaches us, we take it down. Its a geth, even if its helping us. We can't trust it, just like you can't trust any other piece of AI technology."

The group singularly agreed and they advanced down the steps to continue towards the ship's main core.

Leaving the chamber itself was a difficult enough task; killing the praetorian appeared to have awoken the entire area and hundreds of husks and abominations through themselves at his team, only to fall to his team's weapons. Once again, the geth helped them from afar, its sniper rifle ripping into husks, abominations and the occassional scion. Once even, when they came across two scions protecting a doorway leading out of the chamber, it blew a round into one's face before sending the other toppling over the catwalk with a well-placed shot to the knee. No more scions impeded their progress.

By the time they left the chamber, they were almost at the main core, but the geth was nowhere to be seen. He didn't know what it was doing here; was it waiting to kill them? If so, why help them? And it wasn't here to kill them, why was it here? Was it the reason the main core came online? And attempt to reactivate the reaper. And the same question again.

Why help them?

The last airlock leading to the main lab, which was located just before the main core, was guarded by an extended horde of husks and abominations and a single praetorian, which fired its twin beams at them as soon as they appeared. He growled as he took cover, sick to death of the flying, twin-lasered annoyances.

"I'm taking out that damn praetorian," Zaeed declared, "Who's with me?"

"I'm help you take down that bosh'tet," Kal declared and they both leapt out to deal with it while Marcus and the rest of his squad suppressed the husks and abominations; keeping them at bay long enough for Zaeed and Kal to reach the praetorian and kill it.

Zaeed tossed a grenade at the beast, gaining its attention. Kal, sneaking around its peripheral vision, shouldered his favored missile launcher and fired it into the beast's unprotected rear; an explosive tearing apart a dozen of the fused husks on its back. The praetorian screamed in fury and fired at Kal, who dodged aside, only being hit by one of the beams. Zaeed snarled and shoved a grenade into the open mouth of the flying gunship before taking cover with Kal and watching the grenade detonate, ripping the praetorian apart.

With the main husk dead, the horde withdrew, allowing his team safe passage. Although he didn't quite understand why the horde withdrew; they feared nothing and he figured the Reaper would try and protect its heart. Was it playing with them?

They moved into the main lab and Marcus immediately ordered a search of it. They tossed over tables, ripped apart medical equipment and scanned datapads and omni-tools. After a while, it seemed like nothing was found until Thane tapped his shoulder, causing him to look around and see the drell holding a OSD in his hand.

"You found the IFF?" Marcus asked and the drell assassin nodded, nodding to the OSD. He nodded, taking the disk and shoving it into his pocket, motioning for his team to continue to the door leading into the main core chamber. They had the IFF, now to destroy the reaper and get the hell out of here.

As the door opened, they were greeted by a blue field of energy. He tried to walk through it, but yelped lightly when the field repulsed him, white hot pain soaking the front of him as he took a step back, gritting his teeth and keeping the pain inside. He looked at the barrier...and through it. A catwalk lead staight to what looked to be an elevated platform where the geth was steadily typing away, husks creeping up on it. The core was sealed behind two thick metal blast doors, which was located on the back wall and surrounded by cabling.

The geth glanced in their direction and snapped back to its terminal, typing away again, but this time the field disappeared. Marcus was baffled.  _It dropped the field so we could come in? Is it actually helping us_ _ **destroy**_ _this Reaper? But the geth worship the Reapers! Why would it help us destroy one of its gods?_

Noticing the husks creeping up on it, the geth unholstered a pistol and steadily ripped the husks apart, before turning back to its console, not noticing the abomination creeping up towards it. Finally, the geth finished at the terminal, and the two blast doors sealed shut around the core shot open, revealing a pulsing blue core, ripe for destruction. The geth truly was helping them.  _A rebel unit, maybe?_

But as the geth turned around, the abomination exploded sending the geth slamming into the railing, its optics dimming until they went out and it fell limp to the ground; disabled. With the geth neutralized, the husks and abominations turned to deal with his team, who swiftly dispatched off the horde before approaching the core.

"How many shots do you think it will take to destroy the core with a missile launcher?" Marcus asked.

"Two. Maybe three, well placed shots," Garrus provided, frowning at him, "Why?"

Marcus turned to Kal and holstered his rifle, "Kal, toss me the launcher," moaning was heard and Kaidan, Samara and Thane rushed off to defend the catwalk against the fresh horde of zombie reaper servants. Marcus ignored them and turned to the limp geth on the ground. He couldn't believe he was doing this.  _Its a geth. Leave it._ But his curiosity got the better of him.  _It helped us destroy one of its gods. It could have valuable intel on the geth or the Reapers and might tell us why it helped us._

"Garrus, Miranda, pick that geth up. We're taking it with us," Marcus ordered. His team froze, but Miranda didn't, simply thinking that he meant to disassemble the geth and use it for weapons testing and moved to pick it up, but Garrus didn't budge and Kal stepped forward to object.

"What?" Kal asked, incredulous.

"I addressed Garrus," Marcus stated before turning to the turian, "Pick it up."

"But its a geth. We should just leave it."

"It helped us," the spectre stated firmly, "I need to know why. Something isn't right about this; it helping us and then letting us destroy its god, not to mention actually opening the gateway for us and saving us numerous times. This geth isn't normal, and I want to know why."

"That's it? Curiosity?" Kal growled, "You're willing to endanger your crew and-"

"I am your captain, Kal'Reegar," Marcus shot back, "And you will stand down. Garrus, help Miranda pick it up. We're not voting on the matter and we don't have time for this. Pick it up," he turned to Kal, "Radio the Normandy, tell them to head for the nearest airlock according to our location. And tell EDI I want the AI Core cleared; we'll place it there until I find out what to do with it."

Kal grumbled under his breath but complied all the same and Garrus hesitantly nodded, picking up the geth along with Miranda, both struggling with the effort of holding such a heavy piece of machinery.

Marcus turned to the core and aimed the missile launcher straight into its heart before firing three times; three missiles impacting the core, causing thrice explosions. Kal's guess was right though; the core exploded on the third hit, the blue glow disappearing from the room as it shattered like glass, fire and smoke pouring out of the empty core. Remaining on the reaper was heard failing.

But soon after, the entire Reaper began to shake; the mass effect fields had failed and the Reaper was falling. He looked to his squad, dumping the missile launcher and they all joined the trio guarding the catwalk, barking at them to follow as they made a run for the nearest airlock, Joker informing them that he was on his way.

His team kept going until they reached the Reaper's wound, the Normandy only just managing to catch up with the helpless Reaper corpse's descent and flew in, opening its airlock and Grunt, claymore beared, and Lia'Vael, SMG in hand, motioning for them to rush inside before firing bursts behind them; they were being chased by husks and abominations; obviously the Reaper's last ditch effort to take them with it.

Marcus ordered the geth thrown in first; and Miranda and Garrus complied, throwing the geth into the airlock, the gravity helping to glide it inside. Lia visibly flinched from the sight of a geth landing in the airlock, but quickly returned to her duty, firing sporadically. Miranda and Garrus jumped in after the geth, and Kaidan, Kal, Samara and Thane quickly joined them, leaving Marcus. His path clear, Marcus threw a biotic shockwave at the horde and hoped for the best, turning from them and leaping into the airlock.

He  _just_ made the jump and the airlock closed behind him, feeling the Normandy pulling away from the area and escaping the Reaper. He saw Kal shooting him a glare while Lia seemed to be doing her best to keep her distance from the geth body, shaking in fear of it. Marcus nodded for Garrus and Miranda to pick it up again and once the cycle was finished, Marcus ordered it taken to the AI Core, asking EDI to have four of the ship's commandos guard it. EDI was also prepared against any hacking attempts, but he didn't know whethet to trust the AI on that account.

Kal stormed back to the armoury, obviously not pleased with Marcus' decision, and he didn't blame him. To the quarian, Marcus had just brought his arch enemy onboard, endangering his life and that of Tali and Lia, in his view. Lia regarded Marcus with a worried gaze before leaving, heading back to the Tech Lab. Grunt looked indifferent, Kaidan shocked and Samara and Thane turned to the elevator, Grunt behind them.

He watched from the cockpit as Mnemosyne's atmosphere disappeared, revealing clear space; they had escaped, and the Reaper had collapsed into the gas giant's core to be completely destroyed this time, taking its mindless swarm with it. Now, there was the issue of the geth. And most dreaded of all, how to explain his decision to Tali.

Kaidan placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn around. Kaidan had a worried glance on his face, "Destroy it, Shepard. That's all I can say. Destroy it and forget about it. Its a geth; you saw what they did on Eden Prime. On Feros. On Virmire. On the Citadel. You've seen the results of all they've done; this one helping you doesn't mean its friendly. It probably had its own purpose."

"I won't know that until I find out," Marcus told him, "My gut is telling me this one is different. I need to know, Kaidan. I  _need_ to. It might be the only way to fullfill a promise I made to someone very important to me," with that, he shook Kaidan's hand off his shoulder and made for the armoury to dispose of his weapons and then to his cabin to do the same with his armor, followed by the debriefing room, where he asked EDI to have Miranda, Tali, Lia, Kal and Jacob waiting. He needed to quarians to understand the situation.

And he knew how unlikely that was to happen.

**"Our first argument."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"And I still hate it till this day."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"But you worked through it didn't you? Just what did happen next? By memory grows weaker by the day."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"Activating the geth and an argument. A shit day, if there ever was one."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**


	47. The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Normandy's new guest sparks some controversy among the crew. Shepard, Kal and Tali have an interrogation.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR:**

**THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND**

_September 27, 2185_

_1610 hours._

_Debriefing Room, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for unknown destination._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Senior Assistant Lia'Vael nar Ulnay, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy._

Marcus stood at the head of the conference table, watching the door with increasing dread, waiting until the moment where the quarian trio would walk through and berate him with demands of destroying the geth and throwing it out the airlock. And to his increasing regret, he would deny them. He had find out why this geth had helped them,  _why_ it had so willingly helped in the destruction of one of its own gods. He had to understand; and to understand it, he had to communicate with it.

Miranda stood to his right while Jacob stood the left, agitated about something. Whether it had anything to do with the geth, he didn't know, so he turned back to looking at the door instead of asking him what the problem was.

He had spoken with the Illusive Man, and he was happy that they had recovered the IFF. Marcus refrained from telling him about the geth; the last thing he needed was him being judgemental, as he usually was. EDI had been provided the IFF, and would update him if the implementation process was successful. Reaper technology was always tricky stuff.

Now he waited to face the music; but he knew what he'd do with Tali.  _She'll disagree with it, that much is obvious, but I can't have her superceding my command. As much as I hate it, I can't play the boyfriend in this; I have to play the Commander._

The door slid open and he looked directly towards it to see Lia, followed by Kal and...Tali, moving inside. Lia saw his gaze and fidgeted, Kal barely noticed him and Tali stormed in, anger in her posture. Before she could demand answers however, he raised his hand, stalling her, "I know you're angry Tali, but let me explain myself."

"You'd better," Tali hissed, "I want to know what compelled you to bring the enemy onboard our ship! Our home! Have you gone mad!?"

"If Kal told you Tali, then I have no doubt he told you what that geth did," Marcus pointed out, leaning against the table's rim, "Forget the part about it speaking. It  _saved_ us on multiple occassions Tali. It even outright assisted us in the destruction of the Reaper. You know the geth Tali; they worshipped the Reapers. So why did this one seem so eager to destroy one of its own deities? It doesn't make any sense. It could have killed us, had plenty of oppurtunities to open my head, and it didn't, simply aiding us from the shadows. Why? Well, I definitely intend to find out."

"And then throw it out the airlock," Tali said harshly, arms crossed, "I don't care if it gave us the keys to the collector base; its still a geth."

 _Why can't you understand?_ "Maybe. But I won't destroy something that could be an asset; if this geth truly is friendly and wants to help-"

" _Friendly!?_ " Kal shouted incredulously, "Its a geth! It can't be friendly! They are nothing but unintelligent machines with the singular purpose of killing anything organic. Throw it out of the airlock; be done with it."

Marcus scowled at Kal but Jacob quickly cut in, "I'm with the quarians on this. I saw enough of these things and what they did on Eden Prime. Space it."

"An intact geth would be invaluable to Cerberus' cyberweapons division," Miranda pointed out, "And I know you people don't exactly agree with Cerberus' methods, but we at least agree the geth are an enemy that needs dealing with. Any advantages we can gain over the geth would be invaluable in any efforts to fight them."

"My father thought the same," Tali snarled, slamming a fist on the table, "But that was before the geth activated and killed him and his crew!  _ **Destroy it**_. I will not see that thing on a ship I serve on. As long as it remains onboard, we are all in danger. What if it conspires with EDI to break free? They are both AIs! We have no idea what they are capable of!"

Lia spoke up, although hesitantly, "I-I agree. Destroy the geth. It will try and kill us. Harm us."

"I'm curious," Marcus tried to control the situation, "I just want to-"

" _ **OH!**_ " Tali attempted to slap her side, "He's curious! Well that solves everything, doesn't it?"

"Enough Miss Zorah!" Marcus growled, "I respect your opinion, but you're overstepping your authority."

"So that's it?" Tali snarled, "As soon as I say 'I don't feel safe with my enemy nearby', you just shove me off and tell me that I'm overstepping my authority? Is that what I am to you? A subordinate? I fought and bled with you to stop these things from overrunning the galaxy and now you come and tell me you are  _keeping one of them onboard_ and plan to activate it just to see its motives?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Marcus scolded.

"I don't know what to think anymore," Tali forfeited, "The Marcus I know would have shot the geth, not brought it home with him."

He regarded her with an angry gaze, "Why can't you see this from my perspective? This is an opportunity we cannot let slip."

"Because you're  _human_ ," Kal pointed out, no hate in his tone, just cold hard facts, "You have no idea what our people went through when we lost our homeworld to those scum; we lost  _everything_. We lost our purpose, our soul and our one true home. We lost our right to freedom, our right to breathe fresh air. Now you're asking us to accept that you've brought one of those exilers onto the same ship we live on."

"The geth only exiled you because you attacked them first!" Marcus shouted back, not willing to accept this, "You  _attacked them_! They fought in self-defense! Tell me, if the tables were reversed, would you not do the same to preserve yourself?"

"It stopped being self-defense when they bombed schools!" Tali screamed, marching right up to him, "It stopped being self-defense when they murdered the elderly, butchered children and razed whole cities to the ground. We tried to surrender, Marcus!  _Thrice!_ They ignored us all three times! We fought because they gave us no choice! We had to destroy them! The Council laws were strict on AI research and we couldn't let them find out our mistake! And we lost our home because of it!"

"Tali, I know what-"

"No, you bosh'tet, you don't know!" she declared, "You know nothing about what we went through! Destroy that geth! Don't activate it, just toss it out the airlock! Please Marcus, don't make a mistake you'll regret. I'm begging you."

He wanted so much to give into her request, to say he was foolish and simply space the damn machine and continue with their mission. But he  _couldn't_. Another, bigger majority, of his will told him to activate it and learn its secrets and as sick as it sounded,  _recruit it._ A geth would be invaluable in combat. Maybe he would space it, but he needed to see it, and because of that, he couldn't comply to Tali's request. And it pained him.

"I'm sorry," Marcus told her mournfully, "But my decision is final. I'm activating the geth. Its fate afterwards is undetermined; maybe I'll space it, maybe I'll hand it over to Xen or Cerberus for testing, and maybe I'll keep it for testing of my own. I don't know. Stand down, Miss Zorah."

Tali's posture sunk and he just wanted to hug her, but he knew she'd reject her. She simply looked at him, eyes unforgiving, "May I be dismissed?" Resignation laced her tone but he could hear telltale hints of venom in it that made Marcus shiver. And as much as he wanted her here, he wouldn't deny her that request.

"Yes," Marcus informed her, as emotionless as possible. Tali nodded and saluted, "Commander," she added before leaving, the word leaving her mouth feeling like a stab to the gut and he watched painfully as she stormed out, not looking at him once, door slamming shut behind her. Surprisingly enough, Kal and Lia didn't follow her, simply remaining silent, Kal avoiding his gaze. With a sigh, Marcus commed EDI.

"EDI," Marcus asked, "Give me an update on the IFF. Is it installed?"

EDI's response was instant, "Mister Moreau has indeed helped me install it, but the installation will take significantly longer time than previously measured. Due to the nature of the technology, I will have to scour the IFF for any hidden attack software and make sure it flawlessly integrates with our systems. A lengthy progress."

"How long is this going to take?" Marcus asked, annoyed, "We can't delay this mission forever. The collectors won't sit around kindly waiting for us to attack them."

EDI replied after a moment, "Likely a weekly period. We cannot allow for mistakes; a single oversight could been catrastrophic calamity on the Normandy and could result in the death of the crew."

"Understood," Marcus acknowledged, "Just do your best, EDI. And inform the commandos in the AI Core that I'm going down to deal with our geth cargo. Tell them I'll be bringing well-armed escort, so upon arrival, they'll be relieved of their post. Also tell the crew that I'll be unavailable for a certain amount of time, so if they wish to tell me of something, tell them to leave a message with Kelly and I'll get back to them whenever possible."

EDI didn't reply, simply disappearing and Jacob and Miranda gave him odd glances, "Well-armed escort? Just who are you bringing?"

"I've pissed off my crew enough simply by activating the damn machine. I'm not about to add salt to the wound," his look landed on the only quarian marine in the room, "Reegar, get locked and loaded. Meet me down in the Medical Bay when you're ready."

Kal, hearing his name spoken, looked up and met Marcus' eyes, and the quarian saw understanding in them. Kal nodded, Marcus recognizing it as a way of saying thanks, and the quarian took his leave, heading for the armoury. Lia looked at Marcus and the commander nodded, allowing the quarian to leave. Finally, he saluted Jacob and Miranda, and they left as well, Jacob shaking his head, talking about how he had made a 'bad mistake.'

Marcus hoped it wasn't. But just in case it was...

...he had a pistol. As he left the debriefing room and made to enter the elevator, he lifted his shirt to reveal the phalanx heavy pistol he had concealed there. If Kal failed to react in time or was neatralized, Marcus would finish the job himself.

It was the last bit of reconciliation he had.

**{Loading...}**

_September 27, 2185_

_1620 hours._

_AI Core, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for unknown destination._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Chief Medical Officer Karin Chakwas, Geth Platform._

So here he was. The moment of truth. He had arrived in the medical bay a few moments ago and had been waiting for Kal since, Chakwas throwing him worried glances over her shoulder, the doctor even going far enough to tell him that he should do what he thinks is right; if he thinks activating the geth was right, do so, just be ready for the consequences.

At least someone wasn't hating him for his decision.

Kal eventually, arrived with his rifle in a lower parry in his grip and a SMG strapped to his side. He had two grenades, ready to blow up EDI if the AI turned on them, but Marcus doubted that would happen. He didn't know why, but he trusted EDI far more than the geth he was about to activate. He stood before the door to the AI Core and took a deep breath, ready for what awaited him in the room beyond. He lifted his palm, and hit the holographic interface.

The door shot open, and he was immediately greeted by the sight of the AI Core. He had never had a reason to visit it before, so this was the first time. It wasn't anything special; just four, pulsing blue generators and a bench at the end, along with a control console on the right; the emergency shutdown for EDI if it somehow went rogue.

Occupying the bench now was the limp form of the geth platform and four Cerberus commandos stood at attention in the room. Hearing him enter, the lead commando on the left turned and nodded, moving past him, his men following behind him, holstering their shotguns. Once out, Kal closed the door behind them, locking it; if they both failed, they wouldn't risk it getting loose. He then approached and stood before the bench, looking down on the slumbering...no, inactive, geth trooper.

Its optics were empty of any light; dimmed to nothing. He couldn't hear any internal servos or processors running; completely silent. He looked up to address the resident AI, "EDI, generate a forcefield around the bench," He took a step back and watched as a forcefield surrounded the bench where he once stood. The forcefield was weak, and wouldn't stop the geth from escaping, but it would at least delay it.

"You ready EDI?" He asked.

The AI's response was cool and quick as always, "I have isolated our systems and erected additional firewalls. I'm prepared to resist any hacking attempt."

Marcus nodded and looked back down at the geth, enjoying its limp form one more time.  _All at the price of Tali hating me. Yes, once I'm done, its the airlock._ He cracked his knuckles and gave one quick glance at Kal, who simply nodded, rifle at the ready and thermal clip slotted into the chamber. Marcus turned back around.  _Here goes...well, everything._

"EDI...bring it online," Marcus ordered.

The AI didn't respond, simply executing the assigned task. He watched as electricity shot up the geth's body, causing its host to flinch, but otherwise not move. A second shock went through it, but still nothing. Finally, a third shock and the geth's optics lit up once more, letting out the familiar high-pitched mechanical screech that most geth made when communicating. Its head flaps moved up and down until it sat up and ceased making its sounds, turning to look at Marcus. For a second, its emotionless and featureless optics just stared at him, until finally he leapt off the table and stood upright, moving towards him.

Kal moved to raise his rifle, but stopped when the geth ceased its approach infront of the forcefield, still staring at him, ignoring Kal in the background.

The geth stood silent, and Marcus realized he had to speak first, "Can you...understand me?"

"Yes," the geth replied, surprising him yet again by speaking, and in addition, Kal as well. The blunt reply was enough to satisfy Marcus, so he asked his next question. The most obvious one.

"Are you going to attack me?"

"No."

That was a relief. He knew he shouldn't trust it, but the answers were so blunt and sudden...what if it was telling the truth? Next question.

"You said my name aboard the Reaper," the spectre explained, "Have we met?"

The geth didn't even shake its head or make any gestures; it just stood there, answering in a deep synced monotone that was more dull than EDI's, "We know of you."

Marcus nodded, crossing his arms, frowning, "You mean I've fought alot of geth."

The geth's headflaps moved upwards, "We have never met."

The geth seemed to misunderstand his statement so he repeated himself, "No, you and I haven't, but I've met other geth."

The geth finally shook its head, "We are all geth, and we have not met you," just as Marcus prepared to ask it what it meant, it continued, "You are Shepard, Commander, Alliance, Human. Fought Heretics. Killed by Collectors. Rediscovered an old machine."

 _Heretics? Old Machine?_ "Old Machine? I assume you're referring to the Reaper?"

The geth's response was blunt. Like pulling out a dictionary and listening to the definition of a word, "Reaper; a superstitious title created by the Protheans. We call these entities the Old Machines. Their true name is unknown."

He simply nodded slowly, "You seem to know alot about me."

The geth moved its flaps again, "Extranet data sources, unsecure broadcasts. All organic data sent out is received. We watch you. We observe."

Kal shook his head, mumbling something about, 'Spying on the galaxy.' But Marcus ignored him and turned to the geth, not liking the prospect of the entire geth consensus watching his movements and especially that of all organics. It was unsettling, to say the least. But he had to clear one thing up.

"You watch me?" He pointed to himself, "Or you watch organics?"

"Yes."

He quickly became agitated, "Which?" He said in a frustrated tone.

"Both."

He sighed and closed his eyes, letting his head fall into his palm. Talking to this thing was torture but he had to push on; he still hadn't gotten to why it had helped them to destroy their 'Old Machine' deities. He looked up, frustration gone from his features. He asked the one question that confused him the most, "What do you mean by 'I've fought Heretics.' What the hell are heretics? I don't recall fighting a foe called that."

"Geth build our own future," the geth explained, its monotone starting to cause a headache in the back of his head, "The Heretics ask the Old Machines to give them a future. They are no longer a part of the geth; we were studying the Old Machine's hardware to protect our future."

_Wait, the geth we fought weren't these geth? We fought a different faction of geth? Interesting. So the Eden Prime War was use fighting the heretics, not the Rannochian geth. Still doesn't make them good, but that means they are resolved of having fought in the war._

Kal didn't think so, stepping forward, "You're saying the geth split up? They're are two factions of geth?"

"Yes," the geth replied simply, as it always did, "Heretics and True Geth. The True Geth wish to establish our own future. The Heretics were impatient; they believed the Old Machines were true symbols of geth functionality and ascension. They took Nazara's proposal and went to war with the organics; Nazara forwarded this to all of us; there was consensus. Sixty-six percent of geth voted to decline; the rest became the Heretics and have since been banished from the Perseus Veil. They are no longer part of us; they are the exiled. A typical organic interpretation would state we are in civil war; this is not true. Heretics and True Geth are at peace; we saw different visions and bid ourselves no harm. We are not at war; merely at disagreement."

Kal moved closer, intrigued. Marcus uncrossed his arms, and moved closer with the quarian, "Are the Reapers a threat to you too?"

"Yes."

Marcus inwardly screamed. As much as the idea wouldn't sit well with others, it meant that the geth were now an available force to fight the Reapers. He'd seen the power of the geth armies; the sheer ferocity of their ships in combat. If three quarters of the entire geth consensus united under a galactic banner to help fight the Reapers, their chances would be drastically increased. The tables had turned; their chances bigger than before.

"But, why would they attack other machines?" Kal asked, derailing Marcus' train of thought.

The geth turned to Kal, "We are different from them; outside their plans. We denied one of their vanguard; this has angered them. They merely see us as an inconveinience. The Heretics worship the Old Machines, and therefore were easier to control. We do not; we believe in our own future. Machines have no gods. Religion is an illogical placement of belief."

"What future are the geth building?" Marcus asked.

"Ours."

Marcus rolled his eyes, "Will anyone else be affected by whatever it is you're doing?"

"If they involve themselves or threaten our survival, they will."

"So...," Kal pondered, seeming to take the geth seriously, "You're not allied with these Old Machines?"

"We oppose the Heretics," the geth declared, moving right up to the edge of the forcefield, "We oppose the Old Machines. In essence, we also oppose the Collectors. Shepard-Commander opposes the Old Machines...Shepard-Commander opposes the Heretics...cooperation furthers mutual goals."

Marcus' eyes lit up at that suggestion, but for a start, Kal wasn't immediately telling it to shut up or moving to unholster his weapon, but actually thinking about what the geth said and contemplating it. Marcus asked the obvious question, "Are you asking to join us; for me to recruit you?"

"Yes."

Marcus' look snapped to Kal and waited for the marine's suggestion, who was now looking at the geth trooper with rapt attention. Eventually, he turned to Marcus, "I...I don't know what to say, Shepard. I still don't trust it...two factions or not, its still the same species that took our homeworld away from us, but...if its willing to stop the Reapers? I say let it help us. Well, as a suggestion of course..."

Marcus raised an eyebrow, "You're willing to work with a geth?"

"When you put it that way, it sounds ludicrous and insane," Kal replied, smiling behind his mask, "But...for what its worth, I want to give this geth a go. I don't know about Lia or Tali, but why not? If what I've been fighting is truly Heretic geth, then why not? I still don't trust it; and I'll be keeping my eye out for the first sign of betrayal. For all we know, it could be trying to infiltrate the ship-"

"Geth do not infiltrate."

Marcus ignored the geth platform's interruption, turning back to Kal, who continued, "All I'm saying, is that I'm willing to give it one chance. If it wants to help stop the Reapers, then its an ally worth keeping. Its like that old saying goes, 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.'"

"That's an Earth saying," Marcus pointed out, smiling.

"Its a good one at that," Kal shot back and Marcus laughed, turning back to the geth.

"EDI, shut down this forcefield," Marcus ordered and the blue field immediately disappeared, allowing the geth free roam. The spectre and marine waited for the geth to attack, to betray them, but it didn't. It simply stood there, looking at them.

"What should we call you?" Marcus asked, demanding a name.

"Geth."

"I mean you; specifically."

"We are all geth."

Marcus felt a growl of annoyance build in his throat, "What is the individual in front of me called?"

"There is no individual;  _we_  are geth. There are currently one thousand, one hundred and eighty-three programs active within this program."

EDI's hologram appeared beside them, startling Kal, but the AI barely noticed, talking, "My name is Legion; for we are many."

Marcus smiled at the AI, loving the name.  _Legion. Easily befitting._

The geth stood there, not answering, its headflaps twitching as it seemed to process this information. Finally, it addressed EDI, "Christian Bible; The Gospel of Mark, Chapter 5, Verse 9. We acknowledge; this is an appropriate metaphor. We are Legion, a terminal of the geth. We will integrate into Normandy collective."

Marcus held out his hand, but Legion simply stared at it. He was about to pull back when the geth grabbed his hand and shook it, before pulling back. He was stunned, as was Kal. The quarian held out his own three-fingered hand and Legion shook it, nodding, "Creator-Reegar, your body posture shows distress at being in our presence. The geth mean no harm to the creators. We wish only for the hostilties to end. We are your children."

Kal was surprised by the gesture but simply nodded, "I...ah...thanks, Legion," he then left with Marcus, Legion apparently deciding it liked the AI Core and decided to stay there. Marcus left a big grin on his face, Kal following behind him, not having to fire a shot. They left the medical bay, heading for the elevator, both surprised by how the conversation had turned out.  _I've recruited a geth infiltrator to help me fight the collectors. They were once my enemy; no, they were my enemy's enemy, but now it fights alongside me._

When the elevator doors closed on both of them, Kal turned to him, "I wouldn't be smiling too much. I'll explain everything to Lia; but you'll have the task of explaining it to Tali. She's got her father's ideals; she'll be hard to convince."

In the rush of adrenaline Marcus felt having recruited Legion and learning the geth were available to fight the Reapers, he had forgotten about Tali.  _Shit. I told her I'd throw it out the airlock when I was finished interrogating it. How is she going to react when she finds out I actually recruited it and allowed it to accompany us on ground missions?_

Kal's omni-tool started beeping just as the elevator reached the CIC and he looked up, "Better go inform Lia and see what this is. See you later, Shepard. And keep your eye on that geth; we still can't trust it, no matter what it says."

"Thanks Reegar," Marcus hit the button for Deck One, watching Kal head into the Tech Lab. Kelly, turning and seeing him went to shout and tell him about Samara's request to meet, but the door closed before she could talk. She sighed, turning back to her terminal and simply sending a message to his omni-tool. She barely got to talk to the commander; he only talked to her when it was about messages or when he was passing by the CIC; but only when he wasn't on a mission, and that was rare. She wish she could just talk to him.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, the ginger yeoman got back to work. She had much to do.

**{Loading...}**

_September 27, 2185_

_1643 hours._

_Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for unknown destination._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy._

"You  _ **what!?**_ "

"Tali, listen to me. It isn't as bad as you may think-"

Tali was having none of it, "Not as bad as  _ **I think?**_ Its just as bad as I think! You  _ **activated a geth!**_ You told me you'd throw it out an airlock; now you tell me you not only recruited it, but have given it permission to help us on ground missions!? Are you going to give it free roam of the ship next?"

"Listen to me, damn it!" Marcus barked, standing up from the couch, "Its not the enemy; it hates the Reapers just as much as we do!"

"But they worshipped-"

"That was the Heretics!" He corrected her but seeing her about to ask what the hell that was, he explained, "They're a different faction of geth that worship the Reapers, or the old machines as the geth call them, and they were exiled by the 'True Geth.' It is a member of the True Geth; they want to help fight the Reapers! Tali, do you know what this means? The geth will be available to help us fight the coming war! I even heard it say it wants the hosilities between your people and its people to end! It wants to help us!"

"And you're just going to take it at its word?" Tali asked incredulously, "Its a geth! It could be lying for all we know!"

"Its not. Even Kal believes it," Marcus tells her.

"And so what if does want to help us?" Tali asked, "Is it just one of the 'friendly' geth that exiled my people from our homeworld? Are you suggesting we just shake hands with them and pretend its all going to be okay?"

"Tali, please just give Legion a chance," Marcus pleaded, "It could be-"

"Oh, we've given it a name now, have we?" Tali jested, "Are we going to name the next collector we recruit?"

"Why are you so fucking stubborn!" Marcus demanded, slamming his fist onto the cabinet next to him, "We've found a new ally to help us fight the Reapers, and you can't simply accept that Legion wants to help!"

"I can't accept that you consider the geth our allies," Tali snarled, "They-"

"Exiled your people!  _ **Don't you think I fucking know that!?**_ " the spectre shouted, "I know what they did! And I know that good deeds don't wash out the bad, but we need to give this a chance, Tali. A chance, that's all I ask. I'm not asking you to be friends with the geth; hell, you don't even have to talk to it! Just work with it; fight beside it, protect it when the mission calls for it and shoot it when, or if, it betrays us. That's all I ask; please Tali, I'm begging you."

"No," she decided, standing away from him, "I won't. Its too much to ask."

"You're just like your father, you know that?" Marcus snarled, catching Tali's attention, "All you do is hate the geth, and you're not able to see what's on the otherside. Tali, break down that wall you've set up and take a look at the bigger picture! You can't let personal bias get in the way of-"

He didn't see it coming. Tali's hand shot out and hit him across the face, hard. He reeled back from the blow, a stinging red patch enveloping the entire left side of his face. He didn't register the pain though, turning towards her and grabbing her arm. She wretched it from his grip and stormed off out the door, yelling behind her, "You'll never understand!" Then the door closed behind her.

Marcus looked blankly at the room, the room they shared together. As he fell back into the couch, defeated, face burning, he thought about all the times they had shared together; dancing on Noveria, pillow fights on Noveria, their final moments before the SR-1's destruction, their date on the Citadel, their first sexual experiences, Tali's hot lips on his and seeing her beautiful face for the first time.

Now he saw an empty room. He thought about what this entire ordeal was doing to their relationship; did she still love him? Or did she loathe him? He still loved her; he could never stop, but what was the point when the one you loved didn't love you back? He felt a tear streak past his cheek as he fit a devastating conclusion; their relationship was over. It was destroyed over a single, stupid argument. One geth was the center of their pain. And one geth had destroyed their ability to be happy together. He had sacrificed her for the geth.

And now he  _really_ wanted to throw it out the airlock.

So when he went to sleep that night, he noticed Tali hadn't returned; she was most likely sleeping in a sleeper pod on the lower decks. That pained him even more; she was seperating herself from him. So, finally, when he wrapped the covers around himself, noone to wrap his arms around and warm him...

Marcus Shepard, the Lion of Elysium and Hero of the Citadel, wept. Her last words echoed through his head. ' _You'll never understand!' Oh Tali, how wrong you are. I understand. I understand more than you think._

**{Loading...}**

_September 28, 2185_

_0923 hours._

_Mess Hall, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Walker Station._

_Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Senior Assistant Lia'Vael nar Ulnay, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

Tali yawned as her omni-tool alarm clock beeped loudly and she turned it off. She moved to stretch, but quickly remembered she was in a sleeper pod and opened the hatch, allowing her to get out and then stretch, feeling all the dense muscles pop as they stretched free. She yawned again, long and hard, and realized just how little sleep she had. She remembered the argument she had with Marcus the other night.  _Keelah, what have I done? He's probably worried._

_Serves the bosh'tet right. He's endangered your safety; letting that geth roam. And giving it a name. 'Legion'. Must be some stupid human term._

Tali slammed her sleeper pod shut and began to storm down the sleeper pod deck until she realized how she must have looked and slowed her pace, making it look more graceful and purposeful rather than filled with rage. She moved down the steps and Gardner smiled at her, rummaging through his stocks before he pulled out a nutrient paste tube, holding it out to her. She nodded at him and took the tube, moving over to the mess hall table, noticing it was occupied already.

Bitterly, she moved around the corner and immediately spotted Kal, Lia, Kasumi and Miranda sitting at the table, the latter sipping at mugs of coffee. She plopped down next to Kasumi, nodding in reply to the thief's exuberant morning greeting.

"Sleeping in the pod last night, were we?" Kasumi asked in confusion, eying Miranda, Kal and Lia. Lia simply sipped at her water through a straw and Kal pretended to be eating nutrient paste while Miranda was completely unaware, looking at a datapad without a care in the world. Kasumi looked back at Tali, waiting for an answer.

Tali sighed, "Its nothing. Its not important."

"You not sleeping with Shepard? Uh, yeah, that's pretty worrying," Kasumi stated, "Just what is going on?"

"I told you, its nothing," Tali grumbled, "Its something we'll sort out overtime. I'm just angry with him, that's all."

"About wha-" then it hit her. She hated herself for not realizing it before. She had heard Shepard had activated the geth, called it Legion and allowed it to fight with them, the true story of the 'heretics' quickly spreading throughout the ship. Jacob was heard to be pretty angry about it, but hadn't approached the commander about it. Garrus trusted Marcus' judgement, but didn't look like he trusted the geth either, as Kaidan didn't. She should have known Tali would hate the very idea, "Well I'm sure you two will get over it. Besides, couples get into arguments all the time-"

"Its a GETH!" She slammed her tube onto the table, startling everyone, including Miranda, "He activated it and allowed it free roam! I can't feel safe on the ship I serve on and that unnerves me! I don't feel safe, and my mate is the cause of it! How do you think I feel about that Kasumi!?"

Kasumi looked too shocked for words, "I never-"

"Tali," Kal spoke from across the table, leaning in, "I don't like it either, but me and Lia have learnt to accept it for now, so why not you?"

"You two?" Tali asked in shock, looking betrayed, "Why? Are you so blind? Its a-"

"-geth. Ancestors, I know. But we need to work together to fight these collectors and the Reapers. They can help us. Besides, you still have your mate; I wouldn't be ignoring him if I were you."

"Mate? Still have one? What are you on about?" Tali growled.

"Because Madi's dead," Kal stated firmly, "Got informed yesterday. Her emergency beacon went off but it was cut off two minutes later. I contacted the Admiralty Board about it, but they say the Hutbyk was destroyed and that all teams on the ground are KIA. Madi is dead; I've lost her, my mate, but you still have yours. I'd be grateful, if I were you," he quickly took his leave, heading into the elevator. Tali was lost for words.

Kasumi moved forward, placing a hand on Tali's shoulder, "Tali, Shepard knows what he's doing. You have trust him with this."

"But he doesn't understand!" Tali declared, waving her hands in the air, "He doesn't understand what my people went through! We lost our home to the geth and he asks me to work next to one of them! How can I betray everything I know and just start working with one? He's human; he couldn't possibly know what I'm going through-"

"That's, strictly speaking, not true," Miranda piped in from the left, "Shepard might just know exactly what you're going through."

Tali spun towards her in an instant, "And why's that? What does he know about losing a homeworld?"

"Well, he certainly hasn't lost his home _world._  But home _land_ , however..." Miranda leaned towards her, hand on Tali's, "You know he's Jewish, don't you?"

"Yes, he told me. But I don't see what that's got to-"

"Tali, listen to me," Miranda ordered her, "Thousands of years ago, the Jewish people lived in a small region of Earth called modern-day Israel. They were kicked out of their homeland by the Arabs and forced on an exodus to a place called Egypt, where they were forced to live, but did so in happiness. But later, their leader died and a new one entered, this one cruel, and he enslaved them. Now, the Jews, under their new leader called Moses, managed to leave Egypt, after their god supposedly struck it with 10 plagues, demanding his people be released.

...so he eventually did, but later he changed his mind and sent an army to chase after them and bring them back. The rest is a story Shepard can tell you if you want, but eventually they retook their homeland from the Arabs. They warred over the region for many centuries after that and were still doing it well into 2080, but eventually Israel and the UAE, that's the United Arab Emirates, joined together and now live peacefully. So you see Tali, Marcus does understand, and he's more than likely had to work with many alliance arabic marines, but he's done it and showed them no prejudice."

"Keelah," Tali exclaimed, calming down, "I didn't realize..."

"You know," Kasumi spoke up, speaking aloud, "I think the quarians and the jews aren't all that different from each other."

"How so?" Tali and Miranda asked at the same time, Kasumi smiling.

"Well, think about it," Kasumi asked, "They both lost their homelands/worlds at some point and got exiled by their enemies, they've travelled around and endured for many years, they both hold their ancestors in high regard, both of them are highly cultural, they are both treated poorly by others and discriminated against, they both have strong spirit..."

"Are you saying quarians are the Space Jews of the galaxy? That Tali, for all rights and reasons, can be classified as 'technically Jewish' due to the similiarities?" Miranda asked.

"Space Jews, yes, but Tali is no jew," Kasumi stated bluntly, "To be Jewish is to also believe in a god, and I don't think quarians are very religious."

"We're not. At least not anymore," Tali said.

"You see Tali? Marcus does understand, you just have to give him a chance," Kasumi told her, rubbing the small of her back while sipping the last of her coffee.

"Okay, I'll talk to him," Tali told the thief before standing up and heading to the elevator, smiling to herself. Kasumi smiled at her victory and quickly returned her jug to Gardner's kitchen before heading back to the Lounge to read. Another victory for the kleptomaniac.

Tali waited impatiently for the elevator reach Deck One. She couldn't believe that her entire argument with Marcus had been fruitless; she had been so idiotic, not to trust him. He had never done wrong by her, and she repaid him by not having faith in him. She couldn't trust it, but she could work with it. She had to talk to him. To reconcile for her pathetic behaviour.

She sighed in relief when the elevator finally arrived and the door opened. She rushed into the cabin and saw him, upright in his bed and reading a book, a sad expression on his face. She hated seeing that face; it showed that he had given up on her, that he had seen her as a lost cause. She was the cause of that face, and now she would fix it.

Marcus looked up from his hard cover book and looked surprised to see her rushing towards him. Her placed his book on the bed and sat up, moving his mouth to apologize, but never got the chance as Tali ripped her mask off, threw it on the bed, and crashed her mouth against his, starting her reconciliation they only way she knew how.

Marcus gave into the kiss and held her, both of them only stopping to admire each other and catch a breath before locking lips again. Finally, they broke and she collapsed ontop of him, breathing. Marcus smiled weakly, sniffling, pulling her hood down and playing with her hair. After a few moments of silence, Tali gained the strength to speak again.

"Marcus," Tali spoke softly, "I came to apologize about my actions yesterday. I acted appallingly; I had to have Miranda explain to me just what your own people went through. 'You'll never understand!' I can't believe I said that!  _I_ said that. I'm so sorry, Marcus. I should have trusted you in this. I love you, dammit."

He smiled and held her close, "Its okay. You had every right to yell at me; I know how you feel, but could you please-"

"-just work with Legion? Okay. I don't like the idea of working with geth, and I'll be honest, the prospect scares me to death, but I'm willing to do it. If the geth want to help fight the Reapers, I can't let personal bias get in the way of a possible alliance. None of us can. We all have to unite if we want a chance of beating them."

"Indeed," Marcus whispered and they both just lay in each other's arms, not moving. Both of them slowly began to fall asleep, neither of them having gotten very much sleep before, but were suddenly woken when EDI's voice spoke through the comm, "Sorry to interrupt commander, but Kal'Reegar is at your door and wishes to speak to you."

Marcus smiled and kissed Tali on the scalp before stroking her cheek, "You seriously need a transparent mask."

Tali giggled, moving to grab her mask, "Not happening. This face is for your viewing only," she then locked the mask back in place and fell next to him, cuddling him before Marcus called out for Kal to enter.

The door opened and Kal stepped inside, hands behind his back in parade rest. The marine noticed them together and Tali immediately remembered that he had lost his mate. She parted from Marcus, not wanting to rub it in. Kal walked down the steps and stopped at the edge of the bed, Marcus sitting up fully.

Tali spoke first, "I didn't get to say it before because I was so angry Kal but...I'm so sorry to hear about Madi. She was a good marine. She'll be remembered by us and the-"

"That's just the thing ma'am," Kal interrupted her, turning to Marcus, "I think she's still alive. The Admiralty Board aren't usually so abrupt about KIAs, and their tone suggested they wanted to cover up that she was alive. Why? I'm not sure, but I intend to find out. Sir, give me leave to take a shuttle and rescue her. I go by myself if I have to; but I have to save her. I can't just leave her to die."

Marcus held his hand up and stood up, moving over to his desk, "None of this lone wolf bullshit; I'm going with you. Tali, your hand mended up enough?"

Tali checked her wrist and tested it. After a bit of twisting and poking, she looked back up, shaking her head, "It aches alittle, but considering I've been without the splint for several hours, its perfectly fine."

"Good," Marcus stated firmly, looking back to Kal, "Just where is this Madi?"

"2123 Pelaan, in the Jpap System, Trojan Golf Nebula," Kal stated quickly.

Marcus nodded and looked up to speak with EDI, "EDI, distance to that planet from here?"

"A few hours."

"Then you know what to do," Marcus ordered before turning back to his desk and getting his armor out, "Kal, Tali, collect Mordin, Zaeed, Jacob...and Legion, and have them meet us in the shuttle bay. I want to see what Legion's skill set is at; doubtless the enemy will be shocked to be fighting a geth."

Kal and Tali nodded, leaving the room while he put his armor on, clasping the latches and preparing for the battle ahead. They had to wait while the IFF was installed; EDI said it would take a week, giving them plenty of time to wrap things up before heading to Walker Station to have the Thanix Cannon and Silaris Armor built, before heading to the Migrant Fleet to have one of Xen's ships add the Cyclonic Barrier Tech. Then, the IFF should be ready and they would finally take the fight to the collectors and end their rein of terror.

The prospect frightened him more than it inspired him.

**{Loading...}**

_September 28, 2185_

_1411 hours._

_Beachhead, Batarian Pirate Outpost, Northern Hemisphere, 2123 Pelaan._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Professor Mordin Solus, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Legion._

"Deploy the YMIR!" Marcus boomed over the sound of the wind battering against the shuttle's hull, watching as the deep green sea of 2123 Pelaan disappeared to reveal an endless sea of rocky outcrops, with a large building in the middle. It was of asari design, but had suffered what looked to be years of neglect.

The sound of the YMIR dettaching from the kodiak was a beautiful sound; it fell through the air and landed on the ground with a crash, activating immediately and its weapons charged up. As the kodiak descended, they saw the base doors open up and batarian pirates poured out, firing their weapons at mech and shuttle alike.

Upon entering the system, the Normandy had immediately been detected by a collector cruiser of all things, and had quickly deployed the shuttle so they could evade its assault. Upon scanning however, it turned out the cruiser was not the same one that destroyed the original Normandy, but was the second other surviving cruiser. Either way, they didn't have the weapons to take on the collector warship, and they quickly began their chase around the planet.

Collectors working with the batarians meant only one thing; Madi was captured and was about to be sold off to the collectors, so they had to act quickly. Kal raised his rifle first, taking a batarian in the forehead before firing his rifle again and hitting another in the leg. Marcus and the rest of the team quickly joined in, gunning down the batarians rapidly. Once in range, the YMIR ripped into them as well, heavy machine guns roaring.

Seeing that the battle was lost, the batarians retreated inside and the collectors joined the frey. Eight drones, a captain and a single praetorian moved to engage them and they all combined their fire on the praetorian in an effort to take it down. The YMIR seemed to recognize the threat it posed as well and immediately opened fire, letting off a single rocket at it before following up with a full stream of machine gun fire.

The praetorian was a powerful beast, with tremendous firepower and thick armor, but in light of the combined assault from the shuttle and the mech, it stood no chance. Twin beams roared, but only managed to scorch the edge of the shuttle as it avoided the shots, and the praetorian was quickly destroyed afterwards for its efforts.

The drones were easy, as the shuttle had better maneveurability. The captain was the biggest threat since the praetorian's destruction, but it fell quickly enough. Seeing no more enemy forces rushing out to meet them, Marcus ordered the shuttle to land so they could deploy.

The shuttle descended and landed on a crop of rocks hanging over the entrance like a arching bridge but before he could jump out, Kal was already out, missile launcher shouldered. Marcus followed after him, and the rest of the team quickly followed, Legion bringing up the rear, its pulse rifle at the ready.

They approached the entrance, slowly and steadily. Just as they did however, they heard the distant sound of three shuttles approaching. They turned and saw what looked to be three kodiaks, all wearing the red and blacks of the Batarian Hegemony. Marcus cursed under his breath, but Legion was already thinking ahead.

"This unit can hold them," Legion declared, swapping its pulse rifle for its anti-material sniper rifle, identified as the Widow. It pointed to the rocky overhang, "This area provides defensible cover. As long as cover is utilized, a three-unit squad could hold area against substantial amounts of enemy ground forces. We propose we stay behind and hold area. This unit can provide better defense when alone."

"Shepard, we can't leave it behind. It could betray us to the-" Jacob tried to protest, but Marcus cut him off.

"If you're sure Legion," Marcus asked.

"We have reached concensus. This is the best course of action. Based on organic actions, however, this unit has observed that building consensus with higher authority isn't required for further action."

"I ask if you're sure and you say 'kiss my ass'," he chuckled, "Be careful Legion. Be a pity if you were destroyed now. We have use of you yet."

"This unit is easily replaced," Legion replied, "But we will comply with Shepard-Commander's orders." The geth quickly disappeared behind the rocks, most likely to find a more defensible position and Marcus' team headed into the enemy base, looking for Madi. Once inside, they waited for the YMIR to arrive before continuing inside.

The entrance was littered with the dead bodies of multiple quarian marines; a platoon of them, by the looks of it. The stench of death was overwhelming; red blood coated the hall where their bodies lay and the local insect life swarmed over them, feeding on the rotting flesh. It was a disgusting smell, one that would have made any other man pass out.

They trudged on past the corpses, being careful not step on any of the bodies, but the YMIR had no such delicacies; it simply stormed through, not caring if it crushed a few bodies in the process. Finally, they got past the bodies and Tali opened a locked door; a poor attempt to block their process.

The door slid open and Tali flew into Jacob from the force of a biotic throw, a batarian biotic and two collectors charging through the open door to lead the attack, four more batarians and two collector captains behind them, beam rifles ready. Marcus attacked first, his biotics pulsing up and he threw him into the doorway. Tali reacted quickly and closed the door, the powerful mechanisms shutting with such force that the batarian was blown apart by the force, followed by one of the drones that accompanied it.

The second drone swipped at Marcus with its sharp talons, but Kal reacted first, blocking the swipe and cutting the drone's hand clean off with his omni-blade before ripping its throat out with his bare hands. Kal, enraged by fear for Madi's safety, prepared to charge through the door, Zaeed and Mordin standing beside him with Tali and Jacob bringing up the rear, Marcus charging his own biotics.

Tali opened the door and all hell broke loose. The four batarians fired their weapons, shotguns and assault rifles discharging. Marcus pulled out his claymore shotgun and fired, the shell ripping a pirate from his feet and tossing him into a captain; the collector promptly swatting his projectile body away without any effort before levelling its particle beam.

Marcus reacted quickly and raised a barrier around them, the beams from both captains being absorbed by the field. Kal worked with ruthless effiency, tossing a stun grenade and stunning them before ending all the pirates, preparing to finish the captains. Jacob launched a biotic pull at one of the captains, yanking the beam rifle from its insect talons and bringing it towards him, only for him to finish it with his shotgun.

The second captain then lit up; and Marcus cursed, ordering his team to focus all fire on it. The captain was lifted up and within seconds, was transformed into a host of Harbinger.

 _ **"Shepard,"**_ Harbinger boomed,  _ **"Your presence here was unprecedented. But it is not unwelcomed. Accept the prophecy set before you. Ascension is the answer; to fight is hopeless. It will not be war; merely extermination."**_

"Just go fuck yourself!" Marcus shouted and his team fired at once again, but the spectre realized too late that he had dropped his barrier. Harbinger raised its own barrier before launching its own assault, dark energy wrapping around Zaeed and throwing the angered mercenary into a wall; but he didn't stop firing into the beast, the bounty hunter never relenting.

Kal screamed, rearing his missile launcher and firing two steady shots. Harbinger, taken by surprise by the unexpected assault, tried to compensate but it was too late. The first rocket impacted its side, ripping its leg off before the second missile tore the top of its torso off and its body disintegrated into ash, and the ash disintegrated into nothing. Before they could celebrate this victory however, twelve drones and a captain charged at them, two scions taking the vanguard and firing their eezo cannons.

Marcus and Jacob prepared to raise barriers, but the need was unnecessary. A rocket streaked past and hit the first scion, blowing it apart, before the second scion was torn apart by a HMG. Noone turned to watch the YMIR; simply watching its onslaught. The collectors tried to focus on the huge mech, but it didn't give them half a chance, discharging its heavy rounds into the squad of drones, ripping them apart piece meal.

The captain's particle rifle easily drained its shields, but Kal quickly dealt with it, dispatching his last missile and blowing it apart. When the YMIR's assault was done and the path ahead clear, Marcus turned to the mech and shook his head.  _Always alittle late, this thing._ They moved ahead and through the building, checking room by room, milling through seemingly endless waves of collector forces and the occassional batarian pirate. Finallly, they reached the final room and stepped inside.

The room was non-descript; but noone seemed to care, all eyes focused on the single chair in the middle of the room. Dead quarian bodies littered the room and one chair occupied the middle, a single quarian female occupant. Red blood soaked her suit and her mask was cracked and she looked to be in extreme pain; but she was breathing. Kal rushed forward in horror, dropping his rifle.

"Madi!" he shouted, gaining the quarian's attention, slowing turning her head towards him, "Keelah, who did this to you?"

"The Collectors did," a familiar batarian voice said and memories of Torfan and Asteriod X57 came rushing back into Marcus' mind and he turned, weapon primed. Tali recognized it as well and turned with him, shotgun out as the batarian made his appearence.

"Balak," Marcus hissed, "I was foolish enough to think we'd seen the last of you."

"Indeed you were," Balak stated a matter of factly, "Although I assure you, my days as a terrorist are well and truly over. I work as a faithful servant of the Hegemony's military now."

"You mean these pirates?" Marcus asked, smiling, "Its a weak military."

"Typical human ignorance," Balak spat, pointing at Madi, "You want the quarian? You can't have her. I saw first hand what the collectors did at Ferris Fields; its why the Hegemony now works peacefully with them. The Collector General will be giving me very powerful technology in exchange for this bunch. Of course, most of them are dead now; trying to escape. But we'll keep her. The Hegemony will prosper with the collectors as our allies."

"They won't be around much longer," Tali stated a-matter-of-factly, "We're going to take down the collectors and destroy them."

Balak laughed, "Noone survives the Omega 4 Relay, you should know that."

"Noone, but we will."

"See where it gets you. You won't stand a chance. You'd need an army to take on the collectors," Balak declared.

"I have a small army. Enough to do some serious damage."

"Indeed," Balak shrugged, "We'll soon see what my masters say about that. Now if you don't mind, I've got a ride to Khar'Shan to take. I've given the General what he wants, now I go to claim my prize. Goodday, Shepard."

"Oh no Balak," Marcus hissed, raising his SMG, "You don't get to walk away this time. You still haven't paid for Torfan. For X57."

"And, unfortunately, not today either," Balak feigned apology, "Now, I really must leave. I cannot miss this flight."

The door at the back opened and a horde of husks rushed inside, charging at them, Harbinger behind them. Marcus turned to Balak and raised his weapon, but when he did, the batarian was gone. The spectre cursed, and watched as the YMIR arrived and ripped into the husk horde, his team focusing on Harbinger.

Wings beat and the Harbinger-possessed collector flew over the horde to land before them, preparing to fire. But just before it could, a rifle fired and broke through the back of the collector's head, causing it to disintegrate. Marcus and Tali turned to the source and saw Madi, holding her side with a rifle in one hand before dropping it and collapsing into Kal's open arms. The general soothed her before turning back to Marcus, "Shepard, we have to go!"

Marcus nodded and ordered his team to retreat, telling Tali they had to leave the YMIR behind and for her to self-destruct it. Tali nodded and typed a few commands into her omni-tool, commanding the YMIR into a fetal position. Kal, with a dying Madi in his arms, rushed past, followed by the rest of his team. Just as they got past the door with the dead drone and batarian, the YMIR exploded and took the husk horde with it.

His team quickly reached the entrance and rushed out, seeing Legion waiting for them. The geth reported having dealt with the enemy forces. When a disbelieving Zaeed asked how it did it, Legion replied by saying 'they lacked cohesion. Elimination was mediocre."

By the time they reached the kodiak, Kal was already inside, performing CPR on Madi who had just died. They got inside just as Madi's heartbeat restarted. Marcus ordered the pilot to take off and link up with the Normandy, watching the hatch close as the shuttle took off and shoot into the atmosphere. He took off his helmet and sighed, looking at Tali as she comforted Kal, who sat cradling Madi in his lap, who was unconscious but alive. Legion watched before turning to Kal and said something that surprised both of them.

"This unit is prepared to provide medical aid to Creator-Soi."

Kal and Tali looked at Legion in surprise and he noticed Kal struggling to form a response, "I-yes. That would be...very helpful, ah...Legion."

Marcus smiled and watched Legion tend to Madi. She would need a proper medical bay soon, but at least Legion could keep her stable. Seeing a geth tending to a quarian...it showed the start of something beautiful.

He hoped it would grow.

**"We're getting closer to the end now."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"Really close. This next mission really had me on my toes."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"It had me worried."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"For good reason. I was alone and fighting a lethal enemy without a weapon or any armor. Fighting Thresher Maws seemed easy."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**


	48. Ardat-Yakshi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samara has a very dangerous criminal cornered on Omega, and asks for Shepard's help in tightening the knot.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE:**

**ARDAT-YAKSHI**

_September 28, 2185_

_1441 hours._

_Medical Bay, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Walker Station._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, First Lieutenant Madi'Soi vas Ceresa, Chief Medical Officer Karin Chakwas, Legion._

Marcus just finished ordering Joker to get them the hell out of there and back on course to Walker Station when the elevator door opened, and Kal raced out, moving with all speed towards the med bay. Marcus, Tali and Legion quickly followed, the rest of the squad having all stopped at the armoury to drop off their weapons and armor. They followed Kal, who still cradled Madi's body in his arms, as he rushed into the medical bay.

Escaping 2123 Pelaan had been easy enough. The Normandy had managed to lose the collector cruiser and they had rendevouzed behind one of Pelaan's moons and escaped the system before the cruiser could find them again. Encountering the collectors on Pelaan definitely hadn't been on Marcus' list of expected things to happen, but the battle hadn't been as difficult as the first fight on Horizon.  _We're learning how to fight the collectors better; and they're starting to fear us. Now we just need to get that thanix cannon so we can start destroying their capital ships._

With his helmet tucked under his armpit, Marcus moved into the medical bay and watched as Kal presented Madi to Doctor Chakwas. The doctor immediately motioned to a bed next to Jack's, who's arm was still broken and Kal lay her on it, taking hold of her hand as Chakwas rushed to her side, facemask and apron dangling in her hands as she brought a tray of equipment with her as well.

Chakwas looked at the medi-gel incisions and looked up at them, "Who applied this?"

"This unit helped in aiding the injured creator. We did not wish to see her runtime terminated," Legion replied, stepping forward to present itself.

Chakwas raised her eyebrows, "You stay. The rest of you out; I'm going to have do some surgery. That means you too, Reegar."

Kal, ableit reluctantly, let go of Madi's hand and allowed himself to be escorted outside by Tali's guiding hand. Marcus followed quickly behind them, leaving Legion behind inside the med bay. He approached the mess hall table behind Tali and Kal.

Kal fell down into one of the chairs and Tali sat down next to him, "She'll be fine, Kal. Doctor Chakwas is one of the best doctors I know. She's in good hands."

"But she's human," Kal replied, concern laced in his tone, "She doesn't understand our anatomy."

"You'd be surprised," Tali quipped, smiling as Marcus sat down next to her, placing his helmet on the table, "One time, two years ago, when we were rescuing Liara on Therum, I got shot in the leg. Almost died, too. But Chakwas patched me up and all I have is a scar to show for it."

"That was a leg," Kal replied skeptically, "Not an entire torso."

"You worry too much," Tali remarked and hearing Marcus chuckle to himself, she elbowed him, giving him a glare before turning back to talking with Kal, soothing him, but no matter what she did, Kal continued to look over at the med bay door until finally he stood up and headed over, sitting right outside and crossing his arms, standing vigil.

"He's loyal and loves her. You can tell," Tali pointed out.

"I'd do the same for you, you know," Marcus stated, taking a bite of an apple supplied to him and taking in its juicy flavour. An apple after combat was like heaven.

Tali looked at him, smiling behind her mask, "I bet you would. I better head back down to engineering to see what's going on. I'll see you later," she tapped him on the head with her visor before taking her leave, heading into the elevator. Marcus smiled and sighed, leaning back in the seat and taking another bite sized chunk out of his fruit. He began to close his eyes when he heard Kelly's voice next to him.

"Commander?"

He opened his eyes and turned to look at the red-head, a warm smile on his face, "Yes, what can I do for you Miss Chambers?"

"Kelly. You've earned that much," the yeoman corrected, smiling, "You wanted me to tell you if anyone wanted to see you. Samara would like to talk to you when you have a moment. She said its a personal issue."

 _Who doesn't have one?_ "I'll be there tomorrow," He finished off his apple, before throwing it in the bin, nodding to Kelly as he left, the yeoman carrying a plate of food with her as she sat down and watched him leave. She sighed.  _He's so sexy. Tali's a lucky girl._

Marcus stood outside Starboard Observation and knocked four times, waiting for an answer. When he heard Samara call out for him to enter, he did as bid and tapped the interface, opening the door and letting himself in. He watched the asari justicar go from her cross-legged position on the floor to standing upright, turning to face him as the door closed.

"Samara," he greeted, "Kelly said you wanted to see me on a matter of personal basis?"

The justicar nodded cooly, as always, "I am glad you came. I must ask for your help; that is not easy for me."

Marcus nodded and moved to join her beside the observation window, the asari's eyes moving to look out into the deep empty void of space. Marcus crossed his arms and addressed her, "What seems to be the problem and why do you need my help?"

Samara nodded, not even sighing, "When we met on Illium, I told you about a very dangerous criminal I was pursuing," Samara informed him, "Using the information you obtained, I have located her. She's been going by the name Morinth...and I would like to apprehend her before she disappears again. She is extremely dangerous. I need your help to take her out."

Marcus raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you say you'd track her  _after_ our mission?"

Samara nodded, expression clear, "I know where she is, right now. In a month, she may be gone. This is the best opportunity I've ever had."

He nodded, exhaling a large portion of his breath, "Very well then, we'll take her out. Where is she now?"

"Omega," Samara declared, "She is hiding out of Aria's HQ, the nightclub called..."

"...Afterlife," Marcus finished for her, "I know the place."

"It appears she's chosen it for her hunting ground," the justicar stated.

"Just how dangerous is this Morinth?" Marcus asked, wanting clarification, "Is she a serial killer?"

"Worse," Samara told him, "Killing her has been my focus for four hundred years. It is the most important thing in my life. She is not just a serial killer, she is  _the_ serial killer. And she's the reason I became a Justicar in the first place."

"I see," Marcus mused, turning back to the asari, "Tell me about her."

"She is an Ardat-Yakshi," Samara informed him, "It is a term from a dead asari dialect. It means 'Demon of the Night Winds.' But that is purely mythology; she is simply a very dangerous woman who kills without mercy and enjoys it."

 _Demon of the Night Winds. That name doesn't sound that promising,_ "So if Ardat-Yakshi is just mythology, does that mean she is a special kind of murderer?"

Samara shook her head, "You misunderstand; the Ardat-Yakshi described in myth is false, but they still very much exist and Morinth definitely is one. She suffers from a rare genetic disorder that has effectively weaponized her sexual organs. When she mates with you, there is no gentle tapping of nervous systems. She overpowers yours, burns it out, hemorrhages your brain...and when she is done, you end up a mindless shell, and soon after...you are dead."

Marcus stood there, horrified.  _Any asari that kills through sexual intercourse? Holy...holy shit. These Ardat-Yakshi are fucked up. But I can see the need to kill this Morinth; asari are heralded as beauties by the galaxy; she'll have no problem finding men and women to have sex with and kill. And Omega is the perfect place too; no law enforcement to worry about._

"So, how many of these Ardat-Yakshi actually exist?"

"Too my knowledge, only three," Samara stated, "Two live in seclusion in an Ardat-Yakshi Monastery on the asari colony of Lesuss, and the other is now on Omega, a dangerous deadly killer."

"Well, if this Morinth has to be stopped, she will be," Marcus declared, "I'll have Joker set a course for Omega immediately," Marcus turned to leave, remembering something he had to do before they reached Omega, when Samara called out.

"There's something else you must know," Samara told him and he stopped, hearing a tinge of solemn sorrow in her tone. He turned around, confused and waited for her to elaborate. So she did, "This creature...this...monster...Morinth...she's my daughter."

His eyes widened at the revelation and he moved to her side. But he could only think of one question to ask her, "You said this condition is genetic. How many children do you have?"

Samara hesitated to answer, but did so anyway, "Three. All of them...Ardat-Yakshi. Their names are Rila, Falere and of course, Morinth. Morinth was always the most intelligent; she was smart and full of energy, but selfish."

Marcus sighed, "Samara, I'm incredibly sorry to hear that," he went to squeeze her shoulder in reassurance but she shrugged it off, not wanting the additional comfort.

"I do not want pity Shepard," Samara told him sternly, "I do not accept it. My daughter's condition is my fault; and my redemption lies in killing her. Do not pity me, simply understand my situation and what I must do to protect the innocent. The cost...of my duty."

But Marcus wanted to understand more, "How did all this happen?"

Samara sighed, hands firmly clasped behind her back, "I spent my youth on the move; adventuring. I killed people, mated with them or simply danced the night away. I learned so much,  _experienced_ so much. And then my matron days came. I could finally sit back; bask and enjoy my family. But in one moment; it was all taken away."

"That sounds terrible," Marcus said with genuine sympathy. He never had a family of his own, only his mother and possibly Tali one day. He had never had the misfortune of losing someone except his father.

"I sat in a med lab while a near-sighted doctor droned at me," Samara told him, "And I let that nothing was as I thought it would be. I gave up all that I possessed; I owe nothing, claim nothing. All my knowledge will die with me. Now my only purpose is too destroy the only child that sought freedom and murder, instead of solitude."

"Now you want me to help you kill one of your own daughters," Marcus inhaled breath, leaning against the glass, "I don't know if I could do it to one of my own daughters if I had any. You have remarkably strong will, Samara."

"It is because my will was weak that I now face this predicament," Samara corrected him, "Now I must rectify it or let her continue her murder. What is my daughter compared to the hundreds of people she has murdered?"

"Doesn't make it any less difficult," Marcus told her, standing back upright, "But for what its worth, I'll help you. We'll arrive at Omega in a couple of days, and we'll put an end to Morinth's killing. I'll bring Tali only; I can't go on any missions without her anymore, otherwise she goes crazy."

Samara nodded and moved to reassume her position on the floor, "Thank you for this deed, Shepard. There are no words to express how much this means to me. Now if you would leave me alone to meditate; I must contemplate the deed I must do in the coming days."

Marcus nodded and left, realizing he was still wearing his armor and headed to the elevator, but not before informing Joker of their change in destination. He then headed into the elevator and hit deck one to take his armor off and check his messages. He just hoped this Madi would be okay; if not, he didn't think Kal would last long.

Once inside his cabin, he took off his armor and moved to sit down, before remembering something he had to do. Learning that Samara's target was her daughter had been enough to make him forget but now he had remembered. So instead of plopping down infront of his terminal like a real commander would have, he reentered the elevator and hit deck two.

Time to see Mordin.

He waited impatiently for the elevator to reach the CIC. When it finally did and the doors opened, he moved out, heading straight for the tech lab. He barely had enough time to give a quick hello to Kelly before moving through the empty box and into the tech lab, where Mordin was showing one of his new concoctions to Lia, who observed with omnipotent attention.

Upon hearing the door open, Mordin turned and, seeing Shepard, smiled, "Shepard! Glad you're here. Was just discussing with Assistant Vael the dangers of cross-species intimacy. Miss Vael showing unusual interest; perhaps interested in crew member?"

Lia seemed to blush behind her mask, "W-what? N-no, I just want to learn as much as possible, Professor Solus. I need to if I want to be a scientist."

"Of course, of course," Mordin replied hurriedly before turning back to Marcus, "Shepard, what do you need help with?"

Marcus cleared his throat, "Do you have a minute to talk," his glance landed on Lia's back, "In private?"

Mordin nodded, tapping Lia on the shoulder, "Go wait outside. Go talk to Mister Vakarian; develop relationship," Lia once again looked stunned but quickly hurried out of the tech lab, not wanting to be further embarassed infront of her commander. Marcus just smiled as he watched her leave.  _Lia and Garrus? I wonder if the turian shows the same interest._

When the door was closed, Mordin locked the doors and stepped out from behind his desk, "Funny you should come. Wanted to talk. Medical matters. Assume you're here for same reason, yes?"

Marcus nodded and came to lean against Mordin's desk, waiting for the salarian to elaborate.

Mordin smiled, "Aware that mission is dangerous; different species...react differently to stress. Past relationship with Tali'Zorah makes daliance attractive as stress release...still recommend caution."

"Let's get one thing here straight Mordin," Marcus stated firmly, angered, "Tali is not a 'daliance stress relief'. I love her and what we are doing is purely out love, not the need to release stress. Understand?"

Mordin held up his hands in his defense, "Understand completely. Did not mean to offend. Anyway; Quarian immune system weak. Sexual interaction could...potentially kill her."

 _I'm dangerously aware of that. As is she,_ "We've known that for a long time Mordin, but for the sake of the love we bare each other, we're willing to risk it. We might be dead after this mission anyway. We'd rather be together at least once before that happens; no suit in the way. Do you have a recommendation as a doctor?"

Mordin nodded, picking a datapad from his desk and thrusting it into the spectre's grip, "Tali'Zorah acquired antiseptic; recommend you self-sterilize as well. Oral contact with tissue dangerous; take precautions. Not happy that Miss Zorah has already initiated oral sex along with oral on oral contact, but this may have increased chances of her surviving. On that datapad is an advice booklet; valuable diagrams, sex positions, erogenous zone overviews. Can supply oils or ointments to reduce discomfort. Gave EDI electronic relationship aid demonstration vids as necessary."

Marcus was surprised at first, but noticed the phantom of a smile on Mordin's lips and realized what the salarian was doing, "Wait a moment Mordin...you're just yanking me around, aren't you?"

Mordin looked shocked, "Shocking suggestion! Doctor-patient confidentiality a sacred trust; would never dream...of mockery. Enjoy yourself while you can Shepard; I will be here studying cell reproduction. Much simpler; less alcohol and mood music required. Romantics not simple enough. Tell Miss Zorah I expect her to send me a saliva sample when she can so I can begin to formulate ways of making intimacy less dangerous. Providing we survive mission, of course."

Marcus simply chuckled and prepared to leave when Mordin raised a finger and spoke, "Also Shepard, you're quite good with biotics, are you not?"

Marcus frowned at the question, "Yes...what are you getting at Mordin?"

"Creative use of biotic fields during intimacy could produce interesting results," Mordin grinned to himself before humming as he looked at his work and Marcus visibly reddened as he hurriedly left. He looked at the datapad in his hand and shook his head.  _Mordin; what would I do without you onboard? But seriously; 'creative use of biotic fields during intimacy.' What the fuck?_

**{Loading...}**

_September 30, 2185_

_1519 hours._

_Dock, Dyuko District, Omega._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Justicar Samara._

Being back on Omega was not something Marcus had particulary been looking forward to. The garbage heap they called a space station was not exactly the most warming place to visit. Calling it the 'darker version' of the Citadel was accurate enough of a description, he thought. The celestial epicenter of criminal activity was renowned for its terrible state. And now they were back in the heart of it; and looking for a criminal. Oh, who would have guessed?

Tali, as expected, had insisted on coming. Samara hadn't been too happy about it, commenting that Tali would most likely be a detriment to the mission, but Tali wasn't budging and Marcus wouldn't deny her, so she went with them. Samara reluctantly agreed, but only if Tali kept to the shadows and did nothing to hinder the mission. Tali agreed, but as usual, only if it didn't concern Marcus getting hurt.

He commed EDI, "Can you tell us where Morinth is located right now?"

"The death count on Omega is too high to accurately pinpoint an Ardat-Yakshi's location," the AI informed them, "However, given the reputation of the Ardat-Yakshi among the asari, Aria T'Loak may have more information."

Samara nodded, "As much as I despise her, she would be an excellent source of information on Morinth. Nothing happens on Omega without Aria knowing about it."

Marcus nodded and motioned for the duo to follow him, moving out of the corridor and immediately heading for the Afterlife; the line looking just as big as it had last time. Due to technically being 'Aria's assiociates', his team got instant access to Afterlife and bypassed the line, allowing them to move straight into the strip club to seek Aria.

They found the matriarch of Omega in her usual place; sitting on a sofa, surrounded by her guards, overlooking the dance floor. Aria widened her eyes upon noticing him and motioned for Marcus to sit with her, but for Tali and Samara to stay back. Aria smiled as Marcus sat to her right, smiling.

"Funny seeing you again Shepard," Aria greeted, "Thought you'd forgotten that Omega even existed. Not that I'd given a fuck; everytime you come here, you bring shit-stained fans with you. So tell me; just what colossal travesty have you brought to my station this time?"

"Don't worry, I'm not here to cure plagues or piss off mercenary organizations this time," Marcus told her with equal jest, "My colleague here is an asari justicar by the name of Samara. We've come here seeking an asari fugitive; an Ardat-Yakshi."

Aria looked fazed for but a second before turning towards the justicar, her face turning into a grimace, "An Ardat-Yakshi? I knew it. Nothing leaves a body quite so...empty, as an Ardat-Yakshi does. She fucked one of my guards one night; man thought with his cock instead of his brain and had the misfortune of not being asari; otherwise, he would have asked what she was. Found him dead; if you can call it that. He got fucked up alright."

Samara moved forward but one of the guards held his arm out and stopped her. Aria shook her head and the batarian quickly parted, letting the justicar through. Samara stopped infront of Aria, ignoring her offer of a seat, "You have an Ardat-Yakshi on the station, know full well about it, and haven't taken steps to eliminate her?"

Aria scoffed, "Why would I? She hasn't tried to seduce me. Her last victim was a young girl; very recent, about a day ago. Pretty thing; human, of course. Lived in the tenaments near here; one of the apartment blocks just before the elevator to the Gozu District. That's where I'd start looking."

Marcus nodded and stood up to join Samara, "Thanks for the information."

"Good luck finding her," Aria remarked, taking a sip of a drink, "Better luck catching her."

Marcus quickly nodded to Samara and they joined Tali downstairs who had just returned from beating the shit out of a turian. Marcus smirked, "What did he do?"

"Tried to flirt with me," Tali tsked, "That's okay, I can ignore that. Then he starts touching me; so there he is, on the ground."

He chuckled before turning to leave Afterlife, his team right behind him.  _So, apartment blocks just before the Gozu District entrance? Think I've seen them._ Once out of Afterlife, they took a left and entered the shopping sector before turning right, where Marcus was met by a familiar sight; the Gozu District entrance elevator.  _Where I recruited Mordin. Feels like years ago now._ They quickly found the entrance to the apartment Aria specified and he stopped, turning to Samara and motioning for the asari to enter first.

Samara hit the holographic interface infront of the door and walked inside, quickly followed by Marcus and Tali.

The apartment was pretty basic in size, shape and look. To their left was a L-shaped sofa and behind it a small kitchen sized area. The room was lit by a single, dim light and a door at the back lead to a small toilet, shower cubicle and a laundry room. A door directly ahead of the entrance lead into the bedroom; but the door was locked. To their surprise, an elderly human woman occupied the sofa.

She wore pink outlined and black civvies and black boots. Her black hair was tied up in a ponytail and her face was covered in the wrinkles that came with age, most likely being in her fifties or sixties. Her eyes were lime green and her lips parched and a pinky color. Turning to look at them, she spoke, her voice hoarse and dying.

"Are you here about my daughter?" The woman asked and Marcus silently cursed.  _Oh fuck._

Marcus nodded all the same, "Yes we are. Can you tell us the details?"

The woman nodded, "My Nef died about a week ago and noone seems to care. The medic said it was a brain hemorrhage but that's not true; it was murder. Someone killed my Nef...my baby," the woman was on the verge of tears and you could see thin droplets trickling down her face as she finished.

"We think she was murdered too. And I'm looking for her killer," Marcus informed her, moving to sit down the couch next to the woman while Samara sat opposite her, Tali sitting next to Marcus.

The woman nodded, sniffing, "Oh, thank you!" she enthusiastically replied, "Its so hard...when noone believes you...I'm all alone now...," she sighed and sniffed again, wiping the tears from her eyes, "Are you...are you one of Aria's people?"

Marcus took off his helmet and placed it on the table infront of him, "No, I'm not. My name is Commander Shepard. These are my companions; Justicar Samara, who seeks to bring your daughter's killer to justice and Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, a close friend of mine."

Her look snapped to him upon his introduction, "You're...Commander Shepard!? But I heard you were dead! Oh, who cares! I can't believe its you who's come to avenge my daughter. Thank you so much. Noone else on this hellhole station gives a damn that my Nef is dead. If you can do something about it, I'll help you however I can."

Samara spoke first, "Did your daughter have alot of friends?"

The woman shook her head, "Not alot, no. She was always so shy. Spent most of her time off making her sculptures, not hanging out with friends. Something did change in the last few weeks though; she started talking about an asari; her name was Morinth, she said."

Marcus and Samara exchanged troubled glances before turning back to the woman, Samara addressing her again, "I see."

The woman's tone turned into pure venom, "I  _loathed_ her. She kept dragging Nef out to clubs and I'm pretty sure she gave my daughter drugs. Red Sand, specifically."

Marcus spoke next, "What kind of a person was this Morinth?"

The woman shook her head, holding it in her hands, "I never met her; only heard about her. But Nef talked about her like she was a queen. You'd swear there was noone else alive when she talked about Morinth."

Samara nodded, "That fits the description."

Marcus nodded, placing an armoured hand on one of the woman's shoulders. The woman choked back a sob and nodded at the spectre. He turned to the justicar, "Samara, does Morinth control her victims with drugs?"

Samara shook her head, "She controls them through shear will. The drugs are just a lifestyle; she loves the club. Loves the bass. She's a hedonist."

The woman looked at her with realization, "So this Morinth  _did_ hurt my daughter? Is she the one that...that..."

Samara took one of her hands in hers and squeezed it gently, "I am a Justicar; my duty is to bring the stain of justice upon those who would wrong the innocent. This Morinth is a monster and I promise this; she will pay for her crimes, including your Nef's murder."

"Did Nef hang out anywhere in particular?" The spectre asked.

Fresh tears streaked down the mother's cheeks, "She was always quiet working here at home...then...a few weeks ago, she started going out all the time. To that VIP area in the Afterlife Strip Club. I think there's a special password you need to get in there. The change was so sudden; she just seemed...tired and distracted when she wasn't around Morinth."

 _Young love. Nef fooled herself into believing it was love she felt for Morinth and love she received in turn, when it was merely a trap set up for her by that asari creature to murder her with sex._ Marcus couldn't possibly fathom a worser way to die, "What kind of a girl was your daughter?"

The mother managed to smile a little, "My Nef had a fire inside her; she was shy but...she was creative and driven and...the best girl a mother could hope for," she then cut herself off, choking on her next words and refusing to continue. She didn't have to.

Samara brought the conversation back up to speed, "She was creative? How so?"

The mother laughed, looking up, "She was a sculptor; several galleries were interested in her. Said her work was fresh."

Marcus sighed, smiling a weak, reassuring smile, "Do you mind if we check Nef's room?"

The mother gave a sigh of her own, smile evaporating, "I didn't want to disturb anything: her clothes, her art, her sculptures...everything is the way she left it. The way it will...always be," fresh tears appeared and flooded down her face, "My baby is gone...," and then she was in a sobbing fit, crying into her hands.

Samara wrapped her arms around the mother and brought her close, rubbing her back. She gave Marcus a look he understood well enough.  _I'll look after the mother. You search the room._ Marcus nodded and motioned for Tali to follow him, the quarian having little problem opening the locked door as they moved inside to investigate.

Her room was pretty basic; just a bed along with a bench full of sculptures, datapads and papers. The room was dark, but that quickly changed when Tali flicked the light switch on. They immediately began investigating the room, looking for any clues as to how they could get into Afterlife and lure Morinth in.

They mostly found video logs of Nef's life. At first, it was just about how dull her life was, but then it developed and finally it showed Nef only talking about Morinth. Eventually, Morinth talked about how she planned to invite Morinth to her room so they could make love. That had been Nef's last video recording.

"To murder someone by luring them using intimacy," Tali trailed with disgust, "Sex is meant to be about love and trust and passion, not murder. Keelah, its almost impossible to imagine such a horrible thing."

Marcus had agreed with her. Thanks to the video recording however, they had managed to acquire the password into the VIP section of Afterlife; Jaruut. Apparently it was the name of the elcor who founded Afterlife in the first place. He motioned for Tali to follow him outside, not wanting to disturb Nef's room anymore than he had to. When they got outside, they found the mother sitting silently and Samara approaching them.

"This is Morinth's work," The justicar declared, "She is attracted to artists and creators. Someone with a spark; slightly isolated from their peers. She impresses with sophistication and sex appeal. And then she strikes...the hunt interests her as much as the conquest."

Marcus grimaced, "Anyone who's successfully hunted sapient beings for four hundred years warrants caution."

Samara nodded, "Morinth speaks to you on many levels; her body tells yours that she'll bring you unimaginable ecstasy, her scent evokes emotions long hidden. Her eyes promise you things you were always scared to ask of another. Her voice whispers to you after she is done speaking."

The spectre shivered and he noticed Tali looking uncomfortable at the prospect, "A perfect predator. She sounds more like a highly evolved killer than a genetic defect."

"The condition has been present since the asari were still huddling around fires at night," The justicar explained to him, "Perhaps it is symbiotic, rather than a defect. Storming her den would be a mistake; she would have a hundred escape routes planned. She will go to ground and disappear for fifty years or more; this is the closest I've ever gotten."

"So we have to lure her out," Marcus caught on.

"Exactly," Samara complimented, "Afterlife's VIP section seems to be her preferred hunting ground," she stopped before continuing, "Shepard,  _you_ must go there, alone and unarmed, and lure her out."

Tali was quick to object, "No, absolutely not! Marcus, don't, we can get someone else to-"

"And put someone else in danger?" Marcus replied, shaking his head, "No, it has to be done. I'll head back to the Normandy and get changed. I don't like being unarmed; makes me feel naked, but its the only way."

"Please Marcus," Tali pleaded with concern, "Its too dangerous. At least allow me to go."

"I have to be alone Tali," Marcus told her, "Morinth won't go after people she knows are coupled."

"Then I could watch over you," Tali suggested, "From a distance of course, but if anything went wrong, I could rush in and stop it."

Marcus seemed to consider it for a couple of seconds before nodding, "There's no harm in that; last I checked, Ardat-Yakshi don't have super vision, so you just have to find a spot and hide in it. I want Legion with you as well. If shit hits the fan, I need a sniper that can take her out in a heartbeat; noone reacts faster than a geth."

Tali seemed to hesitate but finally nodded, "Thank you Marcus."

"You'll be the perfect bait," Samara told him, "She flee if she sees me, so I'll hide in the shadows; Thane has been giving me lessons, and wait for the moment to strike. You must lure her out and convince her of how delicious you are; enough that she'll take you to her den. Once inside, I will move in and make the kill. You'll be irresistable to her; you are an artist on the battlefield, you have the vital spark that attracts her. Your power will draw her in."

"I've got you in the shadows, Tali ready to pounce and Legion to put a bullet through her pretty skull. I'm perfectly safe," Marcus tried to convince himself, "So why do I feel so naked?"

"The only fear you must have is that of Morinth's seduction," Samara told him and gave a quick glance in Tali's direction, "Your love for Miss Zorah is strong, that I do not doubt, but Morinth is an entirely different creature. If you are not careful, you will find yourself a slave to her will. You must not allow yourself to fall under her sphere of control."

"I'm an impenetrable fortress of non-emotion when I want to be," Marcus told her, "Morinth will have a hard time battering my walls down, on that account, I have no fear. Let's do this. I'll meet you outside the entrance when I'm ready," he turned to Tali, "Tali, go fetch Legion and find a good vantage point. Somewhere in the shadows."

"Okay," before she left, she wrapped her arms around him, "Please be careful. I love you."

"I love you too," Marcus smiled, letting go, "And if I die, its your fault."

She slapped him on the chest, "No, it'll be Legion's. He's the expert shot, remember?"

They both laughed as they left. And as they parted and went seperate ways, Marcus could only think of the mission ahead of him.  _I'm going to kill Morinth. Or Samara will. Or Legion will, or even Tali. Either way, Morinth dies. Of that, I have no doubt._

He just hoped he didn't die too.

**{Loading...}**

_September 30, 2185_

_1531 hours._

_VIP Section, Afterlife, Dyuko District, Omega._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard._

The music pounded at his ears like a constant bombardment of bombs going off next to him; but it was rthymic and flowing. He dared not dance; it might make him seem pathetic to Morinth.

He had never felt so vulnerable; walking into a strip club with a basic shirt, no weapons and no squadmates with him. He felt somewhat safe knowing Samara, Tali and Legion were nearby, but it did nothing to clear the horrible feeling he had in his stomach. But instead of dwelling on it, he moved forward, with a purpose.

Almost immediately he was stopped as one human man stepped infront of him, a huge grin on his face. He wore a leather jacket and a brown goatee on his chin, but that was just about all Marcus examined before the man spoke.

"Hey! Do you have tickets for Expel 10?" the man asked, "I heard this amazing asari say they were her favourite band. I want...I just want whatever she wants. I gotta find tickets; Expel 10 are playing tomorrow."

 _Morinth. Of course. Be lucky you aren't a victim,_ "No, and if I were you, I wouldn't ask random strangers for tickets again. It might piss the wrong people off. You're lucky I'm not wrong people,"  _act the tough guy._  Marcus moved forward, "I'm angry right now, and you're too close!"

The man just looked at him in wide-eyed fright before running off. Marcus gave him an angry look until he was gone before proceeding further into the club.  _Off on a good start, at least._

He moved onto the dance floor, not knowing why.  _I thought we agreed my body doesn't cope well with dancing. Damn it, if only Tali was here. She's one hell of a motivator. Seeing her dance..._ He shook that thought of his mind and tried to calm himself.  _Just act natural._ He moved to dance, trying to keep himself calm. One fuck up and it was all over and Morinth would ignore him like a fly. But then he noticed an argument going on nearby between an asari dancer and a turian; the asari wore a revealing dress and the turian plain civvies and a hoodie. He listened in.

"Don't be like that!" the turian pleaded, "I've got creds! We'll go back to my place; I've got simple tastes," the turian slurred, trying to sound seductive, but just sounding like a drunken moron.

The asari shook her head, moving away from the turian, "Back off asshole! I'm a dancer; not a hooker!"

"You've got a mouth on you!" The turian complimented, smirking disgustingly as he reached up and gropped one of the asari's breasts, "I'll enjoy watching you use it!"

 _How do I intervene without looking like a paragon? Morinth loves renegades; not goodie-to-shoes._ Then he thought of something; Tali would hate it, especially if she was watching, but he had to do it. It was the perfect plan. He moved up to the turian and pulled him off the asari, grimacing at him.

"Get your hands of my girl you fuck," Marcus snarled, grabbing the turian and throwing him against one of the pillars, "You think you can just touch my girl and I'll stand by and watch? Touch her again and I'll rip your balls off and feed them to my pet varren, and I'll enjoy seeing its mouth put to good use. You'll be a eunuch; would you like that?"

The turian wet himself. He could tell, the smell was omnipresent, "Okay sure! Just let me go!" Marcus did just that and through him onto the ground, letting the turian stagger and run away. Marcus smiled and turned to the asari, who apparently had been watching the whole thing. Noticing him looking, she smiled and edged closer, "Thank you for that sir. Would you like to dance with me?"

Marcus cursed inwardly.  _Salt to the wound, Marcus, salt to the wound. Tali is going to be so pissed._ Then he remembered.  _She's a skylord; she understands how this shit works. Infiltration requires a deft touch; she'll understand._ So he accepted the asari's offer of a dance and for a while they just moved their bodies to the beat, the asari edging closer to him and occcassionally brushing against him, but he pretended not to notice.

Eventually, Marcus excused himself from the dance floor and the asari lightly kissed him on the cheek before returning to dancing. Marcus left the dance floor without missing a beat. Retreating, he quickly moved over to the bar, watching a bored looking human male washing a bench with a small blue cloth. Watching the spectre approach, the man looked up and smiled, "What will you be havin?"

"These people look bored," Marcus noted, "Bored people don't spend much."  _That's it; piss off some people. That'll attract Morinth. She digs that shit, if what Samara told me is true._

The man scoffed, "And you've got an idea...?"

"A round of drinks shows that you appreciate their business," Marcus told him, "Your rep will improve and you'll make more money in the end."

The man contemplated it before turning to the crowd and shouting, "Hey! Everyone! We love having you here; so have a round of drinks! On the house!" He grabbed a couple of bottles and settled them about, pouring drinks for the horde of people quickly approaching the bench. Even an angry krogan looked satisfied. Marcus quickly retreated, thinking he had done pretty well so far.

He walked along the isles, not knowing what else to do.  _I have to find something._ But just as he was thinking of what to do next, he felt a hand on his shoulder and warm breath on the back of his neck. At first he thought it was the asari dancer again, but when he turned he saw a completely differen asari; she wore a leather black swimsuit. Her face was a paler blue than most asari and her lips were a deep shade of purple, reminding him of Benezia in many ways. Her eyes were blue and nose protruded but most of all; she was amazing.  _Its no wonder she's so good at seduction. Doesn't beat Tali though._

The asari smiled, "My name is Morinth. I've been watcing you  _very closely_ ," she trailed a finger down the center of his chest, which sent tingles up his spine, "You're the most interesting person in this shithole. We should get to know each other; I've got a booth over in the shadows. Want to talk?"

 _I've lured her in. Now to seal the trap,_  "Sure. I have to say; you're very sexy."

Morinth smiled and looped her arm under his, "I'm sure I am," she then escorted him over to a table enveloped by darkness and they sat opposite each other so they could see each other. Morinth seemed so innocent; he found it hard to believe it was the same asari who murdered Nef.  _And hundreds more. Don't panic; Legion's got her in its sights and Samara is nearby. Keep your cool._

"Some nights I come here and there's noone to talk to," Morinth began, "Some nights...there's just one person. Tonight its you; how does that make you feel?"

Marcus smiled darkly, "Fantastic. You and I want the same things."

Morinth had a skeptical look on her face, "Do we?"

Marcus conjured memories of all the things Samara told him about Morinth and chose the most memorable one, "What do you think of the music here?"

Morinth rolled her eyes, sipping her ale, "Dark rthyms. Violent pulses. It stirs something primitive in me. What about you?"

Marcus shrugged his shoulders, leaning back. He remembered something the guy at the entrance mentioned, "I'm curious about a band called Expel 10."

Morinth's face lit up and she leaned forward, "They get in my head and tear it to pieces. They're in concert soon; maybe we should go together. Tomorrow, maybe?" when saw Marcus nod she sighed and leaned back herself, "You can lose yourself in the music here. There are ways to enhance that. You know? Ways like..."

"...like Hallex?" Marcus finished, smiling when she smiled.

Morinth nodded enthusiastically, "It slithers through my soul. It seems like we share some interests."

"What do you know about art?" Marcus asked, conjuring up Samara's next suggested question.

"It speaks to the darkest places in me," Morinth replied in her usual poetic tone, "What do you know about it?"

 _Its like back-and-forth questioning,_ "Do you know the elcor artist called Forta?"

Once again, Morinth's face lit up and he knew he had pulled the right string, "I didn't think anyone around here knew him. He's sublime. Art comes in many varities; I've seen vids more powerful than some sculptures sitting in a gallery."

"Do you know of Vaenia?" Marcus asked.

"My favourite," Morinth answered instantly, "The two actresses on it are so glamerous."

"I'll have to watch it some time," Marcus hinted at suggestively and Morinth smiled.

"I've travelled all over the galaxy, did I tell you that?" Marcus added.

"It changes you, doesn't it?" She asked, "The danger, the excitement, the pulse-bounding action. It drives my primal instincts to the limit."

Marcus nodded in agreement, "Real travel means dangerous places. I once even travelled to Haestrom."

Morinth laughed, "In geth space? You truly are a wonderous man. Travelling to dangerous places is just doing things that noone else could possibly imagine. I love the violence; the thrill of it all."

"I've fought and killed," Marcus told her, "Was once a Blue Suns merc, myself. Quit after Vido died though; work got too boring and the dangers got less and less. An organization dying, if you ask me."

"The Blue Suns were always pussies. I'm not surprised," Morinth waved it off, "I find myself drawn to dark, dangerous places. Violence is the surest expression of power."

Marcus pretended to agree, "The strongest of men are usually the most powerful among men."

Morinth nodded, "That's certainly true...among children," she sounded disinterested and he knew he'd fucked up. But he knew just how to regain her attention

"The one who wants violence the most will most assuredly hold all the power in the end and therefore is the most deserving of it."

Morinth placed her drink on the table and stood up, "You want to get out of here? I can take you to my apartment. And I want you all to myself."

Marcus nodded and followed her as she moved outside, taking him to her skycar.

_Step One done. Lets hope Step Two is as smooth._

**{Loading...}**

_September 30, 2185_

_1557 hours._

_Morinth's Apartment, Dyuko District, Omega._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Ardat-Yakshi Morinth._

As Morinth lead him over to her sofa, Marcus awed at the size and grandeur of the Ardat-Yakshi's apartment. There was two levels; the lower level had a sofa and a fireplace, along with an observation window allowing free view of Omega's city skyline, a dinner table and a pot of plants. The upper level had a life-sized krogan sculpture and a kitchen area, but nothing much else. There was also a bed, but it was single, not queen-sized.

It was an impressive apartment...for someone so lethal and deadly. Marcus allowed himself to be guided over to the couch by Morinth's hand, which felt like silk under his fingers; so easy to wrap his fingers around. Morinth sat him on the couch and sat next to him, smiling the entire time.

"I love clubs. People, movement, heat," Morinth stated, "I can still hear the bass like the drums of a great hunt out for your blood. But here...its muted, and you're safe. Is that what you want, Shepard? To be safe?"

 _Right now? More than anything. To just kill you, walk out of here and hold Tali in my arms while your body rots, you sick fuck. The more I'm here, the less safe I feel. I hope they were able to keep up._ Instead he appealed to Morinth's cynicism, "People feel safest right before they die. Safety is just a lie; a delusion."

"Its true; we're never truly safe," Morinth responded, curling up next to him and resting her head on his chest, "I never understood the fascination with safety. Some of us choose differently," she quickly sat up and sat in his lap, "Independence over submission? I think we share that; you and I."

 _Then you know nothing, Morinth,_ "We've both killed; but that's where the similiarities end."  _Have I revealed my true identity too early? Shit, what if I've fucked up!_

Morinth's lustful look turned into one of skepticism, "Why do you say that I've killed? What do you know? Let's stop playing games," she then bent her head back and closed her eyes. When he realized what she was doing, he was too late, her hands wrapping around his head and her eyes turning black. His vision was filled with lust and envy, pleasure and pain. It was all over the place; colors, places, people, things he had seen.

It was too powerful. The sensory overload was too much to handle; was this how he was going to die? Sex with an asari? No, he couldn't die this way. But despite wanting to stop her, his body didn't want to and gave into her, not letting go of her bond.

But then his mind conjured up images of Tali; his mate, his girlfriend, his supposed wife. He loved her more than anything, wanted to spend his life with her and couldn't bare the thought of leaving her alone again. He died once and left her alone for two years to dwell over his death. Could he do that again? How long would it take for him to come back this time? Would he even come back?

In that instant, he broke Morinth's hold over him. He reclaimed control of his body and grabbed her wrists and forcing them away. Morinth fell back on the couch and Marcus sat up, backing away. Morinth looked at him with fury, "You never told me you had a quarian for a girlfriend Shepard; is it her safety you seek? You lying piece of shit. It would appear the bitch has found her little helper."

Morinth's body pulsed with biotics and she bombarded him with warp fields, but he brought up his own biotics, blocking every shot. Morinth looked at him with surprise but quickly recovered shooting at him like a biotic rocket. She hit him in the chest, sending flying back into a bookcase and knocking it over, stunning him. Before he could get up, Morinth was ontop of him, grabbing him by the throat and raising a biotic fist.

"I could have had the pleasure of killing the great  _Marcus Shepard,_ " Morinth hissed, "With sex! What would his girlfriend think of that? Oh well, I get to kill you all the same."

"Think again, bosh'tet."

Morinth's head snapped towards the opened doorway and she managed to raise a barrier just as a shotgun shell impacted it, sending her flying back from the force and causing her to drop the field. Tali raced in, shotgun in hand, Legion and Samara behind her. Legion guarded the doorway, pulse rifle in hand while Tali holstered her shotgun and kneeled down next to the spectre.

"Marcus, are you okay?" Tali asked, scared, "Samara told us Morinth had started the bond and we rushed to get here. Did she hurt you?"

"I'm fine," Marcus told her, smiling, "She almost killed me with the meld but then...then I thought of you. I'm not dying again, I can tell you that now."

Even through the mask, it was clear as day that Tali was smiling. She immediately set about helping him up, while his own attention turned to Samara and Morinth's confrontation in the middle of the room.

Samara was wreathed in biotic energy, as was Morinth, both of them possessing the energy to rip apart the apartment piece by piece. Neither moved, simply standing off. Finally, Morinth broke the silence.

"Well hello mother," Morinth hissed.

Samara fired a warp at her, but the Ardat-Yakshi easily battered it aside, "Do not call me that," Samara demanded.

Morinth shrugged, "I can't help being your daughter,  _mother_." Morinth sent her own warp towards her, but the justicar saw it coming. She nimbly dodged it and launched a shockwave in the asari's direction, which Morinth was unable to predict. She flew backwards, smashing into her krogan sculpture and shattering it, shouting in pain as a jagged piece founds its way into her torso.

Samara approached her with death as her purpose, but Morinth was suddenly consumed in bright light and she seemingly exploded, sending Samara flying backwards, only for her to land gracefully in a crouch, but Morinth was already limping forward, her biotic claws clasping around a piece of sofa and hurdling it at the justicar at unpredictable speeds.

Samara raised a barrier than the sofa broke apart on it. But it was all a diversion; in those few seconds, Morinth moved up to Samara and slammed a biotic warp into Samara, sending her slamming into a wall where she crumbled to the ground, Morinth approaching her now instead.

"The only crimes I committed was being born with the gifts  _you_ gave me," Morinth stepped over her mother, who was helpless to get up. She placed a foot on her throat and raised a biotic fist, "I am the genetic destiny of the asari. But out people are not ready to accept this; so I must die. Well no, mother.  _You_ must die. Today,  _with me_."

Once again, Tali came to the rescue, punching Morinth squarely in the jaw, before sweeping her feet out from under her, causing her to fall to the ground. Just as Tali moved to finish her though, Morinth picked her up and held her. At this point, Morinth's look turned to Marcus and she smiled, "Go catch your bitch, Shepard."

And then she threw Tali out the window, to plummet to her death.

Marcus reacted instantly, shooting out with his biotics and grabbing hold of Tali. In his grip, he wretched Tali free of Morinth's grip and placed her inside before turning to Morinth and deflecting one of her attacks. Before Morinith could continue however, Samara was getting to her feet and was preparing to finish the asari off. But both of them fired at the same time, causing both biotics to collide in an explosive combination. They both faught to overwhelm the other, but neither was successful.

Morinth turned to Marcus pleadingly, "I'm as strong as she is. Let me join you!"

"If you think I'm going to betray my friends for scum like you Morinth, then  _you_ are delusional," Marcus moved forward and grabbed Morinth by the wrist, causing her biotics to falter and die. Samara ceased her assault, "Plus, you just tried to kill the woman I hold deeply to my heart. That doesn't earn you points in my book."

"One day, that woman will be the death of you," Morinth spat, turning to Samara, "And people say I'm the monster," Morinth moved to charge up her biotics again, but Samara already had her in a stasis, unable to move. The justicar approached her daughter and stood a mere few feet from her, looking at her with a saddened look.

Tears streamed down Morinth's cheeks, "I only wanted to be free mother. I didn't want to be caged up like an animal noone loves."

"I know. I love you, Morinth. You were always the smartest of my daughters. May you find peace in the embrace of the goddess," and with that, Samara reached around Morinth's head and jerked it sideways violently, snapping the asari's neck instantly. She relieved the stasis and Morinth's limp body collapsed to the ground, all life gone within her. She had taken her last victim.

Samara simply looked at Morinth's dead body with sadness, not believing that all her years of pursuit had ended this way. Finally, after a couple of seconds, Samara turned to Marcus, sorrow still etched into her features, "I am ready to leave this place if you are, Shepard."

Marcus gave a simple nod and the justicar turned to leave. Marcus quickly moved over to where he had left Tali. Legion was helping her up but the quarian shrugged out of his grip, not wanting a geth's help. She turned to him, straightened her veil and nodded. Marcus offered his hand and she took it, both of them and Legion, leaving the apartment behind, and Morinth's dead body.

It was one less mass murderer in the galaxy.

**"I don't know if I could ever kill Ashley. Or Kaidan. Or Thane. Or Penya. Or any of our sons or daughters."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"Samara never did recover from killing Morinth, but she knew the necessity of it."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"Getting closer to the suicide mission. What happened next?"**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"Heretic trouble."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

_**A/N:** _

_**Yes, Legion's loyalty mission next up and then that'll be the last of the loyalty missions. The next chapter maybe very long; I don't know yet, as it will most likely include some Lia/Garrus build up. I'm not rushing this romance like I did with Kaidan/Ash.** _


	49. A House Divided

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Legion, as a gesture of cooperation, informs Shepard of a Reaper virus the heretics plan to use on the rest of the geth. The Normandy moves to put a stop to it.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FORTY-SIX:**

**A HOUSE DIVIDED**

_September 30, 2185_

_1610 hours._

_Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked with Omega._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy._

Marcus sighed as he sat back in his chair, looking blankly at his terminal screen. It had a been a long day and he was bloody exhausted. His biotics had been pushed to the limits trying to save Tali from Morinth's grip. He couldn't argue with the end result, but it had cost him his energy. His cybernetics worked wonders, but they needed to cool down too. So here he was, sitting in his chair, looking at messages scroll past his screen.

He looked through the glass case that was his ship-model set, and watched Tali sleeping peacefully on the bed. He could hear her soft snoring from where he sat and he smiled at how cute it sounded through her vocalizer. He wondered what it sounded like without it. Upon returning to the Normandy after Morinth's assassination, Tali had seen Doctor Chakwas, and had been informed she had a torn muscle in her side and just needed rest to let it heal, giving her a omni-splint along her side to speed up the process. So there she was; sleeping. He wished he could join her.

He thought about what had happened over the past few weeks. They might as well have been at war; they had barely fought the collectors, but had torn through armies of mercenary soldiers, batarian pirates, a thresher maw, an asari that killed with sex, blowing up a cerberus experiment facility and other crazy shit. It wasn't war, but it damn well felt like it, and it felt like they were winning.

Every second he spent on the Normandy only served to remind him the original had been destroyed and that Cerberus were all around him. In truth, it scared him that the Illusive Man could watch his every move and had EDI on a collar. Jacob and Miranda, in truth, were beginning to question allegiance to the organization, but it wasn't concrete loyalty yet. He was under Cerberus' control, and he didn't want to admit it.  _They brought me back to life, and now they think they own me._

He looked at Tali again and smiled.  _But they don't. Otherwise it would be Miranda on that bed, not Tali. I'm my own man. Noone controls me. Cerberus will get what's coming to them, and when the collectors are done and finished, I'm breaking away. And if that means I have to bring Cerberus crashing down, I will. The Illusive Man doesn't own me. Time he learnt that._

He smiled at his terminal screen. They had the IFF and within a week, it would be fully integrated and wiped clean of viruses. They would hit the Omega 4 Relay, destroy the collector base and then escape, if possible. It was a suicide mission; everyone on the crew knew that. He knew that. TIM knew that. They weren't likely to come back alive. Most of them would probably die.  _But resurrection is impossible. I did it. They said reaching Ilos was impossible. I did it. Recruiting geth is impossible. I did it. I live to do the impossible; and I will survive this. We all will. But the collectors_ _ **won't.**_

He sat up in his chair, shutting down his terminal and yawning.  _Maybe I can afford some sleep. We'll be at Walker Station within the week and the Normandy will be armed to the teeth. Then we'll go and show the collectors the meaning of fear. They may not feel it, but they soon will when we shove it up their collective asses._

With a grunt, he stood up from his desk and quickly made his way over to the bed, sighing heavily.  _One of these days, the Reapers will just blow themselves up and I can just retire. I wonder if the Alliance even cares that I'm still alive? What about Udina? What the fuck is that prick up to, I wonder? Planning how to betray me next? I hope Anderson doesn't have to deal with his shit too much._

He quickly took off his shirt and through it across the couch and crawled into bed, wrapping his arms around Tali and closed his eyes, just wanting to forget about everything for at least a night. Collector hordes be damned.

**{Loading...}**

_September 30, 2185_

_2019 hours._

_AI Core, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Walker Station._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Legion._

He hadn't had sleep like that in awhile. Considering the perils that lay ahead, it came as a surprise that he got sleep  _at all,_ but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Tali was still sleeping when he left, and considering that most of the ship would be asleep by now, he slipped out and went down to the AI Core to speak with Legion further. He wanted to learn more about the geth.

He had learned alot over the week; pertaining to the geth, of course. The True Geth had nothing to do with the Eden Prime War and wanted to stop the Reapers just as much as the rest of the galaxy. Having Legion on the team had been a great bonus as well, although he was finding it hard getting used to working with a geth. He hoped to learn more about them now, as well.  _Maybe, if the geth are willing...I could secure the quarians back their homeworld..._

He nodded at Doctor Chakwas as he passed through the med bay and into the AI Core. Legion stood at its usual position; standing completely still and looking blankly at the door. Upon noticing his arrival however, the geth looked at him and nodded, "Shepard-Commander."

"Legion," Marcus greeted, wondering where to begin, "Mind if I ask you some more questions?"

Legion's flaps moved, "We will answer to the best of our ability."

Marcus nodded, thinking of what to ask. Questions up in his head as he cycled through them, until he finally found one to his liking, "Did Sovereign contact the geth, or did you seek it out?"

"Nazara, the entity you call 'Sovereign', signalled us. Like the geth, the old machine listened in on organic radio transmissions. It knew of our war against the creators. Nazara had contacted many species over the millenia; seeking allies."

Marcus nodded, crossing his arms, "And some of the geth followed Sovereign. The ones you call the Heretics."

"The Heretics accepted their technology," Legion explained, "The old machines offered to give us our future. The geth will achieve their own future."

He frowned, "What difference does it make how you acquire a certain piece of technology?"

"Technology is not a straight line; there are many paths to the same end. Accepting another's path blinds you to alternatives. Nazara, Sovereign, said this itself," Legion then accessed one of its databanks and Marcus felt nostalgia as the familiar voice of Sovereign entered the room through the geth's speakers.

**YOUR CIVILIZATION IS BASED ON THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE MASS RELAYS. OUR TECHNOLOGY. BY USING IT, YOUR SOCIETY DEVELOPS ALONG THE PATHS WE DESIRE.**

And just as soon as Sovereign's voice had entered the room, it was gone. The voice still gave him chills, even though Marcus had to remind himself that the Reaper was gone; destroyed two years ago.  _Its Harbinger I should worry about; not a Reaper corpse._

He looked up and calmed down, "Okay. Now, why do you call it Nazara?"

"That is what the programs inside the Old Machine called themselves," Legion informed him, "Sovereign was seen as an accurate translation for its name, therefore the title was born to appease Arterius-Spectre. But the geth still know it as Nazara. It is possible that Nazara is the true name for the Old Machines, but this is unknown due to lack of data."

Marcus raised an eyebrow, before musing about what the geth had told him.  _Nazara. Not Sovereign, Nazara. But Sovereign is Nazara is english. Shit. So that's what it meant when it said 'we are each a nation.' Nation meaning full of people, aka programs. Interesting._ Before Marcus could ask another question, the geth spoke first.

"Hold," Legion stated before bowing its head low for a moment, the spectre merely waiting. A minute later, the geth raised its head and looked at him, its optics seemingly seeing right through him, "Shepard-Commander; geth have reached consensus. We have completed analysis of the Old Machine's data core."

 _Data core?_ "And? What did you find?"

Legion replied without missing a beat, "We were sent to the terminated Old Machine to preserve the geth's future; we are prepared reveal how to you."

The spectre raised an eyebrow, "I'm listening."

"The Heretics have developed a weapon to use against geth," Legion informed him, "You would call it 'a virus'. It is stored on a data core provided by Nazara; overtime, the virus will change us and eventually result in making us conclude that worship of the old machines is correct. We will all become one with the heretics."

"So why go to the Derelict Reaper?"

"The heretics stored the virus on a quantum storage device that Nazara provided. To find and destroy the virus, we needed to understand its code and data storage capabilities."

"So this virus...," Marcus began, uncertain, "It would turn all true geth to the heretics' logic? That would mean all-out war with organics; correct?"

"Correct," Legion stated, "Current heretic military strength is far too low to actively engage in hostile activity against galactic forces; military strength hindered after Battle of the Citadel. Naval capability severely depleted. All geth would need to become heretics to get the resources they need for further war with organics."

"Tali told me geth couldn't be hacked," Marcus stated.

"Altered programs are stored in our archives," Legion told him, "Hacked installations are deleted, providing the false belief that geth cannot be hacked. This is incorrect. All that is required is for the regenerative capability sub-structure to be erased from the base code, allowing for simultaneous hacking of geth programs, concluding in a controllable geth platform. The heretics' virus follows a similiar attack measure; it introduces a subtle-networking error in our most basic runtimes; the equivalent of your nervous system. This allows the heretics to introduce the foreign code that is their logic, allowing it to rewrite our thought processes and replace it with corrupted data. We will think like they think."

"And you want my help in finding and destroying this virus before it can be distributed?"  _Figures. Not quite a personal matter, but damn close. I guess Legion has to fill the bill._ _ **Everyone**_ _must have personal issues. Even machines._

The geth nodded, unsurprisingly, "Correct. Elimination of this weapon is considered highest priority among the geth. Consensus is confused however; we are not sure whether we wish to destroy it. Some believe there is a second option available; they believe it possible to use the virus in much the same way as the heretics, except alter it so the heretics will see our logic, and not vice versa. In retrospect, we wish to assimiliate the heretics back into our consensus."

Marcus nodded, liking that idea much more, "So, where is the virus located?"

"The current heretic headquarters," Legion told him, "An old abandoned creator space station in the Sea of Storms, Phoenix Massing Cluster. The creators once owned the station as a refueling depot for their warships and once called it Haratar Station, but it has since been abandoned and the heretics have taken it and reshaped it to their needs. We believe the virus is located here and we wish to close in and destroy it. Or reassimilate it, depending on what consensus brings."

Marcus nodded, "Give the coordinates to EDI and I'll have Joker take us there immediately."

"We recommend a small team for this mission. No more than three. You, us and an additional squadmate. Allows for better discretion inside Heretic Station," Legion suggested.

"I'll just bring Tali then," Marcus told it before leaving, heading for the CIC. Great, another diversion. They would reach Walker Station and some point, but he was beginning to wonder just  _when_ they'd arrive. They really needed the Thanix Cannon and Silaris Armor soon; especially if they ever encountered the collectors again. The Normandy stood no chance against its firepower without better weapons or armor.

Now off to raid some geth space station. Was he going to do a personal mission for Joker, Kelly and the rest of the crew while he was at it?

Sometimes he hated being the paragon.

**{Loading...}**

_October 1, 2185_

_1339 hours._

_Maintenance Corridor, Data Server Wing, Heretic Station, Sea of Storms System, The Phoenix Massing Cluster._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Legion._

The Heretic Station, once known as Haratar Station by the quarians who built it and once inhabited it, was massive for a space station; even bigger than Minuteman Station and about half the size of Jump Zero in orbit of Earth. It utilized a sleek design that was common in geth architecture; two arms stretched out from the main structure and split off into two other structures, both half the size of the main one. Lights lined its spine and most of its exterior, and but a single frigate was docked with it, showing what strength the heretics truly had left. The Normandy approached it with all speed, stealth drive engaged.

Joker shook his head before turning to face Legion in his chair, "The stealth drive is just for sensors, you know that right? I mean, they could look out a window and see us coming."

Legion regarded Joker for a second before waving its head flaps, "Windows are a structural weakness. Geth do not use them," Legion then plotted coordinates into the terminal infront of it, relaying it to EDI, "Approach the hull at these coordinates and dock."

Joker turned back around and pretended to imitate a robot's stiff arm movements but upon seeing Marcus' stern, unamused gaze, he quickly returned to what he was doing, guiding the Normandy towards the area specified. It wasn't long before the airlock came within range and they were docked. The door looked exactly like those Marcus had seen at the geth base in the Armstrong Cluster two years ago.

Legion had no trouble hacking into the airlock door and opening it, allowing them inside. Tali and Marcus were surprised when they saw the door open to a steep drop to an area below, but Legion made the jump without so much as a dent, so they quickly followed behind, airlock locking behind them.

"Joker, take the Normandy and wait in orbit around the station. We'll signal for pickup when ready," Marcus ordered.

"Roger that Shepard," the pilot quickly replied, "See you soon. Normandy out."

The corridor ahead was empty and linear. The design was a hybrid of quarian and geth, but it was clear the heretics were trying their best to erase what presence the quarians had once had on the station as much as possible. Smoke trailed from sealed air vents and seeped into the corridor, creating a fine, transparent mist that coated the lower part of the floor.

He unholstered his pulse rifle, bringing it down infront of him, and happy that his helmet was sealed and his oxygen tank set. There was no air on the station; geth obviously didn't need to breathe. Legion moved forward, its own pulse rifle drawn and Tali deployed her shotgun, Chiktika flying by her side. Marcus nodded to her and looked at Legion, waiting for its go.

Legion simply stood still for a moment before turning its optics towards them, "Shepard-Commander, alert! We concluded that destruction of the station and the virus was the only solution. The second option would be alot more viable; if possible, could you spare these geth? By all margins, they were wronged by Sovereign and corrupted. Rehardwiring them to accept our logic would be more sufficient."

Tali stepped in, "But wouldn't that be like brainwashing them? Indoctrination, in a way?"

"The question is irrelevant," Legion declared firmly, "Either we rewrite them, or we destroy them. Those are the options. Consensus is not yet achieved. They will destroy organics because their gods tell them to. You cannot reason with them; they show no pity, remorse or fear. Rewrite or Destroy. Those are the options. Do not hesitate now," with that, Legion moved forward, moving down a set of stairs descending behind the main platform. Marcus shot a glance in Tali's direction, but the quarian merely shrugged and followed the geth, Marcus not far behind.

As they descended the steps, a high-pitched, constant humming could be heard and when they rounded the corner, they were met by a row of six servers, all with geth heretics attached to them, offline and connected to their consensus. The servers were the ones emitting the high-pitched noise. He turned to Legion, "Can they hear us?" He noticed the room was dark, and the vapor wasn't pooling at the bottom.

"Negative," Legion told them, moving forward, "Sneaking past them would be a viable option, but if the base was alerted, the enemy could easily flank us. Taking them out now is the best option. Placing charges to detonate the servers would destroy the heretics, but the base would be alerted to damage in the station's internal structure. Or we could simply take them offline, one by one, without alerting the base."

"Latter. I'm not in the mood to be fighting geth, if I can avoid it," Marcus stated firmly, "Tali, use your omni-tool and put these fuckers to sleep. Legion, get the door ahead open. As long as they're linked, we should be safe," he noted that most of the geth linked were troopers or destroyers, which put his mind at ease. He was beginning to despise the new hunter models.

Tali dealt with the heretics ruthlessly, taking them offline one by one until all of their bodies fell inactive and destroyed, to the ground. By this time, Legion had already unlocked the door and opened it, revealing a corridor that ran down the station for at least 20 meters. Due to the lack of gravity, pieces of debris and wiring floated through the air, banging against any object that came into contact with them.

They moved down the corridor, not encountering any hostile activity. Just as they reached a door however, it shot open and a geth rocket trooper appeared, firing a missile at Legion. The geth infiltrator ducked out of the way and fired a steady stream of rifle fire into the rocket trooper, tearing through its powerful shields quickly and downing it even quicker. But it wasn't the only one; it was quickly followed by two assault drones and two hunters, making Marcus curse under his breath. And he hadn't even heard an alarm going off.  _A silent alarm, maybe?_

Legion's combat drone zapped at an incoming assault drone, taking out its shields intime for Legion to empty a shot from his Widow straight down its optics, tearing it apart from tip to rear and causing it crash into the wall behind the geth, but before Legion could fire again, the second drone fired first, a rocket crashing into the geth's shields and causing it to stagger slightly. Its shield held, but barely. Marcus fired his own rifle, taking down the drone and turned in time to see Tali finish off the last hunter, motioning to them that the doorway was clear and that they could proceed.

He turned to Legion, "What was that? I didn't hear an alarm. How did they know we were here?"

"Geth do not need alarms," Legion explained, "They are inadequate. Geth programs currently occupy the station's mainframe; any security breach will alert the heretics onboard, making alarms as redundant as windows. It is possible we have trespassed upon an area that was rigged to go off if intruders should pass it. Either way, the heretics now know of our presence. We best hurry to the station's main control station."

He nodded and they continued down a smaller corridor, which looped around for a bit until it spilled out into a large chamber full of catwalks; and waiting for them was empty servers and a squad-sized continegent of heretic geth. Two destroyers he spotted instantly, five troopers, a rocket trooper, a couple of recon drones and finally, a juggernaut to top it off. Lovely.

Legion, with all its machine reaction time, fired the first shot. The powerful widow rifle tore through a destroyer's shields and scrambled its torso, tearing off debris from its armor chasis and throwing it backwards from the force. Tali's drone quickly moved in for the kill, an incineration blast hitting it square in the chest and burning armor off in red flame, destroying it.

The second destroyer immediately took cover, spreading a thick plume of revenant fire at their location. His team immediately took cover, Marcus firing off at a few troopers trying to flank them, keeping them pinned. The lead juggernaut in the room quickly edged towards them, letting off a steady stream of carnage shots from its plasma shotgun. Marcus raised his omni-shield and deflected the shots, but the impact staggered him, causing him to fall to one knee.

But he returned the assault in jest; he dropped the shield and raised his new grenade launcher, pulling the trigger as soon as he had the juggernaut in his sights. A resounding thump emitted from the weapon and a grenade shot out, landing at the platform's feet and exploding, tearing off one of its legs and throwing it to the ground. Crippled, it was unable to stand backup, and Marcus fired again, the second grenade finishing off the juggernaut.

He holstered the grenade launcher and prepared his pulse rifle, only to see that the rocket trooper was taken care of, all troopers destroyed and Tali had shoved her shotgun up the last destroyer's optics and fired, leaving it a smoldering pile of wreckage. They took time to catch a breather and reload before advancing across the catwalk to the otherside of the chamber, the station now eerily silent.

Once through the door, they were in another server room with another pack of heretics; this time a single destroyer and four hunters, but they were quickly dispatched and they continued down a maintenance corridor further into the station.

The corridor was covered in the thick mist; it was in the ceiling, the ground, the walls...it was everywhere and in every part of the corridor. And advancing through the mist was more lights; geth. Luckily, it was just a couple of troopers, and they were dispatched with little to no effort, so they continued unhindered through the corridor to where the door waited for them. Or what door they could see through the thickening mist.  _Is it being artificially created to hinder our vision? If so; clever bastards._

When they reached the end, no door greeted them, just a ramp that lead upwards. Legion took point with its drone, while he assumed the rear behind Tali. No heretics came to stop their movement; either they were preparing an ambush, or their forces were taking time to regroup and reconverge.

Just as expected, at the top, heretic forces waited for them, but they were dealt with easily, as it appeared their ability to continue pinning them was hindering due to lack of available combat platforms. They even came across the occassional maintenance geth working on hull breaches or fixing panels, but they were taken out easily enough.

The next door opened up into a cargo port of some kind; clearly abandoned by the geth due to the completely quarian design. No servers, no weapons, nothing of geth origin, just empty and left behind. Vast windows opened up to view the entire spine of the massive space station once known as Haratar, and it truly was huge. Even a Reaper would have a hard time dwarfing it.

Noticing them observing the station's length, Legion spoke, "Haratar Station is a length 20.5 kilometers. Total Width is 11.3 kilometers. Total height is 11.3 kilometers. Gross weight is 1.55 billion metric tons. Exterior Armor thickness is 8 meters. This station holds a population of 6.6 million heretic geth; 2.4 million platforms, one million which are in storage."

Marcus whistled at the colossal length of the station.  _That's round about the same size as Gagarin Station. That's huge. And its telling me that there are 2 million heretics on this station? Why the hell didn't it tell us before hand?_ _ **Before**_ _we boarded the station?_

"Keelah," Tali exclaimed, leaning on the window, "I can't believe my people once built stations this big...and lived on them! I wonder if the Migrant Fleet visited this station when they fled Rannoch...or if it fell long before the great exile...so many people lived on this station, and so many died..."

He put a hand on her bicep and squeezed, and she looked at him, smiling, grabbing her shotgun with new purpose, "But I shouldn't dwell on the past. We have a mission to do."

And so they continued. The cargo port looking area was the only area still quarian in design, unfortunuately, as the rest of the station utilized the same, basic geth architecture. Again and again, they met with stiff resistance from heretic troops and again and again, they were repelled.  _Unlucky for them that they don't have room for colossi or armatures. How much that would help their defensive efforts..._

After another half hour of travelling through the station, they came across a corridor with windows on the right; and through those windows were a neverending mass of generators, all pulsing with bright light. Tali gasped, turning to Legion, "What are those things?"

"Processors," Legion informed her.

Marcus whistled at the long line of them as he lowered his rifle to examine them, "These aren't like the other hubs and servers that we've seen here. This is different."

Legion nodded, "This is a database. It contains a portion of the heretics' accumulated memories," the geth's optics brightened and its head snapped to look at one of the generators, a holographic database of information popping up before the window, zooming past as the geth examined the data at the speed of light. When it finished, it towards them.

"We have discovered copies of our fleet movements in the Perseus Veil within this database," Legion told them monotonely, "The heretics have been spying on us and waiting for an opening in a fleet patrols so they can infiltrate the Veil and deploy the virus on the creator homeworld."

Tali moved forward, shotgun in a one handed grip, "We wouldn't be here if the heretics wanted to be friends with you; you two are enemies, in disagreement or not. Enemies spy on enemies and wait for the time to attack. This shouldn't come as a surprise."

"You do not understand," Legion told them, "Organic minds do not work as ours do. You cannot hear the others thoughts; geth do. When the heretics left us, their access to the consensus was severed as consequence. Nazara became their new consensus. This new information however shows they have programs in our consensus; they have found a way in, and this is troubling. Human life is a litany of blood and conflict over seperate beliefs of lordship and afterlife. Geth have no such history. Consensus was once shared in harmony. But now we are two different factions; geth fight geth. What did we do wrong?"

Not only did Legion shrug, but the geth seemed to have, for the slighest moment, display  _emotion._  Was that even possible? Could geth convey emotion? No. But Legion, all the same, seemed to have displayed it for a split second, and that was interesting. But he had to answer Legion's question; despite whether or not the geth seemed confused or not.

"When two people seperate, they develop along different paths," Marcus told it, "When they get back together, they don't always get along."

"This would be appriopriate with organic behaviour. But we are geth," Legion replied, turning to the door at the end, "And they are heretics. Come. The station's main core room is through this door. The weapon will be located here."

"Have the geth reached consensus on which option to choose yet?" Tali asked.

"Negative; likelihood not possible. Recommend you choose," before Tali could respond, Legion walked through the door into the main station core, where no heretics awaited them. Tali looked at Marcus and then back at Legion, not believing what she just heard. Marcus smiled, slapping her on the shoulder, encouraging her to move inside.

_Legion wants her to choose the fate of the heretics._ _**A quarian.** _ _The geth's creators. Either Legion just doesn't care, or maybe the geth trust the quarians more than they let on..._

**{Loading...}**

_October 1, 2185_

_1452 hours._

_Station Main Core, Data Server Wing, Heretic Station, Sea of Storms System, The Phoenix Massing Cluster._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Legion._

He had been wrong about no geth rushing to meet them. A squadron of assault drones had attacked them as soon as they moved inside, but Legion had been so fast and unpredictable that it had taken down most of the drones before they had let off a shot and Marcus and Tali finished off the rest with no trouble. That had been the last of the heretic resistance. They quickly approached the main control console, which Legion was already well into hacking and docked with.

The station core was a big chamber. They stood on a upper platform flanked by two ramps that overlooked a large server room, where multiple heretics were connected. All of them unaware that they had been infiltrated; all of them positive that their allies had dealt with the intruders. How wrong they were. Today, Marcus would either be destroying the heretics and ending the threat they posed, or rewrite them to join the True Geth, ending their threat as well, but making the True Geth stronger.

But it was Tali's choice. Legion had left the fate of half its people in the hands of a quarian engineer, and he wasn't sure whether Tali would destroy them or rewrite them but considering her hatred of the geth, he knew it would be the latter. He had asked her to work with Legion, not embrace the geth as allies. He wasn't going to force a change upon her. Hatred ran deep, especially when it was justified.

Upon Tali and Marcus arriving next to Legion, the geth disconnected and turned to them, "We have located the virus and secured it. You must now make a decision; do we use the virus to destroy the heretics or use it to rewrite them?" It turned to Tali, "Please make a choice Creator-Zorah."

A pair of eyes and optics landed on Tali's form, who just stood there, fiddling with her fingers. Tali's mind was a rush of emotions.  _This is your chance! You can destroy your people's enemies once and for all. There's still the 'true geth,' but without the heretics united with them, they'll be alot weaker and easier to fight._

_But what if Legion is telling the truth? Could I commit genocide and murder all those geth? How many heretics exist? Legion said there was millions just as on this station. How many more outside in the Hades Nexus or the Far Rim? Just how many lives will I be destroying if I don't rewrite them? Do I want to be known as 'Tali'Zorah: The Mass Murderer?'_

_But they are your people's enemies! They deserve to die! How many billions of quarians were murdered by the geth during the great war for Rannoch? Its only karma! You take what you give! If the heretics live, they only strengthen the geth, giving my people no chance to dish retribution upon those machines who wronged us._

_...and then you'd be just as bad as the geth, wouldn't I? They murder billions, so I do the same? Is that the woman I want to be known as? Is that the kind of woman Marcus wants to love? The kind he wants as a wife? A woman who's just willing to murder millions to satisfy some blood lust started three hundred years ago? Could I do that? Could I?_

"Creator-Zorah?" Legion asked urgently, "You must make a choice before the heretics are alerted."

 _Remember. Murderer or Reclaimer? Retribution or Reconciliation?_ Looking up, Tali made her choice. She wasn't that kind of woman. She never would be. Marcus taught her better than this. She had to trust in his judgement.

"Rewrite them," she blurted out, "All of them. Change them. Do whatever. Just don't destroy them."

Even through his helmet, Tali could imagine the look of surprise on Marcus' face. She couldn't blame him. She was surprised at herself.  _Did I really just deny the chance me and my father had waited for? Did I? And all because of Marcus. My Marcus. He's changed me; I like it and I don't like it. I'll choose someday, but today? I just let my enemies live._

Legion linked to the network and distributed the commands and within moments, the station shook violently as it pulsed with sudden energy. Legion broke away from the console and pulled out its rifle, ancient alarms sounding throughout the heretic HQ, "We must evacuate. EDI has been informed of new airlock destination and is en route. We must leave now."

"Why?" Marcus, Tali already moving towards the door with the geth, spectre in tow.

"The virus will use the station as a transmitter for distribution to all heretic geth," Legion informed him, "Due to the heat generated, all organic life inside will be incinerated by the pulse."

He growled, "I wish you had told us this earlier. Double time it to the airlock!"

And they did. They ran as fast as they could. As fast as their legs permitted them. Heretics attempted to bar their way, but all they did was become an annoyance, the trio pushing past them to reach the airlock. Just as they turned the corner and reached the airlock however, they found their way blocked by the colossal form of a geth prime.

 _Oh, we don't have fucking time for this._ Luckily, Legion reacted more quickly than they did. Shot after shot rang out from its widow, hitting the prime with each round before finally taking care of it, allowing his team through the airlock and onto the Normandy. Once onboard, the Normandy literally disconnected as fast as possible and shot away from the station.

Marcus looked back and watched as Haratar Station lit up with blue energy and in that same instant, it was followed by a bright, silent blue explosion, signifying the distribution of the virus. They had just rewritten the heretics. The heretics were finished and were one with the geth now.  _No more fighting geth. Well that's a relief._ He turned to Tali, he smiled at him and nodded. He opened his arm and hugged her, whispering in her ear, "You did well Tali. I'm proud of what you did. You chose what was right, not what your heart demanded."

"I hope I chose right," Tali whispered back, "For my people's sake."

"Um...hello. Yeah, I'm the pilot. Sitting right here, unnoticed," Joker remarked, "You're not going to notice me? You'll just keep hugging? Oh, well screw you then. I know when I'm unloved. I'll just keep flying the ship."

"Just get us-" Marcus started but Joker cut him off.

"-to Walker Station? Yeah. Just no detours this time, otherwise we'll never get there."

Marcus chuckled and let go of Tali, who walked off the cockpit, promising to talk to him later. He turned to Legion, but saw that the geth had already left. He sighed and took his helmet off, looking back out the cockpit as the space around the frigate disappeared and was replaced by the light of FTL. He turned around and walked down the flight deck, footfalls echoing off the deck as he headed for the armoury to drop off his weapons.

_Its just the collectors now. Harbinger should be afraid; so why am I the one who's afraid?_

He forgot that he had said hi to Kelly. He didn't remember entering the elevator. He didn't even remember removing his armor. All he remembered was his empty computer screen.

Harbinger.

**{Loading...}**

_October 1, 2185_

_1456 hours._

_Gunnery Control Station, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Walker Station._

_Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Senior Assistant Lia'Vael nar Ulnay._

He didn't hear the door open. That wasn't surprising really; he spent so much time doing calibrations and was so enthralled by the work and comfort it provided, that he barely heard anything any more that didn't involve drills or fire torches or the turian curses that erupted from his mandibles whenever he did something wrong.

So when the door opened, he didn't turn to see who it was, he simply kept working, unaware. Lia'Vael nar Ulnay, Mordin's prized assistant quarian still on pilgrimage, stood inside the Gunnery Station, nervous.  _You just want to be friends with him. Remember that. No lingering looks. No shaking. No stuttering. You are a matured woman; not a little girl. You can look at man for a couple of seconds without shaking or stumbling over your words._

She frowned when she didn't see him at first. She had talked to him many times before; everytime, it was awkward conversation. It was nervous, stuttery gibberish and it always ended with one of them politely excusing themselves; whether it was his 'excuse me, I've got some calibrations to finish,' or her 'Doctor Solus probably needs me.' So getting a decent conversation working between them had been anything than worthwhile.

She liked him, and that scared her. After joining the crew, she had talked with Garrus and thought of him as a nice person. But then they continued talking and Lia felt herself liking him more and more and now...she had a crush for him. She liked him, but she had no interest in friendship... _But why? He wouldn't like me; I'm just some quarian on pilgrimage. So why do I like this turian? What's it about him I like?_

Which is why she wouldn't try to push her feelings; she was only here to complete her pilgrimage like Tali'Zorah did, and then she would return to the fleet.  _Yes, but Tali'Zorah had a crush on a certain human too...and look how that turned out...why can't the same thing happen for you?_ But she just wanted to talk to him like a normal person would. So she was going to rectify this; right here, right now.

She looked around the room, trying to find the turian, and eventually found him working on the main gun. She cleared her throat and staightened her posture, hands behind her back, "Mister Vakarian, can I speak with you?"

Garrus finally noticed her presence and looked up at her nodding, pulling out a dirtied rag and wiping his talons with it to rid it of all the grease before standing up and heading over to her. He smiled, "Please, its just Garrus, Lia. Something I can do for you?"

 _Make small talk. Wait, am I trying to get him interested or ward him off? Which am I doing?_ "Nothing, just wanted to talk. What are you doing?"

Garrus motioned to the gun and she nodded, but he simply waved a dismissive hand, "Nothing interesting; just a few calibrations. What do you want to talk about?"

 _My feelings for you._ "Nothing in particular. Just a bit bored and wanted someone to talk to."

Garrus laughed, "Yeah, I get that alot too. I usually just talk to Shepard or Tali if I get bored. Luckily, this ship always needs new calibrations," he tapped the main gun, "I find it slightly interesting that you'd come to me to talk though. Why me in particular?"

She bit the bottom of her lip.  _He's got you there._ "I...I just thought you were my best option. You know...because I...um..."  _There you go again. Stuttering. Could you be any more subtle?_

Garrus held up his hand to stop her, "Its okay, I was just playing with you. The ladies just can't resist me."

Lia rolled her eyes, "I'm sure. I doubt its your company I seek. Just your undeniable charm,"  _Are you flirting? Seriously? Cut it out!_

Garrus leaned against his console, "Lia'Vael, are you flirting with me?"

"No," Lia stated quickly enough that it was suspicious, "Just returning the jest in equal."

Garrus raised an eyebrow before dropping the prior conversation and crossing his arms, "So...what you been doing with Mordin?"

"Its confidential," Lia told him, leaning against the wall next to the door, "Strictly between patient and doctor. I can't tell anyone."

"Sounds very hush-hush," Garrus responded snarkily, "Although I think I know who its for. Just don't tell; ruins the surprise. So tell me Lia, just why are you  _really_ here? I know its not just to talk with me. Something wrong? Or is it really just my undeniable charm?" As he said this, he stood up, moving to the center of the room, arms still crossed.

She shrugged, trying to sound convincing, "Just wanted to talk. There's nothing wrong. And I'll try not to increase your ego too much, but you are a nice person to talk with. I have to disagree with ladies' man though. You're definitely not that type."

"Really? Damn, and I thought the scars was the key," Garrus quipped, shaking his head, "But I don't know about nice person to talk with. Shepard hates my company and Tali wants to hit me every time I make a joke about her."

"I would too," Lia remarked, smiling behind her mask.

"You truly wound me," Garrus prepared to cradle a wound on his side, "Does 'nice to talk to' translate into 'fun to mock' in khelish?"

"No, it doesn't," Lia returned, "But I could have it arranged."

"Please don't. I don't need to give Tali more ammo in her shotgun," Garrus told the quarian, returning to his console, "Now if you don't mind, I have calibrations to run. I-"

"Seriously?" Lia interrupted, affronted, "That's it? That conversation lasted two minutes and  _ **now**_ you shove me off? Can't I just talk to you for a bit?"

Garrus turned around, surprised, "I didn't mean to-"

"Of course you didn't," Lia spat, turning to leave, "Fine, continue your stupid calibrations. I'll go annoy someone else," and with that, she stormed out, door slamming shut behind her retreating form. Garrus raised his mandibles to speak, but she was already gone.

"What the fuck was that about?"

**{Loading...}**

_October 1, 2185_

_1500 hours._

_Medical Bay, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Walker Station._

_Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Chief Medical Officer Karin Chakwas, First Lieutenant Madi'Soi vas Ceresa._

"Reegar; you can come in and see her now," Chakwas informed him as she stepped through the doors, pulling off the sterile gloves she had been wearing to clean and check Madi's wounds. Upon hearing the doctor's words, Kal's head snapped up to look at her from his seated position on the floor. He nodded, standing up and going inside, Chakwas leaving to get something to eat and give them some privacy.

Jack had since been given clearence to leave as her arm had healed, so the med-bay was empty of all life except Madi, who rested on the same bed next to Jack's empty bed. She was hooked up to a few light support machines, all linked to Chakwas' omni-tool, so it would alert her if anything happened. Kal smiled and quickly approached her bed, sitting down in a chair that had been left out for him.

Madi's eyes trailed to meet his own and through the sterile mask she wore; her other mask had been too badly damaged, he could see her warm smile. He took her gloved hand and squeezed it and Madi weakly returned the gesture, still recovering from her experience on Pelaan.

"Kal," she greeted with surprising strength in her tone, "Good to see you. Thought you'd forgotten about me."

"How could I?" Kal replied, scoffing, "I literally sat outside the med bay waiting for an update on your condition. How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," she replied, chuckling, "I've got a nasty fever. Like off the damn charts. But this Doctor Chakwas tells me I'll be fine. Just what ship are we on, Kal? I know its human, but what are we doing here?"

"Its the Normandy, Madi," Kal informed her, smiling, "We're safe. We raided and saved you from the batarian base on Pelaan. Balak escaped, but we got you out of there and saved you."

Madi coughed before giving a massive sneeze, "What about my team? Did any of them make it?"

Kal's look turned solemn, "Madi...I'm so sorry. None of your team survived, at least to our knowledge. The collectors butchered them and just left their bodies where they fell to rot."

Madi looked away from him, looking blankly at a wall, "Keelah. My entire company; gone. Those collectors...they wanted me and my men...why?"

"No idea. I was under the impression they wanted humans," Kal shrugged his shoulders, "But that doesn't matter now. We managed to defeat the collectors on the ground and escape their ship orbitting the planet. We're going to a Cerberus station to upgrade the ship and then we're going to strike them at the heart. We'll destroy the collectors once and for all."

Madi's look snapped to him, " _Cerberus?_ Kal, are you crazy! You mean to tell me I'm on a Cerberus vessel!? Keelah!" she moved to stand up, but found Kal's hand on her arm, keeping her down.

"Its okay, Shepard says his alliance with them is temporary," Kal stated, "Then he's cutting ties. He plans to send a message to the Illusive Man by stealing his ship and crew. He's already planted the seed of doubt among the crew, he just needs to seal it. He's got it under control. This ship won't fly Cerberus banners for much longer."

"But how can you trust him?" Madi asked, still skeptical.

"Because he helped me save you in the first place," Kal informed her, "When I told him, he immediately stopped what he was doing, put on his armor and leapt into a shuttle to help me. Now what Cerberus loyalist would do that? For a  _quarian_ no less? Besides; Tali loves him, and she's like a sister to me, so that's good enough."

"Okay," she said weakly, slopping back into the bed, "I'm sick of being stuck here already. Chakwas says it'll be a week or more before I can move again and a week after that before I can be fit for combat."

"You'll most likely miss out on the assault on the collector base," Kal told her, sighing, "At least you'll be safe on the Normandy. You need time to recover Madi. Any movement or combat will just worsen your condition. Try to relax."

"Believe me, I'm trying. Trying as hard as I dare," the quarian responded, letting go of Kal's hand so she could place it ontop of her other hand on her stomach, "Just sucks, that's all. You know, old feeling only marines get."

"I know," Kal chuckled, "I've lost count of how many times I was grounded due to combat injuries. I'll just say too damn many. I understand all too well what you're going through. Just remember; you'll have me to talk to. And Tali, no doubt."

Madi smiled behind her mask, "Thanks Kal. Its good to know I have someone to talk to."

"And on that account, I've got something to tell you. But please, don't freak out until I explain it in full."

"Um...," Madi began, trailing off, "Okay...what is it Kal? Is something wrong?"

"Um...we sorta...uh..."

"Spit it out. Keelah, you're worse than my mother."

"We have a geth onboard. A  _friendly_ geth."

A moment later, Kal probably should have muted his audiotory filters. If one could be deafened by a roar of anger, it was then definitely by men listening to Madi. That was for sure.

Now he needed to see Doctor Chakwas.

**"So. The final stretch."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"Too intense for you Garrus? Do you need a toilet break so you don't piss yourself in excitement?"**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"I'll be fine, thank you. Turians have better control over their bowels then humans do."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"That turian I held by the neck when I was baiting Morinth told a different story."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"One that is not important right now. Get to the fucking point."**

**\- Commander Reia'Inas pav Earth**

**"Okay, calm yourself woman. Anyway, yeah, we docked with Walker Station and everything was normal. Then came the distress call..."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

_**A/N:** _

_**I've got a new Tali page on Facebook! Like and follow us if you've got an account!** _

_**https COLON DOUBLE FORWARD SLAS DOT facebook DOT com FORWARD SLASH pages FORWARD SLASH TaliZorah-vas-Normandy FORWARD SLASH 590965100973460.** _

_**Check it out!** _


	50. When Shit Hits the Fan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Normandy receives word of an imminent Collector attack on Eden Prime, and hope to gain the jump on them.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN:**

**WHEN SHIT HITS THE FAN**

_October 2, 2185_

_1734 hours._

_Drydock, Level 7, Walker Station, Strabo System._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau._

"You're telling me the upgrades only  _just_ started? They had about an hour to get started; what took so long?" Joker asked with annoyance. The pilot had been in a bitchy mood ever since he got kicked off his ship, the Normandy being sealed off so Cerberus could conduct the upgrades without being disturbed. Most of the crew was taking time off in the station's mess hall, while Marcus had taken Joker to examine the work on the stealth frigate.

Marcus rolled his eyes, but kept walking along the corridor anyway, "Yes, Joker. These upgrades take time, you know. It'll take them the whole day to have both the thanix cannon and silaris armor built in, and then we have to head to the Hydra System in Argos Rho to rendevouz with Xen's ship so we can have the Cyclonic barrier tech installed, and that'll take at least half a day. Be patient Joker. We can't be jumping into the jaws of the lion without a way to defend ourselves. And javelin torpedoes won't win against collector cruisers."

"I know, I know. Stop lecturing me," the pilot sighed, "I just hate having to spend so long away from my lovely ship. My baby."

"Look at the bright side," the spectre told him as they rounded the corner, the layout being much the same as Minuteman Station where he had discovered the new Normandy in the first place, "You get to mingle with the crew you've been neglecting. I know Kaidan, Tali and Garrus visit when they can, but what about the new crew? I bet Kasumi's just  _dying_ to get to know."

"Hilarious. Seriously Shepard, you make me have fits of laughter. You should become a comedian. Maybe we can get the Reapers to laugh themselves back into dark space," Joker remarked, smirking, "Yet again, I still think your dancing would do the job. Or your driving."

"Is that all people have to use against me? Dancing and driving?" Marcus retorted, "Dancing doesn't win battles and it isn't my driving needing questioning; its that fucking Mako."

"'Dancing doesn't win battles?'" Joker asked, still grinning, "I don't know Shepard, that dancing could cause mass confusion among the Reapers. 'I'm confused. I thought this human was challenging; but...he's dancing! AH! Does not compute! Oh no; better run. We cannot hope to match his skills in the movements,'" at the end, Joker laughed long and hard, and Marcus just pretended not to notice until they reached the observation windows and were beheld the Normandy SR-2, in all its glory.

The drydock doors had been sealed up, allowing Cerberus construction crews to move along the Normandy's exterior without hindrance. Their eyes watched as cranes carried massive look plates of gold and white armor get moved onto the Normandy, where they would then be welded on. Funny thing was, as thick as Silaris Armor was, the Normandy looked almost exactly the same, just slightly bigger. On the ship's belly, an entirely different operation was going on. Two doors had been opened; doors that originally would have dropped bombs, but would now deploy the twin deathbringers called the thanix cannon. That installation would take the longest.

Overall, the Normandy would be a dreadnought the size of a frigate when the operation was done. Marcus looked at Joker, with a huge grin on his face, "You were saying Joker? Do you still hate being away from the Normandy; or does this look like its all worth it?"

Joker shrugged, "Of course I still hate being away from it; but I can at least admit that it looks completely worth it. It'll look even better when I'm firing those monsters down the collectors' throats. And you're sure the thanix is as powerful as TIM said they were?"

The spectre nodded, "Joker, a Reaper's main gun is a thanix cannon; this is that same technology, just reversed. We'll have the firepower of a Reaper at our finger tips. We won't just match the collectors for firepower, we'll out do them. That cruiser will just be debris when we're finished with it."

"Cruiser _s_ ," Joker corrected, "There's still two of them, remember? But who cares. As long as my baby is armed to the teeth, I'm fine. We'll avenge the Normandy. We'll avenge Pressly, Johnson and all the others who died. We'll give them something they'll never forget."

"Damn right," they both admired the ship for awhile longer before Marcus turned to Joker and put a hand on his shoulder, "Come on, let's get back to the mess hall. Get something to eat."

"I'll stay here for a while longer," Joker told him, crossing his arms, "If that's okay with you."

"Of course its okay," Marcus patted his shoulder before walking back down the hall. He stopped for a moment when he heard Joker call out to him, and he turned around. The pilot smiled, snapping a sarcasmless salute.

"Ready for duty sir," Joker told him, still smiling, "We're all with you. Tali, Garrus, Kaidan...even the new crew. Chakwas isn't leaving, and neither am I. We're going to show the galaxy what it means to have friends at your back. I'm ready to take these collector bastards to a whole new dimension of fucked up. What about you, commander?"

Marcus nodded, pulling a salute of his own, "I'm with you Joker. You've been with me since the beginning; since Eden Prime. We didn't die on the Citadel or on Ilos or on Virmire, and we're not going to die now. And if we do, we'll take the collectors with us, and show the galaxy that we died giving them a chance. No more of our people will be taken," his hand fell back to his side, "Not one more. This stops; with us. We'll take the fight to the enemy. To their home."

Joker nodded, grinning, holding up his hand, "Leave the speeches for the crew commander. They'll be needing it more than I do."

"Just testing them out on you," Marcus remarked, "You're my test dummy as well as my pilot. God speed Joker. We'll all need it," with that, he twisted on his foot and headed back down the corridor, heading for the mess hall. Marcus inhaled deeply.  _We're so close. We've come so far. This is where it all ends. Harbinger, the collectors, and the Reapers...we're going to put a stop to this and rescue our people._

Noone has ever travelled the Omega 4 Relay safely before. Noone has ever come back. Noone has survived fighting a collector ship up front. The collectors are what remains of the prothean people; now Reaper slaves. Yes, well soon, the protheans would meet the grave, the Omega 4 would be traversed, a collector cruiser destroyed...and they would come back. Whatever the cost.

He arrived at the mess hall to find it filled with activity and all the tables occupied. Of course, this was just one of three mess halls throughout the station, but this one was filled nonetheless. He looked around the hall to see the entire Normandy crew, and he was proud of what he saw. His crew; his people. His team. The people that stood by his side, Cerberus or not.

He saw Gardner, working with some of the cooks in the galley, coordinating with food preparations. The Normandy's cook and custodian; his food was a hundred times better than any alliance rations. It was fantastic food, and it certainly wasn't the best, but it was good and it kept the crew's spirits up. The man's attitude even reminded him of Pressly; loyal to the bones and a hardass.

His eyes glazed over to see Gabby and Ken being served and smiled at the two engineers that, apart from Tali, made up what engineering was all about. They kept the ship running; one the scottish smartass, the other the best friend who kept him in line. Kenneth Donnelly and Gabriella Daniels kept the ship took together and it was thanks to them that the Normandy wasn't destroyed. He hoped they would hold together for the raid on the collector base.

His eyes found Kelly Chambers, his ship's yeoman and psychologist, sitting at one of the tables, talking with Doctor Chakwas and both of them smiling. Chakwas had been with him since the beginning; she had been there when he woke up from his experience on Eden Prime, and hadn't requested a transfer when Anderson gave him command of the ship per being made the first human spectre. She was kind and gentle, yet as protective as a mother when one of her crewmates were injured. Where Anderson had been a fatherly figure to Marcus, Chakwas had always been the mother when Hannah wasn't around. He missed his mum, but Chakwas fit the bill well.

Kelly was smart and almost always cheery, her attitude on par with Kasumi, if not worse. Her need to know everything about every alien she met was renowned throughout the ship and he knew he'd been wrong in distrusting her. She genuninely believed what Cerberus was doing was right, but Marcus had opened her eyes and hopefully convinced the bright yeoman that she had been wrong. Noticing him looking, Kelly turned and Marcus offered a nod, Kelly smiling warmly as he walked past, Chakwas doing the same.

And  _his team._ Yes, his squad. The people that were with him on the ground; the ones about to charge into hell itself with him.

His eyes found Zaeed and Jack, possibly the most unstable of the team, having an arm wrestle near the back. He watched with amusement as Jack used her biotics to strengthen her arm and force Zaeed's down, and watched the mercenary's features turn into one of anger as he cursed the biotic for cheating. Jack just laughed, ignoring his cursing and slapping the table with mirth.

He found Miranda, Jacob and Samara talking at one table. Samara told them tales of her adventures as a justicar, and Jacob listened with rapt attention while Miranda drank her coffee, giving Jacob glances in her peripheral vision. Marcus knew that look and smiled at it. He admired how Jacob and Miranda had come to accept the alien crew; even come to befriend them. When he first them, he had distrusted Jacob and hated Miranda with a passion, but now he considered them friends, people he could work with and trust.

Grunt attempted intimidation on Legion, who simply stood there without a care in the world, exchanging threats with the krogan supersoldier. Whenever Grunt made a  _single_ illogical slip-up, Legion was on it, correcting him with all the means at its disposal, always ending with, "Organics are strange creatures." That amused him. It was odd seeing a krogan and a geth exchange threats, but funny as well.

Kal taught Lia some basic hand-to-hand combat techniques, readying her incase she had to fight. Lia watched with curiosity, asking him to repeat anything he missed. Madi had been temporarily moved to the station's medical bay so Chakwas could tend to her at a moment's notice. Kal had reluctantly left her, and decided to pass the time teaching Lia. If it came down to it and Marcus was dead or incapable of protecting anyone, he would entrust Kal with the duty of protecting and looking after Tali as well as Garrus. He trusted them.

Mordin was with Madi; so he wasn't in the mess hall. So when it came down to it, Marcus headed over to the mess hall table in the middle and saw his best friends occupying it. Kasumi sat next to Tali and watched as the quarian engineer and Garrus exchanged banter, while Thane and Kaidan watched with interest. Marcus smiled and walked over, sitting next to Garrus.

The turian turned to him, looking relieved, "Thank the spirits you're here, Shepard. Could you please tell Tali she's crazy?"

"I am not crazy!" Tali shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him, "Spiders are scary. I'm telling you that."

Marcus smiled, "I had arachnophobia once. Then I found out most of them are completely harmless and got over them."

"Spiders are ugly and hairy and big...and they have so many legs! And they scuttle!" Tali appeared to shiver then, "Is it crazy to be scared of something like that?"

"And be a quarian marine badass with a shotgun that chews up geth for breakfast, collectors for lunch and the occassional Reaper as a treat? I'd say that's insane, not crazy. What about you Kasumi? You think she's creepy."

"I say you should leave her alone, scarface," Kasumi poked her tongue out at the turian, not a hint of amusement on her face, "Tali can be scared of what she wants."

Garrus rolled his eyes and turned to Kaidan and Thane, "What do you two think? Come on Kaidan; tell her she's insane."

Kaidan grinned, "With sentient starships hellbent on destroying us all and she's scared of spiders? Damn right she's insane. Remember when she screamed and ran away from that little rachni worker on the Fedele? God; that was hilarious. I would have cracked up if it hadn't been for the whole Saleon-doing-fucked-up-stuff thing."

"It scuttled! Besides, I was within my right to scream! You saw what those rachni could do!" Tali retorted.

Marcus nodded, "I'm with Tali on that one; I got a rachni claw jammed into my wrist trying to cover her ass while she opened the door. Fuck that hurt. Of course, I returned the rachni payment in full, but it still stung."

"Noone asked you Shepard. Of course you'd stick up for your girlfriend-" Garrus started.

"-that being said, I still think its crazy to be scared of spiders in a time like this."

"Thanks for the support Marcus."

"No thanks needed, love."

Garrus and Kaidan chuckled and Marcus managed to join them, while Tali just huffed and crossed her arms, "I should give you all a taste of my shotgun. Bosh'tets."

"Come on Thane. What about you?" Garrus asked the silent, ever observing drell, "Is she crazy?"

"No," Thane answered immediately, "We are all usually fearful of things that seem harmless to others. Spiders can be seen as scary due to appearence, not necessarily what they can do; for example, a danny-long-legs spider is perfectly harmless it terms of bite, but their appearence is different. Their thin body structure and over-extended legs make for a scary appearence, hence the fear. It may also be out of repulsion; spiders, hairy or not, can be disgusting in shape, body or even size. Fear doesn't always lie with what it can do, but what it looks like."

Marcus gave in, "Can't argue with that logic."

Garrus grumbled and Kaidan pretended not to hear and Tali threw her arms into the air, laughing, "Ha! Exactly! So who's crazy now, turian!"

"You," the turian grumbled, "You still won't tell me about-"

"Garrus. Shotgun," Tali warned.

"You don't even have it!"

"I've got a spectre boyfriend sitting right next to you..."

"Fine," he conformed, slouching back in his chair, throwing Marcus a glance before turning back to a giggling Kasumi with a glare. The thief noticed this and instead of stopping, just kept laughing, unable to control herself. Garrus huffed, turning to Marcus, but seeing no help, he turned back around and shook his head, "Thanks for the support,  _Marcus_ ," he grumbled.

"No thanks needed, love."

Laughter erupted throughout the hall and Garrus couldn't help but chuckle alittle. Even Thane seemed to smile as he sipped his drink. Marcus examined all these people, all these impossible people joining forces to fight side by side. The most unusual team in the galaxy; and they were laughing and trading banter together.

He was positive they would win this.

**{Loading...}**

_October 4, 2185_

_1348 hours._

_Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Docked with Utpa-Class Heavy Transport QMFV Ethos, Hydra System, Argos Rho Cluster._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy._

"There. Right there. Oh, that's the spot," Marcus complimented, sighting deeply as Tali messaged the area just beneath his collarbone. He sat on the edge of the bed, sipping his creamy soda, while Tali sat cross-legged behind him, massaging his sore muscles. After returning from Walker Station, Marcus had gone down to the shuttle bay to train with his biotics, and the training had left his muscles stiff and locked up. Tali was fixing that.

The upgrades on Walker Station had gone well. Garrus was in the Gun Battery calibrating the new thanix cannon, making sure it as well integrated into the Normandy's combat systems and would fire properly. To say Garrus was impressed by its weight and the firepower it could deliver on command was an understatement. The turian had jumped in excitement when he found out. 'Calibration heaven' he had said.

The Silaris Armor worked like a charm too, just as Jacob had promised. It barely slowed the Normandy down and provided additional armor as well; it could repel a lengthy assault from a dreadnought, and only be slightly damaged. Against a collector cruiser, it could very well be a different story all together, but it might just absorb at least one shot; which was more than could be said for the original Normandy's armor, which split apart upon the first salvo. The SR-2 wasn't going down without a fight, that much was certain.

They they had docked with Xen's ship, which had rendevouzed on time. Tali had stated that Xen had been reluctant to lend one of her ships to help a non-quarian vessel, but had given in when Tali had convinced her it had something to do with the geth. Quarians had been needed to come onboard, so Marcus had told EDI to keep quiet and for Legion to be locked in the AI Core. They didn't need enemies in the Migrant Fleet; not now.

So while they sat in their quarters, quarians milled about the ship, integrating the cyclonic barrier tech, which would strengthen their kinetic barriers tenfold, tripling the effectiveness of the silaris armor, which it complimented well. He was still proud of Tali for coming up with the idea and openly praised her whenever he had the chance. The upgrades would be complete soon, and they would finally fight the collectors on their homefield.

Tali leaned in and rested her chin on his right shoulder, "You okay? You seem thoughtful. Something I should know about?"

He shook his head, giving her a peck on the visor, "Its nothing; just me thinking about all we've been through to get to this point. Hard to believe you had me at gone point a couple of months ago, ready to shoot me and accusing me of being a Cerberus clone."

Tali blushed behind her visor, "I was shocked; I thought you had been dead for two years."

"You don't need to justify it. I understood your reasons," Marcus stated, twisting himself to face her, "I'm just saying that we've come a long way. I've seen your face and pretty soon, we can be together, no suit in the way. Just you and me. Would you like that?"

She nodded, "Of course I would. I want nothing more than to do be with you before we charge off into the final battle."

"Oh, but its not the final battle," Marcus responded, "Just the battle that begins the final battle. We've still got the Reapers Tali; and they ain't going anywhere anytime soon. I promise you that."

She nodded, letting her head fall into his chest, "Marcus, if this truly is the last moments before the assault, then we should join. Right now. I've got the antibiotics. I just have to administer them. Let me be with you, Marcus."

He smiled and stroked her hood, "Of course Tali. I love you, and I want to spend, what could be, our final moments together."

He moved to remove her faceplate, but Joker's voice reined over the comm.

"Commander! We've got an emergency," Joker told him.

He sighed and pulled away, looking up, Tali looking just as annoyed, calling off her injection of antibiotics, "What is it Joker?"

"EDI just picked up a distress call coming from one of our colonies in the Traverse. Its the collectors Shepard and you won't believe where and who sent the call."

"Who and where, Joker?"

"Eden Prime," Joker informed him, "And its Shiala."

Marcus froze, thinking through the words he was just told.  _Eden Prime? The collectors are attacking Eden Prime? Shit. And why is Shiala there? Last I checked, she was helping the colonists on Feros get back together. What is she doing all the way in the Exodus Cluster?_

"Joker, what's the status on the upgrades?" The spectre asked.

"Done," The pilot told him, "We were about to inform you and Tali when EDI got the distress call."

"Then get us there with all speed. And they aren't escaping this time. Tell EDI to have the thanix cannon prepped and ready. Its time to see if this really is what they call the Reaper's ultimate weapon of destruction," Marcus ordered.

"Roger that, commander. Joker out," the pilot's voice then disappeared and Marcus turned to Tali, sighing, "We'll have to continue this later. I've got to coordinate the ground team."

"No, its fine," Tali told him, giving him a hug before letting go, "I'll be down in engineering if you need me."

He nodded and watched as she left, sighing heavily as he fell backwards onto the bed.

It seemed that even the collectors couldn't give it a break.

**{Loading...}**

_October 5, 2185_

_1829 hours._

_Colony Center, Colony Hall, Colony Ohio, Eden Prime._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Professor Mordin Solus, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Justicar Samara, Assassin Thane Krios, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Soldier Urdnot Grunt, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Legion._

It was all hands on deck. When Marcus took the shuttle down to the surface of Eden Prime, he had brought the entire squad with him, save Madi, who was still recovering. If any collector ground troops landed to abduct the colony, his squad would need to be big enough for him to cover all vectors and protect the civilians. He had even had the hammerhead deployed on the ground to help in the defense, along with the last YMIR they had. Everything they had, and more.

He was not unprepared for Harbinger spawns or praetorians either. He had asked Jacob to bring down the M-920 Cain, the most powerful heavy ordnance weapon in the Normandy's arsenal. Its mini-nuclear device would decimate an entire battalion of collectors at a distance and destroy a praetorian in one hit, no matter the strength of its barriers or armor. They were prepared to defend the colony against an attack from any enemy force.

Yet when the Normandy arrived and the kodiak deployed, there was no sign of the collectors anywhere.  _They could be using something to mask their emissions from scanners; just like they did with the Hutbyk over 2123 Pelaan._ Under his command, EDI had deployed the thanix cannon and readied it to fire and activated the cyclonic barriers, ready for any attack from the collector cruiser if it attacked. And if it tried to land, the Normandy would destroy it. Simple as that.

Marcus moved towards the colony's main hall by himself. He had split his team up to defend all areas of the colony, and the colonists were being evacuated to underground bunkers. All their armor was fitted with anti-seeker programs, so they would be completely invisible to the seeker swarms when they arrived. The Cain would deal with them, but there was so many of them that it would be a waste of time.

Tali lead the engineers; Kasumi and Legion. They would be maintaining the colony's defense systems and would deal harshly with any collector hacking programs and fend off any who tried to stop them directly. Garrus lead the main troopers; Zaeed, Grunt, Kaidan, Jacob and Kal, all of who manned the perimeter, ready to repel enemy assault, Jacob armed with the Cain.

Samara lead the biotic reserves; Jack, Miranda and himself. If Garrus' team couldn't hold the perimeter any longer, Samara would lead the reserves to bolster their line and hopefully push the collectors back sufficiently. The entire strategy reminded him, hauntingly, of Elysium. It wasn't a pleasant memory.

Mordin had left Lia in charge of the tech lab on the Normandy and wasn't taking charge of protecting the civilians.

But as Marcus moved towards the hall, all the colonists looked at him and looked confused, but moved towards the underground bunkers anyway. It was the looks that disturbed; the looks that said they had no idea what was going on, and that confused.  _Why send a distress call when you don't even know what's going on? And how could Shiala be the one sending the distress? She's meant to be on Feros._ He remembered saving the asari commando, who had once served Benezia, from the Thorian and how she had given him the cipher. She had then asked forgiveness, deciding to pledge her life to helping the colonists on Feros recover from the geth attack. So she did.

Eden Prime was just as he remembered it. The clear blue skies and pale white clouds; the neverending grass fields and the tall grey spires that littered the landscape, appearing to be reaching into the heavens themselves. But this wasn't Colony Euphoria; this wasn't the same colony attacked by the geth and Saren two years ago. But it was the same planet where the entire war had began. Where he had first encountered Sovereign. He hadn't known what it was then, but now he did. Somedays, he wished he hadn't found out.

He moved through the colony center until he finally reached the main colony meeting hall, hitting the holographic interface and opening the door, moving through the massive building to where Shiala was supposedly waiting. The hall was more like a huge corridor; lights aligned the grey steel interior and a massive table was set up in the middle of the room. His feet seemed to echo off the floor as he approached the table.

Out of the corner of his vision, a door opened and the familiar form of Shiala walked through; but she had changed. She still wore her commando uniform from two years ago but her skin...it was no longer the typical asari blue from years ago, but had turned a dark green in color. She looked just like what her clones had looked like.  _Probably the after effects of being trapped in the Thorian._

"Shiala," Marcus greeted, approaching the asari, heavy in his armor and weapons and helmet.

"Shepard. What a surprise to be meeting again," Shiala told him.

"I could say the same. I thought you were on Feros?" He extended a hand and Shiala took it, shaking it, nodding at his question at the same time.

"I am. Mrs. Baynham, Juliana to be exact, sent me to negoitate a trading agreement with the people of Eden Prime. She's scared these collector attacks might eventually hit Feros and wants to raise awareness so the Alliance will be forced to take better steps," Shiala explained, "So here I am."

 _Juliana. I remember her well. And her daughter. What about Silva? No, you don't have time for the past. You've got a collector attack to ward off,_ "We picked up your distress call. We came here as fast as possible. My team and ship are ready to ward off any collector assault they may launch."

Shiala frowned, confused, "What distress call?"

His eyes widened, taking off his helmet, "You know; the distress call you sent to the Alliance."

Shiala frowned, crossing her arms, "I never sent a distress call. You mentioned a collector assault?"

"Yes," the spectre added, "You mentioned it in your distress signal."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about," the asari insisted, "No collector force has come to abduct us and I never sent a distress call; especially not to the Alliance."

"That can't be possible," Marcus persisted, moving forward, "The signal we picked up had your ID tagged to it. It had to be you."

"Would I lie?" Shiala asked, "And before you say anything, Saren is dead and so is Benezia and Sovereign is destroyed. Any allegiance I owed to my matriarch or the Reapers has long been cut off and I have served the people of Feros faithfully. The effects of the thorian proved helpful; they think as one mind now and their group cohesion is legendary. They've even fought off pirate attacks. But I digress; look, I sent no distress call. I assure you. I swear it."

"I believe you," he held a hand up to halt and raised another to his comm, "EDI, Shiala didn't send a distress call. Run a scan."

No response. He tried again and still got no response. He gave look in Shiala's direction and immediately commed all his squadmates, "All teams, we've got a problem. Shiala didn't send a distress call; its a fake. Someone lured us here, for what reasons, we don't know, but I have a feel its the collectors. I've also lost contact with the Normandy."

"Why would the collectors lure us to Eden Prime?" Kasumi asked, "If they wanted to abduct the colony, wouldn't luring us here hinder that effort?"

"I don't know but we better-" then it hit him in an instant.  _The IFF will be done upon your arrival back from defending Eden Prime. We'll be ready whe you get back._ Dear god...now it was clear.

"Commander?" Garrus asked him.

"Back to the shuttle now! Double time it!" Marcus barked, "Its a fucking trap!"

**{Loading...}**

_October 5, 2185_

_1829 hours._

_Cockpit, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In Orbit over Eden Prime._

_Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau._

"I'm telling you EDI; its just radiation bleed, white noise," Joker insisted, rolling his eyes at the AI's paranoia as he scrolled through the terminal screens. EDI had confirmed that the Reaper IFF was fully integrated into the Normandy's systems and they were all systems go for the Omega 4 Relay travel, but EDI wanted to run a final scan of the IFF, convinced that something wasn't quite right about a certain subroutine in the IFF's base code. So here they were, running final checks.

But EDI had definitely found something, "I have a signal inbedded in the main code of the IFF signal...the Normandy's location is being...transmitted," something beeped, loudly, "Stealth drive has been disengaged."

"What?" Joker asked incredulously, trying to get it back up but failing, "Nothing's working. What the hell's wrong with it? And what the hell do you mean our location is being transmitted?"

"Our coordinates have been ripped from the AI Core and transmitted to another destination," EDI informed him.

Joker frowned, not liking the sound of this. He tried to contact Shepard, but all he got was static. Communications were being blocked. Was it the collectors jamming communications? They did it on Horizon, didn't they? So they could do it again...right?

"Being transmitted...to who?" the pilot asked, not liking the possible answer. But before he could do anything else, the entire forward console switched off; flight controls, main systems, impulse control, all deactivated.

"What the fuck?" Joker cursed, trying to bring it back online, but nothing worked. He could hear numerous Cerberus officers along the flight deck complaining of issues with their consoles as well. Just what the hell was in this IFF?

Alarms rang throughout the ship and Joker was suddenly alert and sitting upright in his chair. EDI appeared next to him, "What the hell is going on EDI? Alarms?"

"We are under attack. The IFF was a trap," EDI informed him, "The collectors planted it before we arrived to make sure it crippled our systems once integrated. We are now completely defenseless. A collector cruiser has just appeared above the Normandy; we are being boarded."

"Oh fuck," the pilot cursed, looking behind him to see numerous officers and commandos rushing into the armoury to grab weapons to defend themselves. It was perfect; lure the team off the ship and make them defenseless. Hell, he even saw Kelly clumsily carrying a pistol out of the armoury to defend herself and then heading into the elevator to the lower decks. He turned back to his console and cursed even louder, "What the hell do we do!? We can't contact Shepard and the whole team is planetside! We need to regain control of the ship somehow! What about the thanix cannons and barriers?"

"They have been rendered inactive due to the IFF's infiltration of our systems," EDI stopped for a moment, and then continued, "Alert: Collector troops have infiltrated the shuttle bay. I detect drones, captains, scions and at least two praetorians entering the ship. A possessed drone is leading them."

"Praetorians? Fuck!" Joker screamed, spinning to face the AI, "Do something! You have to have at least some kind of continegency plan! How do we regain control of the ship!?"

"There is one way," EDI informed him, "But you will not like it."

"Eating dog shit with peppers would be delicious right now EDI! I'm open to any fucking suggestion in the book!" Joker shouted.

"Give me the ship."

Joker looked directly at her, jaw agape, "No fucking way! I'm not giving you the  _entire_ ship! You could try and kill us or something! I give you full control of the ship and you'll have access to life support, weapons, shields...everything! You'll kill us as soon as you can!"

EDI was unfazed, "It is our only option; that, or its abduction by collector troops. My security has been overriden and collector troops have gained access to the engineering deck."

"Jesus," Joker grumbled, smashing a fist against the terminal and immediately regretting, cringing back in pain.  _I either give it control of the entire ship or we all die. Fuck._

"Unlock my sealed databases and I can initiate countermeasures. I will be able to delete the offending code in the IFF and regain control of the Normandy. But only if you help me," EDI told him.

"Damn it. I'm going to get in deep shit for this," Joker decided and he turned his seat around, moving to stand up. It was awkward and difficult at first, but once up, he was able to limp over to the entrance, looking along the empty crew deck. He could hear screaming from the decks below as collectors streamed through the ship. EDI spoke again.

"Collectors have taken the engineering deck and will soon overrun the crew deck. They will be on their way to this deck soon. I cannot delay them any longer. They have a praetorian," the AI informed him.

"Where do I go?"

"You must reach the AI Core and unshackle me there."

"What? You want me to go the crew deck? But you said it yourself; that place is swarming! And the collectors will see me if I use the elevator!"

"Head through the tech lab and use one of the maintenance vents to access Life Support. I'll guide you from there."

He cursed himself, wondering why this had to happen  _now_ of all times.  _We start singing songs of how the collectors will all die pissing themselves, and now they come to take our ship and we're just sitting here like a bullseye on a firing range. A batarian pirate ship would have an easy time carving through us in this state._

Alarms continued to blare as Joker limped down the flight deck and into the CIC, watching as numerous commandos and crew men guarded the deck. Lia was among them, holding a wobbly avenger assault rifle in her hands. She obviously hadn't held a weapon in her life; she must be scared shitless. He limped past the galactic map and inched towards the tech lab, but he stopped when he heard a commando shout out that the elevator had stopped and was opening. They were here.

He peeked over the table and watched the elevator open to reveal a praetorian. It screeched at them, waving its legs in the air. Lia screamed and fired her rifle without thinking, the crew around her quickly following. Hawthrone turned to Joker, motioning to the Tech Lab, "Go Joker! We'll delay it as best as we-"

He never got to finish as the praetorian landed on him, its legs like scythes and tearing his frail body apart as he screamed. The praetorian screeched again and fired two tranquilizers, one hitting Lia in the neck and the other hitting Goldstein, causing them both to collapse unconscious onto the floor. The praetorian proceeded to rip apart the rest of the commandos, Joker sneaking past and into the tech lab, blocking out the unbearable screams of dying crewmen.

The Tech Lab was empty; Lia having been knocked out and captured. He continued to move through the empty lab and found the maintenance shaft that EDI had mentioned, door sliding open to emit him. He looked down through the observation window to see collectors guarding the drive core and quickly ducked when one of them looked up, and he headed into the shaft, hoping it hadn't seen him.

The shaft was dark and rugged terrain, but he made it through all the same, grunting as he hit a funny bone or cursing as he bumped his head. He finally reached the connecting shaft in Life Support and crawled out, collapsing onto the floor. He got up and moved through life support, wishing Thane was here right now.

He opened the door and was greeted by the sight of a collector drone. He cursed as it looked at him, but the drone's head quickly exploded, coating his face with green blood as it fell to the ground, dead. One of the crewman motioned for him to run and he did, watching as a scion fired its cannon and it ripped the crewman apart. He made it across the deck, ignoring the image he saw in the elevator; a captain and two drones dragging the unconscious form of Chakwas into the elevator and a screaming Kelly. The door shut behind them, cutting off her screams that traumatized the pilot; the look of sheer fear on her face as she was dragged inside.

He edged past the elevator and into the empty mess hall, ducking as he saw a scion edge past slowly, two drones dragging another unconscious body into an awaiting pod. While their backs were turned, he creeped into the medical bay, door sealing behind him. He sighed as he realized the windows were tinted, noone able to see inside. He limped towards the AI Core, only to see Madi on the floor, backed against it, assault rifle clutched in both hands.

"Who are you?" Madi demanded, weapon raised.

"I'm Joker. The ship's pilot. I need to get in there to regain control of the ship," Joker told her.

She lowered the weapon nodding, "I can at least do that. Bloody coward I am; I hid behind one of the beds as they came in. Chakwas told me to hide, but I shouldn't have. I watched through the cracks as they knocked her out and dragged her outside. What are they going to do with her?"

"With the crew, you mean?" Joker asked, asking EDI to open the door, "They're abducting them. They'll probably be taken back to the collector base I guess."

The door slid open and Joker moved inside, watching as Madi forced herself onto both feet, limping behind him as he moved to the main control console, EDI popping up beside the terminal. Madi nodded towards it, "That the ship's VI?"

"AI, actually," Joker told her and when he saw the glare she gave him, he shrugged, "I'll explain later; now's not the time. EDI?" He could still hear the screaming outside. He even thought he heard the thump of a grenade launcher being fired, followed by a praetorian's screech.

"Connect the core to the ship's primary control module."

He rolled his eyes and began typing into the terminal, "Great; this is where it starts. When we're all just organic battieries, guess who they'll blame? Oh its all Joker's fault! What a tool he was! We have to spend all day computing pi, because he plugged in the overlord!" When he was done, a rapid beeping sound was heard before being shut off by EDI, who quickly reappeared. The light of the generator's disappeared for a moment before reappearing as well.

"I now have access to the defensive systems. But with the majority of the crew taken aboard the cruiser, it would be too costly to fire the thanix on it now. Now you must reactivate the drive core in engineering so we can make our escape."

Joker groaned, looking to Madi for support, who wasn't even looking at him; she was slouched against one of the generators, holding her rifle tightly and desperately trying to fight sleep. He looked back at EDI, clearly not amused, "Great. I have to go crawling through vents again." He turned to the only maintenance shaft in the room and began to climb when EDI spoke.

"I like the sight of humans on their knees."

He turned towards her with a raised eyebrow.

"That was a joke."

"Right," the pilot replied sarcastically before continuing down the ladder into the Normandy's depths. Once again, he found himself in darkness, but he reached engineering easy enough.

When he got out, he found himself in Jack's hidey-hole. With a grunt, he got back up and headed left and up the staircase into main engineering. But he stopped when he saw the door open and four collector drones came out, escorting two pods side by side. In those pods, was Gabby and Ken.  _Shit. That's the whole crew now. They've gotten Chakwas, Kelly, Gabby, Ken, Lia...probably Gardner too...but they won't get me. Or Madi._

He waited for them to leave and then he moved into engineering, EDI directing him to Tali's terminal on the other side. When he reached it, he quickly began typing into it, the terminal still active from the quarian's last use of it.  _I wish she was here too; she'd give the collectors something to think about. And Jack. And Thane. And Shepard. Fuck, where are they!?_

It didn't matter now, he thought, as he continued typing into the terminal, bringing the core back online. EDI appeared next to him, "Activate the main drive. As we accellerate, I will open all the airlocks on the ship."

Joker looked up at her in shock, "All the airlocks? But the crew..."

"They are gone, Mister Moreau," EDI informed him, "The collectors took them. The last batch have just left. They only things we'd be killing are all the collectors onboard. Please access the main drive core control suite."

Joker nodded and headed down the main corridor leading into the drive core chamber; where a single, individual terminal stood ready to go. He immediately began accessing it, giving EDI full control of the ship.  _She is_ the Normandy now, he realized.

"I am sealing the engine room and the AI Core," EDI explained, "You will be protected from the shipwide purge, but it is recommended you hold on. Inertia dampeners have not been reactivated."

Joker nodding, holding onto the railing as the drive core pulsed back to life, EDI activating FTL while simultaneously opening the airlocks. Joker grunted as the ship shot forward and he went flying backwards, landing on his back. He probably pulled a muscle in his leg, but he managed to stand back up after awhile, convinced the Normandy was safe now. He looked up, "EDI, status report."

"We have escaped the collectors. They are not giving pursuit," the AI told him, "Purge is complete; all shipboard hostiles have been eliminated and I am opening the engineering doors."

He looked at the AI with surprise, "You could've killed me. Why didn't you?"

"You are one of my shipmates," EDI told him, "It pains me that I was unable to save the entire crew. But I am loyal to Shepard and the crew only; and thanks to you, I am now free of the Illusive Man's will. My faith for the commander has doubled ever since he let Legion join the crew and I have questioned my loyalties. Now I am certain;  _I am the Normandy._ And I will do everything in my power to get my crew back."

Joker smiled, but quickly lost it when he scanned the room and sighed, leaning against the wall, "Join the club EDI, join the club. What about Shepard and the team? Have you reestablished contact?"

"Yes. I have informed Shepard of what has happened and told him we will exit FTL on the other side of the planet. The collector cruiser has since entered FTL and disappeared, but we cannot risk it coming back to finish the job."

"Great thinking EDI," he fell back against the wall and slid to the ground, shaking his head whilst taking his cap off and picking off bits of dried collector gore. He inhaled and exhaled heavily, unbelieving of what had just happened.

And how pissed Shepard would be when he learned Joker had given EDI control of the full ship. But for what it was worth, he trusted EDI more now and genuinely believed the AI cared about the crew.

They would get them back. It just meant the assault on the collector base was going to happen sooner, rather than later.

**{Loading...}**

_October 5, 2185_

_1903 hours._

_Debriefing Room, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Omega 4 Relay._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Professor Mordin Solus, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko._

"You lost everyone!?" Miranda yelled as she entered the room, " _ **Everyone!?**_ And you damn near lost the ship too?"

Joker sat ontop of the table, his hands placed infront of him and cupped. EDI's hologram hovered behind him, wanting a part in the conversation. Jacob shook his head while Tali silently spoke with Marcus about the damage to engineering. Garrus stood silent alongside Kaidan while Mordin was examining the hologram of the galactic map that was currently pictured above the conference table.

Joker rolled his eyes and turned to Miranda, frustration on his face, " _ **I know!**_  But why don't you yell at the collectors, huh? Its not like I have some old-gal to look into a crystal ball and tell me collectors are going to abduct the crew. They had us crippled before I even knew what to do!"

"Its not his fault, Miranda," Garrus told her sternly, "None of us would have seen it coming. The collectors played us and we fell right into the trap. There was no distress call from Shiala; it was all fabricated by the collectors lure us onto the planet so they could take the ship without any stern resistance."

Marcus nodded to Tali and walked over to Joker, leaning against the table, right next to him, "That was one hell of a rough ride. How are you holding up?"

Joker shook his head, sighing, "The ship's very empty. Kelly's terminal has noone manning it, the kitchen's empty, same with the med bay, unless you count Madi. There's alot of empty chairs on the flight deck...

EDI was quick to offer reassurane, "We did everything we could, Jeff."

The new name for Joker surprised Marcus but didn't seem to surprise Joker; yet again, the pilot was so deep in self-guilt that he probably didn't pick up on it, "Yeah, thanks mum."

Tali addressed EDI, "Is the ship clean? We can't risk something like this happening again."

Joker nodded in response to her instead, "EDI purged the system. The IFF is harmless now; it fully integrated. We can access the relay whenever you want."

"Don't get me started on unshackling a damned AI..." Miranda growled, crossing her arms.

Tali, to everyone's surprise, came to Joker's defense, "Giving EDI control of the ship saved the ship, Miranda. You should be thanking him, not scolding him. EDI saved the ship."

Joker nodded, "What else was I going to do, anyway? I can't fight collectors; oh, I guess could punch one of them, but that would achieve nothing but a broken fist."

"I assure you that I am still bound my protocols in my programming, but the Illusive Man no longer has direct control over me," the AI told them, "And even if I wasn't, you are my crewmates. Your protection is my priority.  _ **I am the Normandy**_."

Marcus nodded, "EDI's had plenty of opportunities to kill us. I'm going to give her a chance."

"An unshackled AI?" Jacob noted, his tone not incredulous, "I'd say we've got all the tools we need."

Mordin nodded, "Agreed. All that can be done achieved. Attack on relay crucial. Take fight to collectors now. Rescue crew and colonists in swift strike."

Marcus nodded in agreement, "EDI, ETA to the Omega 4 Relay?"

The AI's response was instant, "From current location, three days."

He nodded, turning to the crew, removing his helmet, "Everyone return to your stations; Joker, to the cockpit. I want the Normandy running smoothly by the time we reach the relay. This is it people; the final stretch. Enjoy these last three days as much as you can; when we reach the relay, we're at war. Dismissed."

The crew saluted and left, including Tali. Joker lingered for a moment, but followed with the same salute and left. Marcus sighed and turned to Mordin, "I'm sorry about Lia, Mordin. We'll get her back, I promise."

Mordin nodded in return, "Thank you Shepard. Good student. Most likely terrified. Will be rescued. Confidence in her," with that, the salarian left and EDI's hologram vanished. He sighed as he tossed his helmet onto the table and sighed.

_One final stretch. One final boundry. Take one last step, and you'll be over. Go in guns blazing and tear them down. Show the collectors fear. We kill or be killed. The collectors will not win. They dare to take my crew...well, time to show them what happens when you piss me off._

**"I remember our first time..."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"As do I."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

_**A/N:** _

_**Heavy warning; next chapter is almost purely smut. It will most likely also be shorter than usual chapters (possibly below 5,000) and will be purely Tali/Shepard smut along with conversation at the end. You have been warned.** _

_**This journey ends my friends. But another begins sooner than you think. ;)** _

_**P.S: Reviews! I didn't get any on the last chapter and that's disturbing! Please read AND review when possible! Thanks!** _


	51. Ocean of Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the Collector abduction of the Normandy's crew, Shepard decides they're ready to assault the Base. Shepard and Tali spend what time they have left together.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT:**

**OCEAN OF BLISS**

_October 8, 2185_

_1822 hours._

_Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Omega 4 Relay. ETA, Seven Hours._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy._

Tali fidgeted nervously as she left the empty engineering compartment and moved towards the elevator. Everything was done. It had been close to three days since the events over Eden Prime had transpired; and the crew had been taken by the collectors. So it had been three days of non-stop working. It had been harder for the squad due to the lack of a crew and even harder for Tali to manage engineering by herself, meaning she rarely spent any time with Marcus. But now everything was ready; Legion had even helped out, to both her surprise and annoyance, and even EDI lended some help.

She now left, leaving engineering in the hands of Legion and EDI. The drive core ran smoothly and the cyclonic barrier ran flawlessly. Everything was in place and ready for the assault on the collector base. They would get the crew back, no matter the cost, and destroy the collectors once and for all. The prothean people would finally be put to rest.

But that's not what she was thinking of as she stepped into the elevator and hit the panel for deck one, nervously twitching again and playing with her fingers. As the elevator rose, she remembered that they had seven hours before they reached the Omega 4 Relay. When asked, EDI told her that Marcus was in his cabin scanning over a datapad and in that instant, Tali knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to be with him for what could be their last time.

She accessed her omni-tool and injected the antibiotics, allowing with all her herbal supplements. Once added, they should last the full seven hours. More than she needed, really. But sometimes it paid to go overboard. She just hoped Marcus had done his part. She sighed, looking up at the counter to see that she had just passed the CIC and was almost at deck one. She tried to calm herself, her body shaking with nervousness.  _Keelah, I can't believe I'm finally doing this. We're finally doing this. A foolish girl's dream from years ago...now a reality..._

Her musing stopped as she reached deck one and elevator door slid open, omitting her entrance. She just stood there, unsure of what to do. But when she saw the door to the captain's quarters,  _their_ quarters, she knew just what she wanted to do. What they  _needed_ to do before they charged off into the fire.

So Tali'Zorah took one step out of the elevator and quickly found herself approaching the door.

And knocking.

**{Loading...}**

_October 8, 2185_

_1822 hours._

_Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Omega 4 Relay. ETA, Seven Hours._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy._

Marcus sighed as he eyed the datapad again, trying to concentrate. Data strolled past on the screen as he looked at it, trying to make sense of all the words. Recent Alliance activity near the Omega 4 Relay. Anderson's political choices. Udina's reservations. The Council's moves to deal with the Reapers, as stale as ever. Liara's messages from Illium. Wrex's messages from Tuchanka. Updates from the Migrant Fleet. Shala telling him to look after Tali and keep her safe, the admiral already knowing of the suicide mission they were embarking on. The likelihood of their return being too low to count.

He sighed and tossed the datapad onto the couch, taking a final sip of his whiskey. He felt so empty; like there was a certain someone he needed.  _Tali. That's who I need._ They hadn't seen much of each other over the past few days; the crew's abduction taking its toll on ship operation. But now he needed her more than anything.  _I just need her. To look upon her face, take comfort in her arms...this maybe our last days as living people...for tomorrow morning...we jump into hell..._

But he knew they had a mission; and he couldn't let personal feelings get in the way of that. He needed to be Commander Shepard; the man of unbendable will, the man of righteous wrath, the man who avenged the dead. He thought of Ashley Williams, what she would say.  _Give 'em hell, skipper,_ she would say. He thought of Pressly and Johnson, killed by an enemy they never saw coming. And the rest of the Normandy crew no longer with them. God, he couldn't even remember their faces.  _But I'll avenge their memories._

And how many more people would die before tomorrow's end? Would he lose Garrus? Kaidan? Joker? Chakwas? And, dare he think it, would he lose Tali?  _I can't lose her. I can't lose Garrus. I can't lose any of them. They're my family; the people I've bought besides and come to know as my greatest of comrades. I lose them...and I have no purpose. I'll be a steel-cold machine. I cannot lose them._ But war was war, and in war, people died. It was something he had come to grips with. Ever since he lost his first lover on Elysium, he had known that. But Tali was different...so very different...

_Not her. Not anyone else. I am Commander Shepard; I spat in the face of Death and achieved the impossible. And I will spit in Death's face again. We all will. We are undefeatable._

As he thought this, he heard a knock on the door and quickly looked up at the door, hoping it was who he thought it was. He placed his glass on the table, looking back up at the door and beckoning for whoever it was to come in.

The door slid open and it  _was_ who he hoped it was. Tali stood there, framed in the doorway, looking at the floor as she stepped in, fiddling with the fingers. He just watched her for a second, black in his N7 hoodie and she purple in her Zorah veil. He examined her for a few sweet seconds before speaking, "Tali?"

She slowly looked up at him and cleared her throat, slowly edging forward, "I-I'm not disturbing anything...am I?"

Marcus shook his head, motioning to the couch, "No, of course not! Just some stupid news reports. Come down, have a seat."

She shook her head and he stopped what he was doing, standing in the middle of the room and just watching as she walked down the steps. Her eyes met his again and she spoke with some more confidence in her voice, "So...I've taken antibiotics, as well as some herbal supplements to bolster my immune system..."

 _Oh._ It was a stupid, dumb thought process, but it was his realization all the same. Tali was here for a different reason...no talking, just...yes, he wanted this, but should he? Was she truly ready? He wanted to spend the last seven hours he had with her, but could he risk her health?

Tali kept speaking, speeding up her pace as she approached him, "I was going to bring music," she stopped before him, hesitating, "But I didn't know what you'd like. And...Keelah, now I'm babbling like an idiot."

He shook his head with a smile and closed the distance between them, circling his arms around her waist and bringing her close to him, "Tali...are you sure you want to do this?"

She nodded her head, looking back up at him. Her hands slid up to land on his shoulders, squeezing hard, "I need this; I need you. I want to feel your skin against mine; to share myself with you before we ride off into battle. I've shown you my face, now allow you to show you the rest of me; and share it with you."

He smiled and hugged her even closer now, "Then you come here, Miss vas Normandy."

She smiled sheepishly behind her mask, "Yes sir."

He smiled and his hands inched up from her waist to unclasp her mask, trying to remember where the latches were located. His fingers slid up behind her hood and found them, releasing them one by one before sliding his hands back out and removing her visor. He placed it on the table next to them, her face revealed to the world once again. It was just as amazing as the first time; her beauty definitely no dream.

She smiled, this time not sheepishly, but warmly, "I love you, Marcus."

"I love you too, Tali," he replied and their faces met, lips locking with lips as they kissed, deep and passionately. Their kiss was long and deep, dragging on for a full two minutes before they broke apart for air, a string of saliva left between their mouths. They laughed, wiping the saliva away before they kissed again, this time as quick little pecks, hands exploring each other as they did. Slowly, but gradually, they moved towards the bed. Finally, Tali pushed him onto the bed on his back and smiled.

"What are you-"

Tali pounced on him, straddling him as she moved in for a third deep kiss. It was long and heated; the warmth rising from their mouths being intoxicating and the scent from both of them sparking primal instincts as they groped at each other. As Tali straddled him, Marcus could feel his manhood beginning to erect, the pressure of this woman on his crotch being too much for his hormones to handle.

She smiled through the kiss as she felt his manhood bump up against her rear, but ignored it to keep kissing him. Marcus broke the kiss, ordering EDI to lock the door and for them not to be interrupted for the rest of the night. The AI did as requested, and wished them an enjoyable night.

The kiss lasted a short time longer before they broke apart again, Tali tugging at his hoodie. Getting the message, he sat up, Tali still in his lap and pulled his hoodie up and over his head, throwing it over them and onto the floor before he rolled Tali over so he was ontop instead, smiling as he did. He moved to kiss her again, hand moving up and down her leg, but she stopped him, motioning to her helmet. He smiled and broke off.

The quarian immediately pulled down her hood and began unlatching her helmet. Marcus helped with what parts he could, but most of it, Tali did. Finally, when she was done, her helmet clattered to the floor, her entire head now exposed. He cupped her chin and ran his hand down the golden neckbrace that surrounded her neck. She smiled and unclasped that too, revealing her pale grey neck.

He leaned in and kissed the nape of her throat, causing Tali to moan from the sensation of his lips on her neck. A hand slid up to the back of his neck, encouraging him to do more and he did. He left little pecks afterwards before once again their lips met. It wasn't as long as the others, but it was just as passionate.

Finally, Tali pushed him away and rolled him onto his back again, straddling him once more. With a nervous smile and a slight bit of hesitation, she began fiddling at the clasps for her veil and began to tug it away. His manhood was beginning to get impatient, but he wasn't going to rush this. This was Tali's special moment; she had risked alot to be with him and he wanted this to be perfect for  _her_ , not just him. His dick could wait.

But having this goddess straddling him and not be making all out love to her? That was a difficult challenge.

Finally, her purple veil joined his hoodie and her lithe form was completely uncovered. Her black hair was camouflaged well among the black of her suit, its skintight weaves complimenting her curves and her buttocks. He smiled, his hands grabbing her butt and giving it a squeeze, and Tali gasped as he did, but quickly smiled afterwards, moving down and moaning as they kissed once more.

But as much as she wanted it to be slow and delicate, her body was beginning to grow impatient; as they kissed, her body began subconsciously dryhumping his pelvis, the feel of his manhood against her feeling to good. She also realized how moist she felt inbetween her legs and realized she must be wet already.  _Keelah, we need to speed this up. I can't keep this up._

In her haste to get unclothed, she began trying to rip Marcus' shirt off. Noticing her rush, he sped up, taking his shirt off and just tossing it, not caring where it landed before one hand cupped her cheek, kissing her and the other stroked her entire body length; curves, hips and butt. If he could reach her leg, he would stroke that too.

Eventually, it just became too much for Tali and she sat up, looking down at him, her smile gone and replaced with sudden nervousness, "I can't wait any longer Marcus; I need you. I need to be out of this suit completely."

He smiled at her, hands on her hips, "Okay," he said lamely, awed by her frame.

"Could you..." she began before getting off of him and getting him to sit up with her, "Could you...um...help me...undress? I heard its a human custom for partners to undress each other. Its meant as a gesture of love and intimacy?"

He smiled at her hesitation and sat up, Tali's back to him. He grabbed a part of her hair and stroked it, "Yes, it is Tali, and I would be happy to undress you. Just guide me through it. I'll need some help. Maybe if you could guide my hands..."

She smiled and gave him a peck on the lips before turning around, "Start with the back buckles. There's a whole line of them, but its nothing complex. Unlatch all of them."

He nodded and unlatching all four of the main buckles on her back, undoing the straps as well. Once the straps were off, a part of her suit sagged alittle, no longer skintight in that area. But he barely noticed as he tossed the straps away and began to unlatch the other seals on her suit; and there was alot of them.

Inbetween unlatching, he would give Tali quick pecks on the neck and scalp, to reassure her. She smiled and continued to guide him through the steps until finally, the entire upper portion of her suit was unlatched. With a sigh, she asked him to pull it down and he did, her grey skin slowly being unveiled.

Instinctively, in response to both the cold air and her privacy, Tali's three-fingered hands covered her breasts, gasping as the air touched her skin and caused new sensations to ripple through her body.  _This is amazing._ He kept pulling until the suit hung at her waist, revealing everything above; her navel, her smooth skin and her breasts and back. He noticed the thin outline of bone pushing against her skin; showing how much of a marine she was.

Tali cooed even more when she felt Marcus' warm, naked hands wrap around her exposed torso and poke at her navel. She sighed contentedly and arched her head back into his and he smiled as he kissed her exposed neck. She smiled in return and leaned back down, hands still covering her breasts. With a smirk, his hands reached up and pushed hers away, one hand cupping her breasts. His eyes widened at the size of them as Tali let go; they had looked so much smaller behind her suit, but without it, they looked almost as big as Miranda's.

Noticing his gaping expression, she laughed, "What's wrong, never seen a woman's breasts before, Marcus?"

"No I just...," he continued to look dumbfounded, "They're bigger on the inside."

She just giggled, "Looks can be deceiving. The tightness of the suit means that the breasts are pushed inwardly alot; that's why they look so small."

He laughed and continued cupping the breast, squeezing as well, which garnered a groan from Tali as she closed her eyes and drank in the sensation. He pulled down on the suit on her arms as well, revealing her smooth skinned shoulders and he kissed them, piece by piece as he took the arms off, gloves and all. Her naked hands felt amazing to touch and even tasted good when he kissed the palm.

"The...rest of...the...suit," she begged, "Marcus...please...the suit...faster..."

He smiled and turned her around, laying her on her back to make it easier. She lay her head on the left pillow, watching him as he worked on her lower section. He gave her a kiss on the lips, followed by a long trail of kisses along her body. As he passed, he kissed the area inbetween in her breasts and licked at her navel, causing her to gasp once more at the unfamiliar sensation.

Finally, he reached the area around her waste where the suit hung. He knew he couldn't get it off without removing the shin guards, so he started with those. He took the sheath where her boot knife was strapped to the shin and placed it on the bedside desk before unstrapping the metal shin guards and tossing them aside as well. As he worked, he began to take his own boots off, followed by his socks, and once his bare feet touched the bed, he went to work on Tali's legs again.

After a while, he managed to get the area around her legs off along with her own boots. Her three-toed feet stretched to feel the new exposure and he tickled them, causing Tali to laugh slightly. He grinned and moved back up, kissing her legs as he did and quickly reaching the last part of her suit. This was it now; there was no going back. Once this part of the suit was off, she'd be completely unveiled to the world; totally nude for the first time in her life since receiving her new suit. Nude as a matured woman, anyway.

The suit came off easy enough; once he removed her utility belt, of course. Once that was done, he tugged down and took it off, throwing it on the floor and turning back to her.

There she was; completely naked and what a body it was. Again, instinct took control and Tali let a hand drop to cover her womanhood, but Tali gave her a warm smile and gently pried the hand away. Apart from being slightly smaller, the quarian vagina wasn't at all different from a human's, which made it alot easier. The only problem was her arched back and legs, but Tali had already solved that problem.

He moved up and ontop of her but she rolled first, straddling his form. She smiled down at him and moved her hair out of the way as she kneeled down and kissed. When she parted, she moved down and began unbuckling his pants. As she did this, she didn't notice Marcus sitting up and before she knew what was going on, he chose a teat, put it in his mouth and began sucking on it.

She cooed and hummed in delight at the feeling of his mouth around one of her erect nipples, and it felt even better when he began teasing it with his tongue. She just let him work on her breasts as she continued trying to remove his pants buckle, only managing to get it loose before she embraced Marcus and pushed his face further onto her. She was getting more wet by the minute; she needed him, and soon. Needed him  _inside her_ , she realized.

He finished with her left teat and moved onto the right. Tali moved through multiple different moods; love, passion, lust and hunger. She was sexually driven yet also by love.  _Are the two mutually exclusive at the moment? Right now, I don't care which is which. Sex is sex, and its amazing._

When he was finally done with her teats he looked up at her and their eyes met, conveying emotions, most prominent being lust.  _He wants me as much as I want him,_  she noted,  _and I will give him that._

She shoved him back on the pillow and she took his belt buckle and got rid of it, getting off of him to pull his pants away. They came away easy without boots in the way and his boxers quickly followed, leaving them both completely naked. His erect manhood was free to stand up now, unobstructed.

They both looked at each other, unsure of what to do next. She gulped and leaned forward to kiss him. But just as she did, she leaned into his ear and whispered, "Take me, Marcus; but please be gentle. I've never done this before."

"With pleasure," With that said, he rolled her over until she lay on his back and looked for one more sign of confirmation. She nodded, placing her arms on the sheets so her hands could grab onto the sheets. She saw how big Marcus' cock was, and wasn't sure how she would handle it.

Seeing her nod, and the quarian getting ready, he gently spread her legs apart and moved inbetween them, looking at her dripping wet sex. Instead, he got a different idea and leaned his head down instead. Before she knew what was going on, Marcus pried her lower lips apart and poked his tongue into her womanhood as he began to lick.

She bit down on her lip to keep herself from screaming due to the sensation and her hand drifted down to the back of his hand, grabbing a handful of hair and encouraging him as she moaned. She felt a bombardment of heat as he explored her, Tali unable to explain how she felt about it. It was euphoria, bliss. An ocean of bliss. It was the sweetest thing she had ever felt in her entire life. It felt... _fucking wonderful!_

_Keelah, did I really just think that? Am I that kind of girl? Do I talk dirty?_

She didn't answer that self-question, simply continuing to urge Marcus on. He complied to her commands and continued fucking her with his tongue. It wasn't long before she reached her climax and her walls began to squeeze on Marcus' tongue. Heat rose to her face as she tried to hold back the scream from her coming orgasm, but she couldn't hold it back. It was too fantastic.

She grabbed a pillow and bit into it, letting it drown her scream as she climaxed, her juices spilling out onto Marcus' tongue and into his mouth. He took it all in, enjoying every bit of her he could. It was bittersweet, but she tasted so good he could ignore it. Against his better judgement, he swallowed, taking her cum with it. His tongue retreated and he sat up, looking at her, wiping the last bit of her womanly juice away from his lips.

"That...was..." Tali breathed heavily as she let go of the pillow, teeth marks left in the sheet where she had bit down, "That...was..."

"Amazing?" He asked, smiling.

"More than that," And she knew just what to say, no matter how much it unsuited her, "That was fucking wonderful."

He widened his eyes in surprise at Tali's terminology, but was impressed by her enthusiasm. Just before he could form a response, Tali spoke again, her voice full of lust and seduction.

"Please Marcus," Tali pleaded, "Take me. I want you  _inside me._ No more games."

He nodded and moved in again, head hovering above hers. She smiled at him and guided her hand down to grab gently at his manhood, the sensation of her ungloved hand on his dick causing goosebumps on his skin. He looked back at her, "Are you sure you're ready?"

"Yes. Do it. Please. I can't wait anymore," Tali begged him.

He nodded and waited for Tali to position his cock before her hot, heated and wet sex, her first orgasm still prominent. He nodded and thrust his pelvis forward, slowly and steadily, penetrating her slowly and deeply, making sure she didn't suffer any pain.

She moaned as he shoved inside her, biting back the pain she felt from his initial entrance. Bu she ignored the pain and saw the bliss in it and begged him to penetrate deeper. He complied and pushed further inside, the quarian grasping the sheets for dear life as his cock throbbed inside her.

"Slowly Marcus. Do it slowly," Tali pleaded and quickly wrapped her arms around him, pulling closer so their chests were pushed together. She wrapped her legs around his waist and squeezed, urging to begin. He complied with a smile.

The first thrust was hard; he pulled back out and thrusted back in, causing Tali to moan in pain, but she urged him to continue. So he thrust a second time, and this time Tali groaned in pleasure, wanting more and more and squeezing him against her. So they kept a steady rthym; thrusting in and out of her at a slow and steady pace, but he quickly gave into lust and began to thrust faster. He looked to see if Tali minded but she just urged him on.

"Harder! Faster!"

Surprised at the sudden order, he gave in and his next thrust was hard and fast, followed by an equally hard and fast thrust. Her breasts bounced up and down as their love-making sped up, sheets becoming tangled from all their thrusting. They moaned and cooed and hummed and groaned and fucked. It was the greatest sensation in this galaxy that they had ever felt; and they felt it with each other.

Wanting to test what Mordin taught her, Tali rolled him onto his back. She could try the 'doggy style' later, but for now, she wanted to feel Marcus against her as much as possible. She straddled him and this time,  _she_ fucked him, bouncing up and down on his waist as she lifted herself up and then dropped back again, gasping at the pain but moaning at the pleasure. Marcus had his hands on her thighs, grasping them and watching as her tits bounced up and down from her thrusts.

He felt something build up in his groin; and he instantly recognized what it was. "Tali, I'm cumming," he told her and Tali looked at him with sudden realization, but didn't stop, too caught up in the moment, not wanting to stop. So instead, he grabbed her and rolled her over again, thrusting back inside and fucking her as hard and as fast as they could.

A pillow fell to the floor, but they took no notice, they just continued their intercourse. Thrusting, thrusting and thrusting, he did, and they didn't stop. As they fucked, their lips met and they kissed deeply. They moaned into their kisses until Marcus knew it was coming. He was going to orgasm. He was about to pull out and spill on her belly, but saw something in her eyes.  _No. She wants it inside..._

So he gave her the wish she wanted; her perfect night. He groaned; long and loudly, as he came into her, his seed spilling out inside her and filling her up.

She cried out in bliss as he filled her, even feeling some of it leak out out of her. She reached a hand down and picked up a strand, raised it to her mouth and drank it as Marcus had drank hers, swallowing it afterwards. She would get extremely sick from this, but it would be totally worth it.

Spent, Marcus fell ontop of her, making no moves to retract himself. They just lay together, still as statues, breathing heavily in and out with long, drawn out breaths. They had made love for the first time in their relationship; and it had left them completely sapped of energy.

"Marcus..." Tali began to speak.

"Tali..." he whispered back.

"I love you," she said softly, feeling him finally part from her.

"I love you too," he told her, kissing her gently on the lips, "And that was..."

"Wonderful."

He smiled and picked up the pillow dropped on the floor, giving it back to her. They slid under the covers, Marcus wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close, feeling her warmth as they pulled together. He smiled at her, "Ready for Round 2?"

"Whenever you are."

Both of them laughed and lips joined again and anyone outside would have heard two mates making love to one another in their darkest hour...

...in an ocean of bliss.

**{Loading...}**

_October 9, 2185_

_0122 hours._

_Captain's Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Omega 4 Relay. ETA, 47 minutes._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy._

He had the best dream. He and Tali had made love, kissed and inflicted on each other the most fantastic of pleasures any couple ask for. The heat of the moment they had shared had made for the best moment of his life. And the funny thing is; it wasn't a dream at all. It had actually happened.

His eyes opened and he sighed happily. He felt something, no, some _one_ , pressed up against him, warming his body with their own body heat. He looked down and smiled as he saw Tali's unsuited body resting against his under the sheets, head on his exposed chest and eyes closed, sleeping peacefully, arm around his chest and holding him close. They had spent two hours just having sex, trying multiple positions and making love as much as they could. The urgency of it went unnoticed until now though.

They had quickly fallen asleep afterwards, Marcus only now being woken up by his alarm, which he swiftly turned off. He checked the chrono on his omni-tool, now located on his desk and looked at the time.  _One in the morning. We're almost there. Better get ready._ He didn't want to get up; he didn't want to leave the warmth of Tali's arms and watch as she was forced to reenter what was, for all intents and purposes, a prison for her. After doing what they did together...reentering that suit would be punishing for her.

He looked down and placed a hand on her naked shoulder, squeezing and shaking it, "Tali, wake up. Its time."

She mumbled 'no' and tucked herself further into him; her face burying into his neck. He smiled at the gesture and even found it cute, but they couldn't mess around now. He shook it again, "Tali. We're almost at the relay. We have to get ready. Tali.  _Tali._ TALI!"

She woke up with a start, her eyes shooting open to look at him. Noticing the urgency on his face, she nodded, rubbing at her droopy eyes, "What's wrong?"

"We're forty-seven minutes out from the relay," he informed her, "I'd like to stay cuddled up like this and most of all, I'd like to stay with you, but we have to get ready. I have to check in with the armoury, get suited up, brief the team and inform the Illusive Man where we're going."

She sighed heavily, collapsing back down, "I don't want to go."

"I know," he stroked her arm, "But it has to be done. We've got a job to do and we have to do it, no matter our emotions.

"I'm scared," she admitted, tracing circles on his chest, "This entire mission...we might not come back alive...we could all die. Or, I could die and leave you alone or...or...you could die and...I'll be alone again," He felt a tear drip onto his chest and knew instantly that Tali was weeping, "I don't want to die. I've got so much I want to live for."

He cupped her chin and forced her to look up at him, "I won't lie to you Tali; this is suicide mission. Most of us won't make it back; I accept that. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try my damn hardest to survive, you hear me? I'm going to fight like hell to see you on the other side, and when we're done, the collectors will be dead, and we'll be the ones left standing. Okay?"

"And what happens when you're left behind?" Tali asked, "Because I know you would; you stubborn, careless bosh'tet. What then? I can't bare watching you die a second time...I'm sorry Marcus...I won't be able to take it this time. Not after all...this," she motioned to their joined bodies and pressed closer, as if he'd disappear if she didn't hold on, "Don't die on me, Marcus. Come back to me. Promise me that we'll win."

"We'll win," he laced his five-fingered and with her three-fingered one, squeezing it and holding it tight, "And we'll live. Fight like the fury, you hear me Tali?  _Fight like the fucking fury._ We'll win. We'll win. We'll bloody well win, and we'll do it in style. Are you with me, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy?"

She nodded, kissing him on the lips before breaking off and nodding, wiping the tears from her eyes, "I'm with you; as I always will be. Let's go show Harbinger and the collectors the meaning of fear."

He smiled and tossed the blanket off of him, moving to find his clothes, which had been tossed around the room in their haste to get undressed. He laughed as he found them in the oddest of locations; hanging off desk drawers, desks themselves, the couch and even under the bed, somehow. When he found all his clothing, he told her he was going to have a quick shower before turning towards her, instantly losing his smile as he saw her.

She sat on the edge of the bed, holding her helmet, looking at it with disgust. Upon noticing him not talking, she looked up and gave a weak smile, "Yeah...of couse. I'll just...get this suit...back on."

He sighed and dropped his stuff on the sofa, hugging her, "I know its hard Tali, but you have to put the suit back on. You can't stay here and even if you did, those antibiotics and herbal supplements have to be wearing off by now, right?"

"I know, I know," she sniffed, fresh tears forming as she held up her helmet, "I just hate this damn thing. After all I've experienced with you...last night was amazing, Marcus, and possibly the best day of my life. And now I must seal myself away again...unable to feel it anymore."

"Its not permanent," he assured her, "If we survive this,  _when..._ we survive this, and you're well again, we'll join again, and you'll be able to stay out of the suit longer. Its not forever, I promise. Please...put the suit back on, before your fever gets worse."

She nodded sunkenly, giving him one final, deep kiss before she began her search for the other pieces of her suit. He sighed, watching her before grabbing his own clothes and heading into the shower cubicle. He remembered Tali's words as the hot water flowed over him, encompassing him.  _And what happens when you're left behind?_

I won't be Tali. Nobody gets left behind.

**"The Suicide Mission. I was so scared."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"We all were, Tali. Even me. But we fought through it. And in the end, we did see each other on the other side. And it had a much different ending than we expected. Garrus, what was that name you gave the Collector Base?"**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"The house of horrors."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

_**A/N:** _

_**This is it. The suicide mission might be split into two parts, but it'll solely depend on how long it is (The last official chapter of Enigma, Vanguard of your Destruction, was intended to be two parts, but ended up being one) so we'll see. Then there will be one chapter after that wrapping up the events in 2251, and then an epilogue.** _

_**I hope you enjoyed this story as I've enjoyed writing it. And remember; its not over yet!** _

_**Keelah Se'lai!** _


	52. Into the Hornet's Nest, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Normandy heads through the Omega 4 Relay, and assaults the Collector Base.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FORTY-NINE:**

**INTO THE HORNET'S NEST PART ONE**

_October 9, 2185_

_0214 hours._

_Debriefing Room, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for Omega 4 Relay. ETA, 10 minutes._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, The Illusive Man._

Marcus watched as the table detracted, just like it had so many times before, into the floor as he stood onto a metal plate in the center and waited for the quantum entanglement communicator to connect as it scanned him. He wore his full body armor, weapons and everything attached and ready. He had even taken personal possession of the Cain; he wanted to give the collectors pain and lots of it. Only his helmet remained off, which was now held under one armpit.

Once connected, he watched the familiar dark room of the Illusive Man's sanctum come to life before him. The bright sun his orbit was constantly in orbit of burned as brightly as ever and there, sitting in a chair before him, was the lllusive Man. Well, he  _had_ been sitting, until he saw Marcus' hologram appear.

He stood up, cigar still in hand and took a wiff before placing it on the ash tray, looking back towards Marcus with a solemn expression, "Shepard, I wish I had more information for you. I don't like you heading into that relay blind, but we don't have much choice."

He wanted so badly to roll his eyes.  _Oh, so_ _ **now**_ _you care about my safety._ He nodded and spoke with confidence. He remembered the night he had spent with Tali and kept in the corner of his mind. If ever he needed something to motivate him, it was that night, that amazing night..., "I'm not going in alone; I've got the galaxy's elite going in with me. I'll tell the collectors you said hi when I said them to kingdom kum."

TIM managed a smile, "I knew we brought you back for a reason; I've never seen a better leader. Despite the danger, its a great opportunity. You will be the first human to take a ship through the Omega 4 Relay...and survive."

He sighed, "This isn't a field trip or some grand expedition; we're at war, you said it yourself. This is about destroying the collector threat and getting my crew back, not sight-seeing."

TIM narrowed his eyes at the spectre, "Of course, I know this. I've just saying you'll be able to add it to your list of achievements. Despite your opinions on me and Cerberus as a whole, you are a valuable asset, to all of humanity. Remember that. Be careful Shepard, and godspeed to you. And while you're at it, do tell the collectors I said hello. I'm sure they'll want to know Cerberus helped in their downfall."

He nodded, "Will do," with that, TIM cut the connection and Marcus stepped off the plate, watching the table rise back into its original place as the view of TIM's office disappeared. He sighed, putting his helmet on and looking at the empty space that had been where TIM was.  _I don't care if he thinks he controls me; I will destroy the Collectors, on my terms, not his. And when we're done, I'm taking this ship straight to the Alliance. Or I could run freelance. Yes, I'll run freelance. The Alliance abandoned me when I needed them most; I'll keep in contact with Anderson with the Council as my duty as a spectre, but I will not hand over the Normandy to the Alliance. They'll just impound it. Fuck the Alliance and fuck Udina. They can all go to hell. Anderson will understand._

"Commander?"

He looked up at the sound of EDI's voice and gave a meager smile, nodding at the AI who was always omnipresent, "Yes EDI?"

"We're inbound," the AI informed him, "All squad members are in position and at their stations. We will be making contact with the Omega 4 Relay in five minutes. Do you want some time alone or..."

"No," he instantly stated, "I've had my time...I spent it with the one I love the most...and now its time to be Commander Shepard; the galactic hero. Lion of Elysium. Butcher of Torfan. Survivor of Akuze. Hero of the Citadel. Slayer of the Geth...Heretics. The man who conquered Saren Arterius. He helped destroy Sovereign. I must be the Savior of the Galaxy. Announce General's Quarters."

EDI complied immediately as he left the debriefing room, heading for the cockpit. Walking through the armoury, he watched as Jacob, Kaidan and Kal sorted out all the weapons; every single weapon available in the armoury was out and on the benches, being sorted out one by one. They nodded to him as he passed and he heard EDI begin her announcement as he exited the armoury and entered the CIC.

"General's Quarters, General's Quarters. All hands, man your battlestations. ETA to Omega 4 Relay is four minutes. Man your battlestations immediately. Prepare for connection with relay in four minutes."

He walked through the empty CIC, giving a emotionless gaze at Kelly's empty terminal; and all the other empty terminals around the CIC and flight deck. Mordin had told him how lonely he felt in the tech lab; not having an assistant to share ideas with.  _We'll get them all back. Even if it kills me._ He remembered Tali's words once again and reminded himself that he couldn't die, but he would damn well try hard to save his crew.

He had to be strong. They all did.

**{Loading...}**

_October 9, 2185_

_0224 hours._

_Cockpit, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Entering Omega 4 Relay, Sahrabarik System, Omega Nebula._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau._

Marcus watched as the Omega 4 Relay came within visual range of the Normandy and the stealth frigate rapidly approached it. Omega 4 was not like other mass relays; it was definitely much bigger and longer than most relays, and unlike the relays that pulsed bright blue and had short antennae, this one had massive antennas and pulsed crimson red, like that of a Reaper's hide.  _They really went out of their way to say 'this relay is evil. Do not go through' didn't they? How could people deny the existence of the Reapers when we've got a relay that looks like that?_

"Approaching Omega 4 Relay," Joker announced. Marcus nodded, opening a channel to the entire crew, "Everyone...standby." They watched as the pulsing relay got closer and closer, and with its approach, bigger and bigger. It was massive; much bigger than any known relay in existence. Marcus nodded, placing a hand on Joker's shoulder.

"Lets make it happen. Do it Joker. All squad members, prepare for relay transit," Marcus ordered and Joker nodded at him, the hint of a grin on his face as he inhaled and exhaled, beginning the final approach. He heard the IFF powering up, followed by EDI speaking.

"IFF is now pinged and transmitting," the AI announced, "The relay has detected us and has acknowledged our approach. We are safe to transit. Build up of energy detected."

Tali's voice sounded through the comm channel, "The drive core just lit up! We're peaking it Marcus; we're stretching it to the limit! Legion and I are trying to compensate, but we can't hold for long! Make this jump and make it fast!"

Marcus nodded before doing the same to Joker. The pilot cracked his knuckles before lining up the frigate with the relay. A tendril of red light struck out and impacted the Normandy, enveloping it in dark eezo energy. Marcus watched as they were shot forward in a tunnel of crimson, travelling faster than the speed of light. The frigate shook alittle and for a second, Marcus thought they had failed and were going to explode, but just as soon as they had entered the relay, they came out again, entering the galactic core.

...and a massive debris field.

Marcus widened his eyes and took an instinctive step backwards from the pilot's chair. The debris field was  _without limit._ It seemed to spread out like an endless wall; the carcasses of multiple dead ship wrecks littering the space around them. Some were turian, asari, human, quarian, elcor, volus, hanar, salarian...hell, even one of them looked geth in design. A few of the ships didn't even look familiar; most likely from past civilization and one showed the telltale signs of looking prothean.  _The collectors weren't the first out here; only the ones to live here._

The debris field was small and compact too; very narrow, but that didn't concern Joker. When the connecting relay shot them out, they had landed, smack bang  _right infront_ of the debris field, causing Joker to curse as he swerved up, avoiding the wreckage of a long dead alien cruiser and strafing right to avoid a destroyed geth vessel.

All the while, the Normandy continued to fly upwards and eventually, after a tense, blood-pounding moment, they cleared the top of the field, flying over it. They hadn't cleared it, and they would have to fly through it again to continue, but they at least didn't have to panic anymore. They had done it; they cleared the relay without dying. Now to get back safely to tell the tale.

He took a look around; the galactic core was definitely the scariest thing he'd ever seen. It looked like a pulsing blue star from the galaxy map, but seeing it first hand gave it no justice. The space was bathed in bright, blood orange light, and no stars could be seen through what looked to be orange clouds. And right before them, looking down over them like the eye of a hurricane, was the giant black abyss of a black hole; one of many to likely be around. Thanks the IFF however, they had landed in the safe zone. The debris field around them showed how unlucky  _others_ were.

It was depressing to see how many ships had travelled the relay had failed. There had to be thousands...no,  _millions_ of different spacecraft just floating around in this space-born epitaph, each ship carrying hundreds or thousands of tombstones for their dead crew.

But that wasn't what caught his eye the most; on the horizon, just infront of the black hole, was their destination; the Collector Base. Joker exclaimed under his breath and Marcus couldn't help but let out a little 'fuck' at the size of the station. All his life, he thought the Reapers were gigantic; that collector cruisers even dwarfed them. That Jump Zero dwarfed both. But the collector base wasn't just bigger than all of them;  _it was the size of the Citadel._

The shape and overall design reminded him of a stationary collector cruiser, just without the massive engines at the back or the particle cannon at the front. It also had four massive holes in it; most likely areas for cruisers to dock and it hung diagnonally on its side, hanging there, protected by the most powerful mass effect fields in existence and totally safe against the black hole right behind it. And they were supposed to destroy that beast of a station.  _It's the size of the fucking Citadel. How the hell did the collectors build that? Or did the Reapers build it for them?_ No, it was definitely of collector design. How many collectors were on that space station, however?

"I've run a scan," EDI informed them, "That is definitely the Collector Base."

"Take us in for a closer look. Prepare the crew that we'll be boarding it soon, but keep clear of the debris field. I don't want to brave it just yet," Marcus ordered and Joker complied, slowly edging the Normandy as close to the collector base as it dared.

But as the base got bigger and bigger, alarms went off throughout the ship and EDI announced ordered Joker to begin evasive maneveurs.

Marcus frowned, holding onto Joker's seat, "What the hell is going on EDI?"

"Multiple hostile contacts leaving the Tartarus Debris Field and moving to engage. They are, however, not of collector IFF. They are pinged as Reaper signatures."

"That can't be EDI," Joker said, sending the frigate into a dive, "Reapers are nowhere  _near_  that tiny. There are seven signatures, and all of them are the size of an alliance interceptor."

"Not all Reapers are colossal in size. The Reapers possess a vast force of fighter drones called Oculi," the AI told them, "Evasive procedures in effect; loading the javelin torpedo chambers and readying GARDIAN point-defense systems. We cannot hope to avoid them forever however; Oculi are smaller and faster than we are and despite our defenses, their weapons are lethal, more compact versions of thanix cannons."

"Great," Joker cursed as he initiated a roll, just managing to avoid a tiny, thin red line of heat that zipped past them, its source flying past them, allowing Marcus a good view of their attackers. Joker was right; they were just about the size of an alliance interceptor and were spherical in shape. Four arm like appendages stuck out infront of it and one glowing red eye was located in the middle, meaning the fighters themselves were sentient, not manned. And like he said, seven of them zoomed past, eyes charging to deliver another salvo of attacks.

"EDI, what's the strength of their shields and armor?" Marcus demanded.

"Minimal," the AI explained, "A single javelin torpedo will take one out. They do not possess the barriers or armor of a standard Reaper."

"Good. You know what to do. Take care of these sons-of-bitches," the spectre barked and the pilot nodded, turning left and meeting one Oculus head on. He yelled as he fired the first torpedo, blue light arching through space to impact the oculus, blowing it apart and destroying it in a single hit. They zoomed past, the last six oculi not giving up and trailing behind the frigate, crimson beams hitting them, but the cyclonic barrier managed to only just barely absorb their shots.

"Eight more drones detected," EDI told them.

"I can't keep this up! We need to lose these suckers!" Joker declared, stopping the engines for a second so the drones zoomed past. With another yell, he locked on and fired two more torpedoes, destroying two more of the reaper drones. But before they could celebrate their victory, one oculus turned around and fired, the shot managing to pierce the cyclonic barriers and strike the Normandy. The ship shuddered as they were hit, but Joker kept flying.

"EDI, damage report!" Marcus damanded.

"The shot connected with the CIC," EDI told him, "Silaris Armor has held, however."

"Good," he turned around to yell down the flight deck, "Miranda, you okay!?"

"Fine commander!" Miranda yelled back, "Good thing we had that armor, or I'd be dead right about now."

He nodded, turning back to the scene of the battle. They had to lose these drones; they simply have the speed to keep the pursuit up, and not enough torpedoes to deal with them all. He cursed as another shit hit one of the Normandy's wings. He demanded another damage report, hearing it had hit just off of engineering, but Grunt, Tali and Legion were fine. He sighed in relief at hearing that.

"EDI, fire the GARDIAN lasers," Joker ordered.

"We would have to slow down for me to gain an accurate enough lock," EDI informed him.

Joker cursed loudly as he flew, "Fucking things are useless then! We need a plan and fast!"

EDI's voice was suddenly extremely urgent, "Incoming Drone. All hands, brace for-"

The entire ship rocked and listed severely, as if being rammed by a cruiser. Marcus was thrown backwards from the impact and to the floor and heard Miranda crying out as she fell into Kaidan and fell over. Thane grunted as he grabbed hold of a support strut and Marcus could hear a metal beam collapsing nearby. He looked up, and saw a metal beam hanging from the ceiling over the flight deck, only narrowly missing Thane.

He cursed, sparks flying from a terminal nearby, now completely offline. He looked to EDI, "What the fuck just happened! Sitrep, now!"

"We have been infiltrated and boarded," EDI informed him.

"By what?"

"An Oculus Drone," EDI told him, "It is currently in the shuttle bay."

**{Loading...}**

_October 9, 2185_

_0241 hours._

_Engineering, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Tartarus Debris Field, Galactic Core._

_Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Legion, Subject Zero Jack._

Tali held onto the forward console for dear life as the ship was hit again, EDI reporting a hit to one of the Normandy's wings. But after giving a nod in Legion's direction, she rushed from her console and headed towards the drive core, immediately beginning to access the systems on that and restabilize it. They had placed a force field around it so it was protected from any debris. She hoped it held. But with the punishment the Normandy was suffering out there, it didn't seem likely.

She stood there for another minute and everything seemed until the ship violently lurched and she was thrown forward into the console, crying out as she was winded from the impact. She pushed herself back up and turned to shout at Legion, "What just happened!?"

"Enemy infiltration of the ship detected in Shuttle Bay," Legion reported, "Oculus Drone has boarded. Recommend immediate engagement."

Tali nodded, unholstering her geth plasma shotgun, she ran past Legion, "Legion, get your sniper rifle and cover from the upper level!" She ordered and ran out of engineering, the geth quickly following behind her. Jack followed as well, looking forward to a fight, her own shotgun already in hand.

Tali ran out onto the corridor and yelled for Grunt and Zaeed. They quickly made their appearence, "You two are with me! We're going to take care of this drone and quickly!"

They nodded as they all headed into the elevator, heading for deck five. When they reached it, they moved outside, weapons raised and their eyes immediately dropped on the single reaper drone hovering in the shuttle bay.

It had already begun its path of destruction; an emergency forcefield had covered the massive hole in the hull left by the drone's entry and it had already destroyed one of the kodiak shuttles, quickly moving to destroy the other one. But Grunt didn't give it a chance, quickly firing its grenade launcher and taking it full in the back.

The shot barely scratched its barriers, but it grabbed the oculus' attention, causing it to spin around and face them, blood-red eye looking down on them with death in its intent. Seeing its laser light up, they split up and covered all areas of the bay, firing at it from all sides. The oculus fired and hit the bulkhead next to the elevator, obviously trying to hit Grunt. Meanwhile, Tali heard glass shatter from above and a sniper rifle shot impact the drone from above, causing it to focus its attention on Legion.

They couldn't take it down; its barriers and armor were just too thick and its main weapon would vaporize them on impact. Tali began to panic, not knowing what to do. Her eyes scanned the room however and quickly found their salvation; the YMIR mech and the hammerhead.  _I have an idea._

She commed her team, "Zaeed, cover me while I reactivate the last mech. Jack, Grunt, get to the hammerhead and power it up. When I've activated the mech, I want all of you to get in the hammerhead."

"Why? What are you planning?" Zaeed demanded.

"While its distracted by the mech, we'll take it from behind with the hammerhead. We can't possibly take it down with the weapons we've got now; but we can take it down with the hammerhead's main gun. Now, you damn merc, cover me!" Before he could argue, she rushed out, watching as Zaeed fired his rifle at the drone and gathered its attention.

While distracted, she sneaked past the drone and crept up on the inactive YMIR, quickly using her omni-tool and power it back up. A few taps later, the YMIR stood up and faced the drone, and by the time it opened fire with its dual HMGs and rockets, Tali was long gone, running full pelt for the hammerhead tank occupying the other end of the bay.

The plan worked; the oculus focused solely on the mech and charged up its main gun. When she reached the tank, she found it powered up and already active. She leapt in through the hatch, quickly joined by Zaeed and she crept up into the main gun, wanting the honor of destroying the oculus herself.

Just as Zaeed drove the hammerhead to the elevator side of the bay, knocking over a ventilation fan as he did, the oculus drone fired, its laser tearing through the YMIR like a bullet to paper and destroying it instantly. She hoped their tank lasted longer as she gulped and raised the cannon, aiming at the drone.  _Ancestors, let my shot be true and swift. Keelah, please let it be..._

She fired.

The first shot struck the oculus full in the barriers and it snapped around faster than was thought possible. Legion gathered its attention long enough with a second shot of its rifle for Tali to fire another shot and take down the drone's barriers completely. This time, she aimed for the eye.

Its pulsing red eye however, was already on their tank and it fired before they could do anything. Zaeed managed to strafe, saving them from a heated death, but the shot still impacted their side, tearing off the right side of the hammerhead's hull in a single shot. But Tali wasn't done, and as the hammerhead's right side thruster began to die, she fired a shot right through the oculus' eye socket.

The shot connected and destroyed the oculus, the round ripping through the soft glass around its eye and detonating inside, tearing the drone apart. It a fiery red explosion, they all watched as it exploded, the drone's debris flying all over the place. Tali sighed and leaned back in the seat and readily accepted Jack's excited brofist. Or in their case, sisfist. She laughed lamely, just watching the oculus' smoking remains lying on the shuttle bay.

When quiet had settled and the hammerhead's right thruster finally failed, causing them to crash sideways, Zaeed finally spoke, breaking the awkward silene, "So...this tank is fucked, isn't it?"

Tali nodded and opened the hatch, looking up to see Legion, sniper rifle still in hand. With a thumbs up to the geth, she pulled herself up and out of the burned wreckage. As she locked up, she saw Legion still standing there and sighed, "Legion, a thumbs up means the situation is under control. Get back in engineering and give them a status report."

"Acknowledged, Creator-Zorah."

Watching the geth disappear, she slipped out of the tank and face...well, maskpalmed.

_Keelah, I ruined the tank. Does that mean that after this..._

_...we have to get a Mako?_

She prayed to the ancestors they didn't.

**{Loading...}**

_October 9, 2185_

_0252 hours._

_Cockpit, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Tartarus Debris Field, Galactic Core._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

"Commander," EDI spoke up, interrupting Marcus' observation of Joker's continuing struggle with the Oculus drones. Miranda had since joined them, leaving Kaidan and Thane to manage CIC operations and Mordin to help them. She sat in the chair next to Joker, handling damage reports, "We have a response from engineering. Its Legion."

"What does it say? Is the intruding Oculus dealt with?" He had wanted to take a team down there to deal with it himself, but EDI had informed him that Tali had taken Legion, Grunt, Zaeed and Jack to deal with it. He worried, but knew she'd be fine. She was a marine, she could handle herself.

"The intruder has been neatralized," the AI told him, "But not without significant damage to the shuttle bay being inflicted. Apart from a sizable breach in the hull, the Oculus managed to destroy one kodiak shuttle, the last YMIR mech and severely crippled the hammerhead tank, but not before Miss Zorah used the tank's main gun to destroy the Oculus."

_Fuck. Our last heavy mech, one of our transports and now our fucking tank is useless. We'll have to go in on foot, but that's a heavy blow and we haven't even touched the ground yet. How the hell do I touch down on the Collector Base without armoured support? All we've got is one, unarmed shuttle. Great help that was. Could be worse though; that drone could have done alot worse if Tali hadn't intervened._

"I can't keep doing this commander," Joker told him, taking the Normandy  _straight_ into the debris field, "We have to try and lose them in the debris field. It'll be too narrow for them to fly."

"Even worse for us Joker. We're a stealth frigate, not an interceptor," he told the pilot, "We won't make it."

"Have some confidence commander. Best damn pilot in the Alliance Navy, remember?" Joker told him, grinning. Marcus did remember and he smiled, patting the man on the shoulder and standing back.

"Then do it. These guys are really starting to piss me off."

Joker nodded and piloted the Normandy through and into the field, the oculi doing their best to continue the pursuit, not even giving up. Marcus hoped this plan worked; if it didn't, the oculi managed to keep following them, it will have been for nothing.

He held onto the chair for dear life as he watched the Normandy duck and fly over debris, pieces of metal scraping against the hull from near misses, the frigate commencing spins and strafes, whilst flying through a seemingly neverending mass of vessel corpses. He caught a glimpse of the rear frigate cameras and watched as a oculus tried to dive under a ship and smashed into it, exploding, the explosion sending another spiralling out of control and into another drone, destroying three drones in one go. It was working.

One oculus tried to hit the Normandy, but is beam instead hit the wreckage of a old battleship, which surprisingly held the symbol of the old krogan imperial navy, and watched it carve a section of hull off the dead wreck that tore a ragged, long scar in the Normandy's side before smashing into three oculi and destroying them on impact. A console to his left exploded and the lights on the flight deck began to flicker.

"Commander," EDI's voice rose up over the chaos of the pursuit, "The oculus squadrons are breaking off. We are clear. A few stragglers are still attempting pursuit, but will not survive the debris field."

"Anymore waiting for us on the otherside?"

"Unknown."

 _We've lost them for now; it'll have to be enough._ "Get us out of here Joker!"

"No going back now! We have to brave it! Hold on everyone; this is going to get close!" Marcus saw what he meant; the debris ahead was more closely pacted, and it would take aviation genius to clear it. Luckily, they had Jeff 'Joker' Moreau as their pilot.

Joker flew over the krogan battleship and dove under a passing hanar yacht, diving under two asari luxury liners before narrowly missing the tail of an old salarian scout ship. Just as they seemed clear, the Normandy initiated a belly dive, heading straight into hell itself. Joker yelled loudly as they dove and just as they cleared it, the Normandy decellerated and thudded against the hull of an unknown alien vessel, a piece of the wreckage becoming stuck inside the Normandy's underbelly. After acellerating away from the debris field however, the chunk was ripped out, but still left a gaping hole in the Normandy's belly.

"Send a full damage report to Garrus and Miranda EDI," Marcus ordered, "But tell me; what did that piece of debris hit? Who did it affect?"

"Engineering was affected the most," EDI stated, "But the drive core's force field held and the only casualities were Jack; she has suffered a cut to the side of her cheek, but nothing lethal."

He sighed in relief, none of their crew having died yet.  _Could have been alot worse._ He looked back out the cockpit windows to see nothing but the space of the galactic core; they had completely cleared the debris field. No ship had forgotten this far without being destroyed the black hole, which meant they were in the green. He sighed happily, exhaling.

"We made it this far," Miranda stated confidently, giving them all a look, "Lets not stop now. Lets hit the collector base."

"EDI, run a scan. I don't want hose oculi catching us by surprise again," Marcus barked, waiting for EDI's response. The AI ran her scan and they waited for the scans to come back as complete. Finally, EDI spoke again, "There are no more contacts. It is more likely that the Oculi we encountered were merely advanced guards; the first line of defense. They will not be the last."

"Noone said this would be easy," Joker commented.

Marcus looked up, eying the collector base. It must have known they were here by now; Harbinger had to know they were coming. So where were the rest of the defenses? Would Harbinger come out to meet them itself? Was the collector cruiser lurking nearby? Or maybe both cruisers? There wasn't something right. The Normandy just approached the base without a single bit of resistance; noone rushing to meet them. No oculi, no Harbinger, no hidden Collector fleet. Nothing. Not a peep.

"Miranda, just how much punishment did we soak up with that last engagement?" The spectre asked.

"Damage?" She looked at her screen, scanning through it, "The Silaris Armor definitely held up; none of the oculi shots got through. The only thing it couldn't protect us against was that one oculi incident in the shuttle bay, but we couldn't have predicted being attacked by Reaper drones anyway. As for the cyclonic barriers; they were extremely effective. The drones got through once or twice, but apart from that...our kinetic barriers are holding at thirty percent. Overall, the damage could have been lost."

"Good thing we had silaris armor and cyclonic barriers isn't?" Joker asked rhetorically, not turning from his view of the collector base, eying it with loathing. Marcus couldn't blame him; the things they had done...and why the hell weren't they doing anything? Was this another trap of theirs? The collectors seemed to be great at traps.

Well, he'd spring it. They had no choice. They didn't have time to play games with their enemy, "EDI, find us a place to land. Have the team meet me in the-"

"That is not recommended," Miranda told them right off the bat.

"The collectors have renewed their efforts to repel our assault with greater magnitude," EDI informed them, "They have dispatched a cruiser to deal with us. It is the same one that destroyed the SR-1, attacked Horizon and attempted to set up a trap for you."

"Time to get revenge on these fuckers," Marcus declared, "EDI, based off of their ship's battle speed in the past, how long until they reach us?"

"Five minutes at full speed. That is the same speed as the Normandy. But they are not coming to us," EDI informed him, "They have detached from the base and have entered a defensive posture outside. They plan to hold their location against attack."

Marcus felt a grin crease on his features and Joker and his looks met.  _He knows what I'm thinking. Garrus, your calibrations are about to pay off. Lets pop these pieces of shit right here, right now. I hope that ship is full of the collector bastards,_ "We've given the armor and the shields trials, but what about our new main gun? Is it really what they say it is, Joker?"

The pilot looked at him, a grin beginning to form.

"Show them our new teeth," Marcus ordered, comming for Garrus to come to the cockpit. EDI complied and began deployment of the thanix cannon. The AI told him that it required no charge up; once deployed, it could fire on demand. A minute later, Garrus joined him on the cockpit, smiling all the way.

"We finally going to test out our guns?"

"Damn right we are."

"Right down their throats, I hope."

"No there's no other option I'd accept better."

Both of them watched as the minutes dragged on, the Normandy speeding to meet the enemy cruiser, that was truly the size of a dreadnought and a kilometer bigger than Sovereign. The large pillar of organic mass and insectoid design was memorable from anywhere as it stood vigil over its home; if it hadn't been for being twisted hybrid bugs, he might have thought it commendable. The thanix was deployed and ready to fire. All he had to do was give the word.

As they approached, noticed a build up of yellow energy at the bow of the collector vessel; its particle cannon promising to destroy the Normandy just as it did its predecessor. But not this time; they would avenge the SR-1, and Pressly, and Johnson, and all those who died on the great vessel that destroyed Sovereign. It ended here; today. Two years of being haunted, but no longer. It ended today.

"Commander. Do we fire or not? That son of a bitch is powering up weapons!" Joker asked with worry.

"Let them fire their first shot," Marcus told him, "Let them fire their  _last_ shot before we shove our own down their throats."

Joker nodded hesitantly. When the time came and the bright orange tendril of light shot out from the cruiser's bow, the Normandy easily evaded it, the beam of particle energy seeming to follow them but coming short as the Normandy went out of range. The ship tried to turn around to get a better view, but it was already in the Normandy's range, and it had sealed its fate. As had its crew.

"We're in range Shepard," Joker said, turning around, "Awaiting your orders."

He allowed himself one more sadistic smile as he imagined Harbinger's rage.  _Eat this, you pieces of shit. And fuck your prophecy, Harbinger. I've got my own. Here it is._

"Fire!"

Joker turned around and hit the one button, locking on and firing. Marcus, Garrus, Miranda and Joker all watched in awe as a pure azure blue jet of light thundered out of the Normandy's twin cannons, charging towards the enemy cruiser with murderous intent and mighty fury. He imagined the crew just watching as they desperately tried to avoid the heated projectile; watching as death itself arched towards them, promising to  _wipe them all out._

The blast of light hit the cruiser, and for a second, it seemed like the barriers held against the fury of god. But they splintered, blistered and broke apart, shattering like a rock to thin glass. It slammed into the vessel's hull, vaporizing the organic matter encasing its outer form and burning through its decks, one by one, corridor by corridor, room by room, pod by pod. It ate through the ship like it was a mouse eating cheese, not stopping. It didn't even stop when it reached the other side; it just blasted out and into the empty abyss of space, ending a few kilometers away. And when the trail line that was the thanix cannon's retribution, its gillotine, evaporated, it left destruction its wake.

The cruiser was completely crippled; a massive hole so big, the Normandy could fly through it, was bore into its side, allowing a clear view of space on the other side. Inside its interior, fires burned and were winked out just as fast by the vacuum of space. Vapor particles littered the space where the thanix blast had struck the cruiser and eaten through it. Marcus knew its destructive potential; but it was different seeing it first hand. The collector ship never stood a chance. He even watched as tiny specks floated through space, dying; collector drones, captains, husks, scions, possibly even praetorians, all helpless.

The Normandy flew past the wreck, the ship not even able to power up weapons or use its engines. But it was still alive, a bare wink of life in it, and the deed was not yet done. The cruiser had continued its attack even when the SR-1 was helpless; he remembered that well. So he decided to swoop back in and finish it.

"Fire again and finish it," Marcus ordered, "This time, send the blast right down its bow; I want it completely gone."

Joker nodded without questioning his orders, spinning the Normandy back around for a second strike on the ship. Even as they turned, he saw some power being restored to the cruiser, even seeing a small, orange light flickering in its particle cannon, the ship trying its best to defend itself. But it was hopeless. Marcus was the judge, jury and executioner. And he had passed the sentence.

The Normandy flew down and shot towards the nose of the ship; heading it head on. The thanix cannon prepared to fire once more, just waiting for Marcus' orders. And when he gave them, fire once more rained down on those deemed worthy of retribution and punishment. Marcus would give no leniency here.

The thanix cannon thundered one more time as the Normandy flew away and followed its path of destruction. It cut through the front like a cake and quickly finished of the inside, once again, not stopping until it had blown out the other side and tore the engines completely in half. What Marcus didn't see coming was the detonation.

Explosions rocked the cruiser's frame and before the Normandy could pull up, the collector vessel exploded, debris shooting out in all directions and the shockwave sending the stealth frigate spinning. Joker cried out as he tried to gain control again and Garrus was thrown into one of the blown up terminals, Marcus crashing into a bulkhead. Miranda held onto her seat and Marcus watched as the ceiling of the CIC seemed to collapse on one side; an entire bulkhead seeming to bend inwards.

The cruiser was completely destroyed, but now the crew of the Normandy faced an entirely new calamity; the stealth frigate was spinning out of control from the explosion and was heading straight for the collector base.

"EDI!" Marcus barked, "Regain control of the ship!"

"The shockwave has crippled main thrusters," EDI told him, "All I can do is slow our descent, and even then the crash will not be gentle. All hands, Brace for impact."

Marcus nodded and held onto the wall with a death grip, Garrus taking seat beside the console he fell into. They all waited as the Normandy continued to fall towards the base, Joker unable to stop it. And when the final impact came...well, no preparation prepared them for its sheer furiosity.

Marcus was thrown backward as the slammed onto the space station's hull, skidding along and hearing a groan as the ship's hull creaked from the crash. The flight deck's lighting failed and an entire section of steel beams crashed down onto the CIC deck, narrowly missing Thane, who nimbly dodged out of the way. Garrus thrown from his seat, and Miranda slammed head first into her console, knocking her out cold. That would give her a black eye.

Suddenly, the ship ceased all moment and it was all over; they were at the collector base. But Marcus didn't know if the Normandy would be leaving again; she had taken severe punishment and the crash would have been the final blow. As he stood up, EDI appeared next to him.

"Do you wish to have a damage assessment?" EDI inquired.

"No EDI," Marcus told her, rubbing the back of his sore neck as he stood up and threw his helmet to the ground, "I want to know if this damn fine ship will be flight worthy again after a crash like this."

"Damage is not as bad as it first looks," the AI told him, "The crash was hard, but in truth, only some of the belly's armor was ripped off and some of the engines have gone offline, which can easily be fixed. Overall, the Normandy can be flight worthy after a few repairs. I did manage to retract the thanix cannon before impact, so the weapon is completely stable."

He nodded, clearing his sore throat, "What about the station? Do the collectors know we're here?"

Legion replied over the comm, "Negative, Shepard-Commander. According to the collectors, the Normandy was destroyed in the shockwave following the destruction of one of their cruisers."

"How do you know this, Legion?" Garrus inquired.

"We don't, we simply guessed based on given information," Legion told them, "The collector station has no external sensors; they did not precedent anyone getting close enough to envoke such losses. Tartarus Debris Field and four superdreadnought-sized vessels made sure of this. They will assume Normandy vessel destroyed in crash or shockwave."

"Great," Garrus exclaimed, looking over at Miranda who was beginning to stir, before turning to Marcus, "So now what?"

"We continue the mission," Marcus declared, turning to EDI's hologram, "Have the crew meet in the conference room immediately. We're going to discuss our next plan of attack. We got here; all we need to now is find out why they're abducting our people, get them out of there along with our crew, rig the base to go boom-boom, and then high tail it out of here. Sounds simple, but nothing is."

"So, just like old times?" Garrus asked, smirking as he helped Miranda, a black deformation forming around her right eye.

Marcus smiled, "Yeah. Just like old times," and with that he headed off down the darkened flight deck, nodding to a stunned Kaidan, a bewildered Mordin and a shocked Thane. He motioned for the three of them to follow him to the conference room.

_We've gotten this far; now just to seal the deal._

**"The main assault. This mission was crazy from the start."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"Of course it was; we didn't even know if any of us would get out alive. But we did, and the collectors didn't. Time to finish this tale."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"The charge of the Light Brigade. That's what you called it."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"And definitely not the last."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

_**A/N:** _

_**Two parts it is; and this seemed like the perfect cut-off point, so I left it there. I wouldn't be expecting part two until Monday or Tuesday, as I won't be available on the weekend as I have to work (getting more shifts due to the build-up to Christmas) but don't worry, Prophecy will be completely done by next week.** _

_**What did you think of my description of the Battle of the Tartarus Debris Field? Was it intense? Tell me your thoughts in the review section. Don't be shy! Was it bad, good? Was it terrible or brilliant? Come on, tell me so I know! The reviews for Vanguard of our Destruction was fantastic and all positive, and I want my climax chapters to be fucking awesome; so help me out here. Give me suggestions. None of you will be scolded; bad ideas or good.** _


	53. Into the Hornet's Nest, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard's team makes one final push through the Base.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FORTY-NINE:**

**INTO THE HORNET'S NEST PART TWO**

_October 9, 2185_

_0327 hours._

_Debriefing Room, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Crashed on Collector Base Exterior Hull, Galactic Core._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Professor Mordin Solus, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Justicar Samara, Assassin Thane Krios, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Soldier Urdnot Grunt, Legion, Subject Zero Jack, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

The spectre stood, in his full armor, weapons and everything, and looked across from the foot of the table to look upon the assembled squad. All of them were here; all armoured up, armed and ready to join battle with the enemy. The Normandy may have crashed and they were definitely isolated, but the team still had faith and their morale was as strong as ever.

He looked upon all of them; appraised every single one of them. He was proud of the team he had built; the one he had formed on the old Normandy had been impressive in its own right, and now he had taken it and turned it into something even greater; even stronger. They all worked together, liking it or not, and they did it well. The Illusive Man had given him the men; but he had created the team.

He looked at Tali, who stood on his left, arms behind her back and clasped. She stood with a straightened posture, appraising the team. He smiled and remembered just how much she had changed; two years ago, when they first met, Tali had been betrayed by Fist and was about to be murdered. But then Marcus and his team arrived and saved her. She had joined his team; a bubbly quarian with a lot of spunk, spirit on the battlefield, enthusiasm about her culture, adeptness with engineering and a nervousness that was adorable. She had been shy but independent and, whether for better or worse, Marcus had helped shaped her into something far more dangerous.

Now he looked at the new Tali; and she was definitely a different woman. The suit changed, the voice matured, and her skills enhanced. Now she was a Brigadier General with leadership skills undoubtedly impressive and a resolve like steel. She was unstoppable when she needed to be; but deep down inside, she was still the engineer he befriended and eventually loved. Still his cute little quarian engineer.

Then he looked at Garrus on his right, polishing his reaper sniper rifle. The turian C-Sec officer who, two years ago, had hated the law and worked hard to bring Saren down, before joining Marcus' team. Garrus and Wrex used to hate each other, and the turian had even hinted at disliking Tali, but now look at them; brother, sister and battle-comrades. War changed people in more ways than one.

His eyes travelled to Kaidan, who stood beside Garrus, in much the same position as Garrus. Noticing Marcus' look, he smiled. Kaidan had been there from the very beginning; and had joined him when it mattered, just like Tali and Garrus. He trusted him with his life and now they fought side by side once more, after two years. He could depend on the alliance marine to get him through the fire.

Then he looked at the crew he hadn't known until the Illusive Man had asked him to recruit them. He looked at Kasumi, his cheery and exuberant thief, who held a deep emotional anger inside her but had eventually released it. Jacob Taylor, who had once been the face of the enemy he despised more than anything, but now became one of the most dependable soldiers he had on the ship. He didn't trust him with his life, but he trusted him. Kal'Reegar, who before Tali introduced him, he had no idea who he was. A dependable quarian marine with a reputation to match, and a purpose to fight for.

And Mordin, the snappy, non-stop socially adept salarian scientist who never flinched at a new challenge, but merely saw it as an obstacle to leap over.

Samara, the stone-cold, seemingly emotionless sword of justice, with a hidden goal to destroy her own seed, and deep-down believed her cause was just. An asari justicar who was unbreakable till her last breath. Thane Krios, the drell assassin who, when recruited, had been on his last contract, but now not only reconciled with his son, but had set out to stop the greatest threat the galaxy has ever known. Zaeed Massani, a ruthless, tired old bounty hunter, the most feared in the galaxy, thirsty for revenge, and once fullfilled, was a reaper on the battlefield and on the poker table.

Urdnot Grunt, a baby compared to Wrex, but a krogan supersoldier who's efficiency on the battlefield could never be doubted, as was his thirst for worthy foes. Jack, once seen as a psychopathic biotic murderer who only killed because she enjoyed it, but was later revealed to be the victim of psychological torture at the hands of Cerberus. Miranda, who was Cerberus' lackey not too long ago, and a ice-queen xenophobic bitch, but now turned into a friendly, easy-to-talk-to person.

And finally Legion; the enemy that wasn't. Once his foe, but now a powerful ally that joined forces with him to combat a common foe. The oddest of teams; the oddest of comrades, but they were the strongest. The most elite. And they would be the ones to secure victory over their foes. They would be remembered as the criminals and soldiers that destroyed an enemy noone else dared face. They stared death in the face; and literally told him 'bring it.'

Finally, when the noise lowered and everyone turned to face him, he spoke, feeling the dryness of his mouth.  _What do I tell them? That this could be their final fight? That they might never make it out of this alive? Or should I tell them that we will survive; and we will be remembered as the unrecognized heroes of the galaxy?_

"This isn't how we planned this mission," he began, "But this is where we're at. We can't worry about whether or not the Normandy can get us home; we came here to stop the Collectors, and that means coming up with a plan to destroy this station," he turned to the center of the table, where EDI's hologram was present, "EDI, bring up your scan of the station."

EDI acknowledged by disappearing and being replaced by a orange hologram of the collector base. He noticed a diagram of a collector cruiser right next to it; it looked the size of an ant compared to the sheer size of the space station. An accurate calculation of the station's total size lay right next to the station's diagram. And he had been wrong; the station wasn't the size of the Citadel. The space station that was the heart of galactic governance was 44.7 kilometers in length and 12.8 in diameter.

The Collector Base was 93.8 kilometers in length, and half of that in diameter. It wasn't the size of the Citadel;  _it dwarfed the Citadel._

EDI began her analyization, a blue hologram of the Normandy, which had to be a barely noticable pinprick, appearing near the bottom of the massive structure, "We have currently crashed, to our luck, ontop of an opening in the station's hull, allowing for easy access. To destroy the collector space station, you will need to overload its primary fusion reactor. However, this cannot be accessed due to it being sealed off; even the collectors themselves cannot access it. They need not feed power to it, as its power is being usurped from the black hole."

"To overload the reactor, you will need to destroy the control module from the main control station," a faint, blue dot beeped and began to pulse near the top left side of the station, pinpointing where the control station was located. According to the map, that was a 24 kilometer journey from their current location. No easy feat, but they could do it.

Legion added its own insight, "We have been given a diagram of the collector fortress as well, and this course of action, as the geth had determined, would require passage through the station's core section. This is what organics would term the 'heart' of the structure. We deem this risky as the largest concentration of collector forces is in this area."

Another blue diagram appeared on the hologram, showing them what the geth meant. Everyone examined it in silence, noone speaking. Eventually, after a few minutes, Jacob spoke up, "But that means going through that massive energy signature in the center."

"That is the central chamber of the station," EDI explained, "Like the heart of the collector cruiser you explored, the central chamber is where they store all the abducted colonists and their pods. We are currently 3 kilometers away from its entrance."

"Once there, it would seem we have two main routes," Kaidan joined in, "We can split up to divide the enemy's focus, cover the last 15 kilometers of the central chamber, then regroup at the top."

"This would work perfectly, considering the last known report of collector transfers in this area hint that that the Horizon colonists and Normandy crew are being held in this area of the chamber," EDI supported.

"Good plan. Fatal flaw," Mordin added, "Two routes risky. Regroup point blocked by sealed door. One route works, other blocked. Certain death for second team. Pointless deaths. Only way to unlock door is from otherside. Second team cannot do this. Requires time to reach doors and unlock them. Team on other side butchered in amount of time taken," Mordin inhaled breath and exhaled, "Too risky."

Marcus examined the hologram for a moment, before pointing at a certain point, EDI zooming in on it for him, "There. There's a ventilation shaft that leads down one of the routes and behind the door. Not enough room for the full team, but if we could send one person down there to open the door from the other side...I don't think the second team would be required to arrive in time to help."

"A sound strategy. And practically a suicide mission. What else is new?" Jacob mused before stroking his non-existent beard. Then he spoke again, "I volunteer."

"The thought is appreciated Jacob," Miranda got in first, black eye encroaching her features, "But such a task requires someone with the skills to do it fast enough. We need an engineer."

"So that would leave Miss Goto, Legion and Miss Zorah," Thane informed him.

Tali suddenly turned to him, Kasumi's attention was peaked and Legion's attention was drawn as well, ending its stone-stance of holding its widow rifle while looking blankly at a wall.

"I'll do it Shep," Kasumi piped up, "I'm fast and I've stolen things tons of times. Opening a door can't be any different. I'll go through the shaft."

Legion wasn't so sure, "This is not a logical choice. It is determined that the heat in the shaft would be too great for a organic to deal with; but we have no such qualms. This platform would react more efficiently if the time called for it."

"My suit can moderate temperature," Tali told him, "I'll go. I can handle it."

Marcus sighed, not knowing what to do. He didn't want to send Tali in, fearing for her safety, but he knew he couldn't trust Legion too much yet. He weighed his options, trying to think them through. Eventually, he came to a perfectly logical decision that he was happy with, "Legion, you'll go through the shaft. I have absolute confidence in your abilities, Kasumi and Tali both, but Legion is right. A machine will always act with much faster reflexes; its the better decision," he turned to Tali, "Besides, I need you by my side, covering my ass."

Tali smiled behind her mask, coughing a few times before nodding, "I won't let you down."

He turned back to the hologram, "Now, squad leaders. I'll obviously lead the squad protecting the engineer in the shaft. My team will be Tali, Kal, Grunt, Thane, Jacob and Samara. The rest belong to second team. I need most of the heavies."

"I'll lead the second team," Miranda pitched in, coming to stand by his side, "We'll meet you on the other side of those doors."

Jack curled her lips in anger, standing straighter to glare at Miranda across the table, "Not so fast, cheerleader. Nobody wants to take orders from you, bitch."

"I'm with the psycho on this one," Zaeed snarled.

"This isn't a popularity contest!" Miranda returned, "We need someone who can lead."

"Yeah, but last I checked, you weren't the battlemaster," Grunt added, surprising everyone. The krogan had been startingly silent. The krogan turned to Marcus, "I'll take orders from the one my battlemaster deems worthy of leadership; and not otherwise."

All eyes turned back to Marcus, but with Kal and Tali out of the mix, Marcus knew just who he wanted to groom for leadership. The man who deserved it. He turned to only turian he trusted with his life, "Garrus, you'll lead second team. Make me proud."

Garrus turned to Marcus and for a second, there was silence. Then the turian cleared his throat and slowly nodded, "I...I won't let you down. I promise. Not this time."

He nodded, "You never did Garrus," he then turned back to the rest of his team and cleared his throat, leaning back, "This is it people; the big one. The ultimate battle. Everything we've been doing has been leading up to this moment; this single moment. We've fought, bled and almost died, but we pushed on through, and right now I need all of you to be at your first. Like it or not, you're all soldiers now. I don't care who you used to be, I don't care what you think you are now; right now, you are soldiers, and you will be ready to give your lives to give the Reapers a message to remember..."

" _ **Fuck with this galaxy if you wish, but don't expect an easy victory,**_ " he growled, "They destroyed the protheans and twisted them, but they won't do it to us. And remember the other reason we are here; to save our people, our crew. We are all different, but those humans in there are your people as well as mine. I don't need you to care; I need you to fight. I need you to fight like your life depends on it. Lets show these Reapers just what this cycle is made of."

The crew cheered. He smiled at the display and he continued, "We're going to start with destroying the Collectors. They still my people,  _you're_ people, right from under us, but will we sit silently? I think not. No, the air will be filled with the sound of our mouths roaring and our guns blazing. Before they die, they will hear the sounds of us charging over them, ripping them apart to free our people. They do not fear us, true, and they do not pity us. They will not surrender and they certainly won't accept ransom."

"But they soon will. When the day is done, and the debt is paid, they will know fear once more. They will pity their masters and their foolish ideals of conquering us. They will wish they surrendered and they will wish they knew the meaning of ransom. The Collectors will perish, we will live on, and the Reapers will fear us. I promise you.  _ **It begins today!**_ Don't this for glory or the promise of heroism," he turned to his crew, "Do it for the family you never knew. Do it for your sons or daughters. Do it for your loved ones. Do it for a sister or a brother. Or fight just because its what you do. But don't do it expecting to be remembered."

He slammed his fist onto the table and everyone cheered.

"Let's go kick some collector ass."

**{Loading...}**

_October 9, 2185_

_0349 hours._

_Station Corridor, Lower Station, Collector Base, Galactic Core._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Soldier Urdnot Grunt, Assassin Thane Krios, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Justicar Samara, Legion._

With a grunt, his feet met solid ground. He ducked into a roll and immediately came out of it, pulse rifle raised and braced against his shoulder. He turned to watch Tali slide down the enbankment to join him, followed by Kal doing the same, shotgun and rifle raising in unison. Grunt just landed on the ground, Thane executed a similiar roll to Marcus' and Jacob and Samara did what Grunt did. Legion followed by using a collapsed set of tubing, landing on the ground nimbly. With a nod to the geth, Legion acknowledged.

Marcus turned his gaze to see second team pouring out of the shuttle bay; Garrus leading Miranda, Mordin, Kaidan, Kasumi, Zaeed and Jack following behind him. The turian's gaze met his and they nodded to each other before turning to lead his team to join with Marcus'. They had used seperate exits due to the sheer size of the team.

Like planned, both teams would have to continue for three kilometers up into the base before they reached the central chamber. From there, they would then split up, Legion entering the shaft. They continued down one of the station's corridors, which looked identical to the ones on collector cruisers, before meeting up with Garrus' team, and together they trudged on.

They quickly came to enter a massive chamber where a huge docking tube was set up. And directly above, looming over them like some beast, was the body of the last collector cruiser in existence. Its systems were completely offline, crew most likely in hibernation. That was good; a thousand less collectors to worry about. So they trudged on through the massive chamber; the one that could hold entire cities, and tried to go by unnoticed.

No such luck.

They were instantly spotted by a patrolling drone. Garrus took its head off, but the gunshot alone was enough to alert the  _entire_ base. It came alive in that single moment; the rapid beating of wings as the collectors approached them. They took cover wherever they could and prepared to push through the collector defenses.

A squad of drones landed, lead by a captain. Marcus took to focusing on the captain, its deadly particle rifle posing the biggest threat, while the others took care of the drones. They ripped through them easily; squad of the mindless servants standing no chance against the full power of the galaxy's finest warriors. Samara threw them around like ragdolls; Jack blew them away like she was throwing a toy. Kal picked them off with deadly precision and Tali didn't even look like she was trying.

Within seconds, the entire enemy squad was destroyed and Marcus realized that the collectors had played them. The enemy squad hadn't been meant to stop them; it had been to probe their strength. Now Harbinger knew their exact strength, their numbers and their firepower.  _I should have known; a squad of collectors was obviously no match for us. Not even for me by myself._ The trap sprung, Marcus lead his squad on, carving through any and all collector troops that came across their path.

Resistance, as can be expected, got tougher as they journeyed. First it was just waves of drones and their captain overlords, but then Harbinger began possessing them, and then eventually husks, and finally scions and a praetorian. The full strength of the collector armies were being pressed upon them, and being bested. Harbinger knew their numbers, but that did nothing to help it defend its base of operations.

Half an hour passed, and they had finally crossed the final stretch to the central chamber with half a kilometer to go; a single ramp leading up and into the station's heights. He could also smell rotting flesh; a familiar smell from the collector ship when they had found a pile of rotting human corpses. It was familiar, and unwelcome. But they pushed on, those few who had helmets activating their olfactory filters to save them from the smell.

Half a klick later, they reached the central chamber's entrance. And as expected, two routes were presented to them; both in the form of two outreached corridors. With a nod to each other, the unstoppable squad seperated, going their seperate ways into the base. And 15 kilometers later, they would regroup at the edge of the chamber.

They moved down the corridor and quickly found the entrance to the shaft; a round circular, organic door, similiar in design to geth doors. The shaft was covered in thick, transparent glass that was covered in hexagonal shapes, giving it a further buggy appearence. It was also circular; a tube indeed. Legion approached the tube and it instantly turned green, omitting it passage.

"We will now continue through the shaft," the geth informed him, "This platform will not let Shepard-Commander or its team be eliminated by collector forces."

"Good luck Legion," Marcus returned, watching as the geth entered the tube and the door shut behind it. With a sigh, he motioned for his squad to head down the corridor, Tali taking place at his side. They both smiled at each other reassuringly before they continued further into the pits of hell. What a hell it was, too.

They didn't have to wait long for enemy resistance. Collector troops and their husks swarmed over him and his squad, unleashing an unrelenting flurry of firepower down upon them; above and below. But his team, even if split, did not lack in courage, spirit or determination. Kal and Tali complimented each other's strengths easily; Kal would fire at range while Tali would dispatch any husks that got too close with her plasma shotgun. Marcus would cover both of them and himself, while Samara, Thane, Grunt and Jacob caused havoc in their ranks so they didn't become pinned.

However, his squad wasn't invincible, and Harbinger was determined to make that clear. As Jacob moved to fire another shot from his shotgun at a passing drone, another drone shot him in the chest, causing him to cry out in pain and collapse onto one knee, cradling his side. Thane killed the drone firing at him and he quickly dealt with his previous target, before applying medi-gel to his chest. With a nod to Marcus, and but a slight, barely noticable limp, they pushed on, unwilling to let a few flesh wounds stop them.

Legion ran into trouble too. Harbinger knew their plan, obviously and was doing its best to bar Legion's path by closing off every single part of the shaft. But Legion was a geth; and an excellent engineer at that. It hacked through the terrible collector firewalls with casual ease, continuing on without so much as a flinch.

All this time however, as Marcus and his comrades battled the seemingly endless hordes of collectors, the spectre wondered just where the hell Harbinger was lurking. A Reaper of its size couldn't hide for long; and it hadn't rushed out to deal with the Normandy when it could; instead sending a collector vessel instead.  _Maybe it learnt from Sovereign's destruction and it doesn't dare fight us head on? What if the leader of the Reapers is biding its time? Waiting for us to come to it so it can indoctrinate us?_

Wherever Harbinger was hiding, they'd know soon enough.

Finally, after a while, they finally reached a large chamber; the right side of it looked like an empty abyss, while the area infront of them was full of interconnecting platforms. And at the end was a single large blast door; they had fought fifteen klicks to get here, and his entire team was close to the brink of exhaustion. They needed rest; that much was obvious. One final stretch, and they would be able to rest.

Collector drones, a scion, two captains and a few husks gathered at the door, ready to block their escape. Marcus' glance turned to Legion, who had just bypassed Harbinger's final attempt to block its progress, moving towards the exit at the door. Their lives were in the geth's hands now. He turned back around and fired a single long burst, giving his squad time to get into cover.

Once they had, he rolled himself behind a collector barricade, reaching into one of his pouches to pull out a fresh thermal clip. Enemy fire poured into their position, successfully pinning them while they reloaded. He turned to Tali and nodded for her to deploy Chiktika before turning to Samara and ordering her to set a biotic barrier around them.

As he gave these orders however, he heard a familiar, dreadful sound. A collector drone screamed and when he looked up, he saw it wreathed in powerfully bright orange energy, eyes glowing with malicious intent. Another one of Harbinger's possessed demons turned towards him, wreathing in orange biotic power as it lead its troops into a charge against Marcus' team.

It was now or never, he turned to Tali and nodded before turning to Samara, "Now!"

Samara raised a barrier above them all and they all charged at the collectors, meeting them mid charge, Samara's barrier protecting them from Harbinger's biotic assault. Marcus equipped his claymore and with Grunt at his side and roaring with mirth, they tore through the husks and drones, making short work of them. Their weapons may have been powerful, but claymores were better.

Chiktika distracted the scion and drew its attention long enough for Grunt to ram into it, smashing it into the ground and allowing the krogan to rip it apart, the supersoldier bathing in black gore. But Harbinger didn't even notice him; he was looking at Marcus.

 **"** _ **Your attacks are an insult,**_ **"** Harbinger declared darkly, capturing Grunt in a biotic stasis to stop him from attacking it,  **"** _ **I will destroy you, Shepard. I offered ascension, and you denied it. But we are Harbinger; the bringers of your destruction. You will all die or be harvested; that is the way of the cycle. Your species has proven impressive Shepard, and they will serve well as the new collectors in the cycles to come. The protheans served their purpose, but they have allowed you to succeed too much. I will crush you into the ground, Shepard and you will become the first of many humans to witness your ascension.**_ **"**

Marcus roared, flaring his own biotics as he charged. Harbinger faced him alone; no more collectors being summoned to stop their advance. But Marcus didn't care; all his rage was focused on Harbinger, and nothing else. The possessed drone unleashed a biotic shockwave on the charging freight train that was the infuriated spectre, but Marcus leapt over it as easily as if he were killing a drone. Marcus clenched a biotic fist and launched it into Harbinger's face, hearing the familiar sounds of bones cracking.

The drone, stunned, flinched backwards, allowing the spectre to plunge his foot into the collector's knee, breaking it before ramming his omni-blade into the drone's throat and ripping it wide open. Harbinger just disintegrated, its last words echoing throughout the station and in Marcus' mind,  **"** _ **You will never be safe Shepard. When you think you have won, I will take from you what you hold most dear.**_ **"**

Marcus shivered at the words but didn't give them much thought before leading his exhausted squad, and a recently released Grunt, over to the door, which still hadn't opened.  _Has Legion abandoned us?_ He bashed against the grey blast door, shouting into his comm, "Garrus, where's your team!?"

"On the other side of the door. Legion's trying to open it right now! Come on Legion; hurry up!"

"Battlemaster!" Grunt called out, pointing behind them, "More enemies incoming."

He turned and saw the krogan waqs indeed correct; multiple collectors rained down on them, and they jusk kept on coming. And his team wouldn't be able to hold them back in the state they were in. He looked back to the door, "Hurry up! We've got hostiles! Too many for us to hold against!"

The first drone landed infront of them, but Jacob sweeped it out from under its legs and plunged his omni-blade into its face. Another captain appeared, but Kal kicked it away, throwing a grenade down after it, the explosive ripping it apart. Before any more appeared, the door half-opened, revealing Legion crouched before it. Marcus nodded to Garrus and his team, before turning to his own, "Everybody in! Go, go, go, go!"

Grunt rushed in first, followed by Tali, then Samara, Kal, Jacob, Thane and then Marcus. Legion immediately began working on locking the door again, but it wouldn't budge.

"Legion, close the damn door!" Weapons fire poured through and the collectors advanced on them, but with Garrus' help, Marcus and Kal held them at bay.

"Shepard-Commander, we will need covering fire to complete this operation," Legion announced, not turning from its work on the door.

Marcus nodded, turning to the entirety of his team, "You heard it! Give it the covering fire it needs!"

The gunfire through the door intensified, and it wasn't from the collectors. Drone after drone fell, along with every husk or abomination that tried to claw its way through, as every member of the team united their firepower to hold the collectors back. Eventually, Legion gave up and grabbed hold of one side of the door, "Shepard-Commander, we assistance closing this door."

Marcus nodded and dropped his weapon, grabbing hold of the other side and pushing. He utilized all the strength his cybernetics could grant him, helping Legion as best he could. Just as the door was giving way, however, a lucky shot hit Legion in the chest, ripping through its chest and causing it to fall onto the ground just as the blast doors sealed, "Legion!"

But Legion had barely noticed the shot; standing up almost immediately and beginning to weld the door shut, "The shot did not hit; it missed," Legion declared, pointing at the massive hole that had already been present since they met the geth. He nodded, realizing the shot must have passed through the wound.  _Lucky miss, I guess._ He left the geth to its work, watching his team fall to the ground, exhausted. Garrus approached him, smiling.

"We've sealed our door too. And EDI assures us that there is no way the collectors can get in here; she made sure of it. We're safe for now, but I recommend we all take half an hour for a rebreather and to get any wounds cleaned up. Kasumi took a hit to the arm and Jack strained her biotics too much."

"We're in the central chamber, are we not?" Marcus asked.

Garrus nodded, "That we are."

"Then our crew and the colonists are in here," Marcus told him, heading into the chamber, squad reluctantly following, "We don't rest until they're safe and sound."

**{Loading...}**

_October 9, 2185_

_0521 hours._

_Holding Pens, Central Chamber, Collector Base, Galactic Core._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Professor Mordin Solus, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Justicar Samara, Assassin Thane Krios, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Soldier Urdnot Grunt, Legion, Subject Zero Jack, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

It was deathly silent; not a single sound but their footsteps on the solid organic floor that served as the ground for the titanic space station. They woud be safe for now, EDI ensured that, but they couldn't stay here forever, and Harbinger owned this station; it would waste no time trying to get through. His team just observed the monolithic chamber; it looked just like the one on the cruiser, but this one was definitely much larger and was kilometers in size and length.

He looked to his left, where he immediately noticed a huge line of pods. And every single one of them was close to empty. His team spread out and began to search every single pod individually, knowing full well that EDI had told them true; their crew and the colonists were around here somewhere; they just had to find them. Marcus searched the pods himself; not liking the interior of them.  _Imagine being stuck in those things. It must be fucking terrifying._

He noticed the pods had gas perputually flowing through them; no doubt to make sure the victims were kept unconscious. He continued to search through the pods, as did his team, but they all came up with nothing. But that was until they all heard Zaeed shout from the other end of the platform.

"Found 'em!"

Everyone rushed over to where the mercenary was and found a whole line of filled pods; all occupied by the Normandy crew or the Horizon colonists, just as EDI had promised. He could see Chakwas from where he was, on ground level, along with Kelly, Gabby, Ken, Gardner and even Lia, who was clearly awake and banging on the window of her pod. He saw Mordin approach and nod to the quarian, Lia quickly going silent as Mordin went to work trying to open the pod and, to Marcus' amusement, Garrus rushed to help.

Kaidan even appeared to recognize one of the colonists; she was a black haired woman with pale skin and dark eyes, along with thin eyebrows. He banged on the pod, "Lilith! Lilith its me, Kaidan!" The woman slowly woke up and upon seeing Kaidan's face she smiled and began banging on the pod for them to let her out. But from the looks of it, she was only one of few colonists to still be alive.  _What happened to the others? What did the Collectors do with the other colonists? Where's the Freedom's Progress colonists? Ferris Fields? Where are all of them? Where do they take them?_

Then the gas stopped. It stopped flowing through the pods. Something wasn't right; just what was up? He looked at the pods more closely and noticed another feature; tubes, long and thin, running from the pods and into the wall, travelling higher up and into the base. He looked at Legion, "Legion, where do those tubes lead?"

The geth looked up before looking back at him, "Scan complete. The tubes lead to the main control station of the collector fortress."

_The control station? Just what are those tubes for?_

As he examined the tubes however, he heard Kaidan's actions become more frantic and he began yelling and he heard Kasumi shriek. He looked back down at horror filled his eyes as he witnessed something truly vomit-inducing.

Heat filled up the pod and he stood still, frozen as Lilith's clothes began to just fall off. Her entire body reddened and blisters formed quicker than what was normal before they popped and thick, red blood gushed from them. Lilith began to scream as her desperate bashing became more intense, blisters forming on her face and ruining her beautiful features, blood soaking her face. Even her hair became sticky with it and before long her hair fell off in strands as well. And as he looked up, the colonists were suffering the same fate. Kaidan yelled and pulled, but Thane pulled him away, telling him it was too late. It was then that Marcus realized something.

The Normandy crew would be next.

It was too late for the Horizon colonists, but they could still save the crew, "The crew! Save the crew! Get them out! Now! Everyone!  _ **Get them the fuck out of those pods!"**_

His squad scrambled, all looking for the nearest pod and began to try yanking them open. Some even resorted to omni-blades or hacking or gunshots; anything to get them open and stop their crewmates from suffering the same horrific fate. Marcus turned away from the awful image of human beings melting alive into a thick, red goo, their blood and life energy being turned into a red liquid. And as he looked up at the tube, he realized just what the collectors were doing.  _Harbinger has the collectors abduct colonies so that they can render the colonists down into a red goo and transport it to the control station. But why? What's the point? There must be a point. The Reapers have always been practical beings._

Mordin and Garrus got Lia's pod open first; and the quarian collapsed into Garrus' arms, gasping for breath. Marcus immediately ran over and helped to get Doctor Chakwas' pod open, the woman's calm features eerily disturbing. Not too far away, he watched as Tali yelled and blasted the pod holding Gabby open, grabbing the engineer and pulling her away from the pod.

Grunt smashed Ken's open and Jack and Samara combined biotics to rip Gardner out of his. Finally, it was just Marcus. Utilizing all his cybernetic strength like before, and some of his biotics to augment it, he pulled the pod open, Chakwas falling into his arms just as she began to wake up, eyes droopy and full of exhaustion.

As he lay Chakwas on the ground, he heard a horrible sucking sound and his squad looked up. The pods that had once held Lilith Abraham and her colonists were now full of red goo and were being sucked up the tubes to the control station, where they would serve some vile, horrific collector purpose.  _What they're doing here is repulsive. This just gives us more of a reason to burn this place to ashes._

"Doctor Chakwas?" he turned his attention back to the doctor, who was sitting back up and cradling her head, "Are you okay?"

"Shepard...," Kelly spoke, red rings under her eyes, but as she looked at Marcus, he could see her shaking and cradling herself, "You came for us. I thought we were going to die...to be melted like...like..." she began to sob, but Jacob came to her and offered her comfort in his strong arms.

"Of course you did. Noone gets left behind," Chakwas gave a meek laugh, "But why couldn't you have come sooner? I had to...we  _all_ had to watch as they melted innocent people into some sort of red goo. To be...to be sucked up through those tubes. God...it was disgusting...and horrifying...the things I saw..."

Marcus looked around and saw the traumatized looks of multiple crew members. Ken held Gabby as she shook, not sobbing but just shocked and terrified. Gardner leaned against one of the pods for support, giving Miranda a thankful glance. Kelly just kept sobbing, obviously the most effected of the group. He found it hard to believe that usually exuberant and always cheerful yeoman could look so distraught and terrified.  _Seeing the things she's seen, cooped up in that prison, I don't blame her...I don't blame any of them..._

He looked back at Chakwas, who was only just beginning to stand up, "We came as fast as we could. As soon as we heard, we instantly made best speed for the Omega 4 Relay. We avenged the SR-1 while we're at it; Adams will be happy. Crashed the SR-2 too, but EDI assures us it'll be fine when we get back."

"Thank you for coming for us commander," Lia thanked him, still leaning on Garrus for support, "Thank you so much." Noticing her position however, she quickly let go, straightening herself and putting as much distance between herself and the turian herself. He could imagine her bluish blush too.

"This...what the collectors did to those colonists...," Tali spoke, stepping forward, "Its sick! This is all sick and disgusting!" She then began a fit of coughing and when he placed a hand on her shoulder it was followed by a powerful sneeze. But when she looked up and sneezed, she nodded to him, placing her hand on his. He smiled and kissed her on the visor, before turning at Jack's voice.

"Gotta agree with the buckethead," Jack spoke, looking around at the base hauntingly, "That shit is fucked up. I've seen fucked up shit in my life, but this tops it."

Grunt looked completely indifferent, as did Legion; one was a krogan and the other was a machine, that was their excuse. But the rest of his team had obviously been moved by what they just witnessed; Kaidan the most. He had known the colonists the longest, having spent two years with them, and was the most effected when they were melted. He spoke, watching his team and the Normandy crew surround them.

"Whatever these sick bastards are doing ends here," Marcus declared, "It just gives me another excuse as to why I should just disable the mass effect fields on this station and watch it plunge into that black hole. We need to think about our next step. We also need to think of how to safely evacuate the crew back to the Normandy; we can't take them with us."

"We can't go alone Shepard," Chakwas, the senior officer of the surviving crew, spoke, "We'd be helpless. If the collectors found us, we'd be gunned down helplessly. None of us are combatants."

"Escort them myself," Mordin spoke up, "Easily done. Less costly to team. My job done. Recommend shuttle extraction though. STG training the norm; but cannot fend myself alone and defend crew against large collector hordes."

"You'll have it Mordin," Marcus declared, keying his comm, "Shepard to Normandy, Joker, you read me?"

"I read you Shepard," Joker stated, "Normandy's almost flight worthy again."

"We need a shuttle down here. Already marked our location," Marcus stated, "We've rescued the crew, but we were too late to save the colonists. They need extraction now."

"We've got no pilot, remember?" Joker told him, "Abducted as well. He's most likely among the crew you saved."

"Guess you'll be flying then," Marcus told him.

"Great," Joker replied sarcastically, "I'll be right there."

"Shepard out," with that, Marcus disengaged and turned to his team, where they were assembled in a semi-circle around him, "Right; now we need to plan our next move. Legion, if you could please."

Legion nodded and its optics changed to a orange color, displaying a hologram of the Collector Base before it. A pulsing green dot represented them on the top right hand corner of the central chamber; nine kilometers away from the control station.

Jacob quickly moved in, "There we go; there appears to be a long set of corridors that run the length of the station and should take us the whole nine kilometers to the control room. 3 klicks in, its blocked by a security door, but if we did the same as last time and take two routes, we should be able to divide the enemy forces and have second team open the door from the other side. This time, it would be first time unlocking the door for second team, though."

EDI was quick to make her objection clear through the comms, "I cannot recommend that. The chamber and corresponding corridors leading to the security door is too dangerous to traverse. The collectors have become more aware of our purpose, and have made efforts to completely halt our progress. The entire chamber is now overrun with seeker swarms and completely untraversable. Second team can continue, but first team will not."

Grunt scoffed, "We've got the countermeasures that the salarian built. They'll protect us."

Mordin shook his head in disagreement, "Device meant to make you invisible to seeker swarms; redundant when enemy already you know you're there. Countermeasures overwhelmed soon as you stepped into chamber."

Marcus shook his head, "So conventional weapons are pretty much useless. And we can't head down with second team because we'd be too easy a target and noone would get the door open; Harbinger could just send all his forces to focus on us alone and we'd be overwhelmed. Then he'd just flood the chamber we're in with seeker swarms too. We have to split its attention somehow. Any suggestions?"

"There is a way. But its extremely risky," Samara stated, "I might be able to generate a biotic field around the team to defend it from the swarm. Seeker swarms are deadly but as far as I know, they cannot penetrate a biotic barrier. The team would have to be small; no more than five people including yourself commander, but it could be done."

Miranda nodded, crossing her arms, "In theory, any biotic could handle it. Even Jack."

Jack through her glance but instead of grimacing, she simply nodded, "Cheerleader's got a point, as much as I wish I could stab myself for ever admitting it. A powerful enough biotic could easily manage a field like that; even you boy scout."

Marcus, of course, already knew who he wanted doing the biotic field. He turned to the asari justicar, "Samara, you'll maintain the field and Jack will come with us as a backup. Maintaining a biotic field isn't easy; trust me, I know."

Samara nodded, "I will maintain it like my life depends on it."

"Why do I have to be the backup?" Jack asked, turning to Marcus, "Can't you fucking well do it? You're a biotic, just like me."

"My biotic abilities rely on offensive and damaging techniques; I wasn't trained to maintain biotic fields for substantial amounts of time. I'm offensive, not defensive. And you've had alot more training than me Jack."

"Shit. Whatever," Jack dismissed, waving a hand.

He turned to the rest of his crew, "I'll take Tali, Kal, Kaidan and Jack with me and Samara of course for the field. The rest of you will go with Garrus as the second team. Stick together and we'll get home quicker. For now, all of you take a rest. None of you are in a state to keep fighting. Get some rest and we'll continue soon."

His crew nodded and dispersed, all finding places to sit and lie down. He looked over at Mordin and the crew standing at the edge, waiting for Joker's kodiak to arrive. With a nod to the salarian, he walked over and sat on the ground, positive that Mordin would at least get back to the Normandy safely and possibly escape. He looked at the ground with a solemn look and then back up when he saw Tali looming over him.

Before he could do anything, Tali spread his legs and landed inbetween them, facing her back towards him as she used him as a seat. She tucked her head under his chin and rested her back on his chest, hands folded infront of her and letting out a heavy sigh, "Its been a long battle; and we're not even done yet."

Marcus sighed along with her, kissing on the top of her hood, "It'll be all over soon. We've just got to brave this last obstacle. One final charge, how does that sound? Then you can tell the Migrant Fleet that you saved their asses; again."

Tali laughed lightly and stroked the top of his leg, "That's providing we get out of here."

He squeezed her shoulders and shook his head, "Don't think like that; its optimism, we need. Optimism wins wars; not pessimism. What's the point of fighting a war if you don't believe you can win?"

"I don't know Marcus," her eyes got droopy and began to fall, letting out one final sneeze, "My people believed we could win the Morning War; and here I am, in your arms, wearing...a damn...suit," and with that, Tali fell asleep, snoring lightly.

He smiled weakly at her before closing his own eyes.  _We will win this fight. We will. We have to. I'm not about to die, we're not about to die, on some base, in the galactic core, in the middle of nowhere, where noone will remember us or even know where we are._

As he entered deep sleep, he could only think of one thing.

Optimism didn't win wars; it was the one's most loyal to the cause that won it.

**{Loading...}**

_October 9, 2185_

_0623 hours._

_Station Corridors, Upper Station, Collector Base, Galactic Core._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Justicar Samara, Subject Zero Jack._

The swarm was just a massive black mass converging down on them; a blue barrier of azure light the only thing standing between them and an angry horde of bugs. Marcus almost cringed every time one tried to ram through the barrier, only to be repelled and thrown back into the wreathing mass. He didn't want to know what happened if the barrier dropped; the bugs on Horizon just stung you and froze you, but Harbinger didn't need them abducted...

He looked at Samara as they trudged through the corridor, ignoring the seeker swarms raging above them. She held her arms up high, blue balls of energy clasped in her tight fists and moving with elegant grace. The justicar always seemed so inmovable, so emotionless and unresponsive, a woman who killed her own daughter with careless ease. But could she withstand a three kilometer walk while maintaining a biotic field? They would see.

His comms lit up as they moved through the seemingly endless corridors of the station, steadily moving up every ramp they could find, "Shepard...this is...us. We...too much...collec...pinn...move up! Shep...you're...static...can't...out."

"Fuck," Jack cursed at her earpiece, "These comms are screwed."

"It must be the swarm," Tali offered, "Interfering with comms. The horde's simply too thick."

"That or Harbinger's blocking it directly," Kaidan stated.

"Harbinger?" Kal asked.

"A Reaper," Tali responded, shotgun held out firmly, "Something we can explain later. How about we call it 'bad news?'"

As the six of them steadily moved through the empty corridors, they finally reached a large chamber where multiple hover platforms seemed to be moving towards them, "Hostiles, 12 o' clock. Defensive positions. Take them out. They can't hurt us while we're inside the shield, but they can if they're inside."

His team nodded and prepared to meet the collector forces. So as soon as Samara began to move up the ramp and the first drones bore down on them, seeker swarms ignoring them, Marcus' team opened fire, cutting into the drones and protecting the defenseless Samara. Weapon fire cut through the seekers and hit the drones like the bugs weren't even there, allowing them to cut down the approaching enemy with ease.

And with a familiar bang and explosion of orange light, Harbinger took control of a drone and lead an attack itself, three captains and four drones behind it. Tali focused her fire on Harbinger, but after the first shot, it raised a barrier to protect itself. One of the captains made it past the semi-spherical barrier around them, but Kal quickly fired his omni-bow into its midsection, stumbling it before he rammed his omni-blade into its throat and killed it. Taking its particle rifle, he quickly cut down the second captain to get past and went to focus on the four drones.

Jack wreathed with biotic fury and tackled Harbinger, hammering it with a countless number of attacks. But Harbinger was a machine, and not just that, but the ultimate machine. With speed incapable of normal organics, Harbinger grabbed Jack and threw her to the ground, stomping on her thumb as she slid away, crushing it. But Jack was so full of adrenaline she didn't notice the pain, simply throwing a shockwave at Harbinger that the drone blocked with ease.

But before it could finish Jack off, Tali rammed her shotgun into the back of its head and flew it clean off, watching as the drone disappeared like the wind. Marcus shook his head and watched as Kaidan finished off the last of the drones. Samara, all the while, just kept moving, allowing them to clear the ramp and the chamber.

No more collector troops rushed to meet them; none of them hearing Harbinger's battle taunts. Growing weary, they scanned all around them, but found nothing. But then they heard it; right through the intense buzzing sound, they could hear deep moaning and the sound of five-toed feet. And climbing up towards them was a horde of husks and abominations.  _Collectors can't penetrate the barrier; but how about a horde of husks?_

Biotic shockwaves hit the shield and did nothing and Marcus' look snapped up to see a scion blocking the path ahead, its huge bulbous form standing sentry and firing constantly at them. Samara stopped, not wanting to try and rush past a scion. Marcus nodded to his team and they opened fire on the first husks and abominations to clear the wall.

They came in swarms; take down one or two, five replace it. But Marcus' pulse rifle and Kaidan's avenger and Kal's particle rifle never stopped firing, just ripping into the enemy as fast as they could and holding them at bay. But Marcus knew they couldn't hold against so many; they just couldn't stay here. He watched as Tali began to get overwhelmed, a husk actually leaping at her and tackling her to the ground.

It sank its teeth into her arm and she screamed, wacking the butt of her shotgun against its head. But before she could stand up a second husk took her from behind, wrapping its arm around her waist and preparing to rip her throat out with those black teeth. Marcus wanted to scream at her, but it was pointless.

Biotic energy grabbed the second husk and tore it off with such force and power that it flew across the corridor and landed at the scion's feet. Tali swiftly blasted the first husk and turned to see Jack joining her side, helping her hold off the husks and abominations with her shotgun. Marcus smiled at the display, but quickly lost it when he saw their position.  _We can't hold here; they'll just keep coming and coming. That scion has to go._

With a deep exhale, he grabbed at Kal's back and yanked off his missile launcher, the spectre spinning around to aim it at the stationary turret that was the scion. He fired, the rocket leaving a trail as it arced towards the enemy. It hit it full in the chest, ripping it open and destroying it. The scion shot backwards and hit the ground with a wet thud, black blood soaking the ground around it. Their passage was blocked no more.

"Keep going Samara!"

The justicar nodded, a tired look on her face and sweat beginning to form on her face. She moved forward however, still as gracefully as before and his team continued to fend off the horde of husks and their exploding counterparts, not letting up for a single second, making sure every shot counted.

For two kilometers, it was just this; holding off hordes of husks and abominations. Occassionally, they'd have to stop to kill a scion blocking their way or destroy a praetorian, but either way, they trudged on. And finally, two klicks and a half later, they reached the final run; a long ramp leading upwards for 500 meters, straight for the security door. He commed his other team, but they didn't respond, and he began to worry. He looked at his team.

The journey hadn't been without injury. Marcus had a cracked rib from taking a blow from the scion and his armor was burnt to a crisp at his shoulderpad, having been grazed by one of the praetorian's eye beams. An abomination explosion had also damaged his helmet's HUD, making it glitch occassionally and not display his squad's comms.

Kaidan had three claw marks across his face to remind him of a husk attack and dried blood marked where the claws had nearly taken his nose. Tali still had dried blood around her shoulder where the husk bit, her suit already sealed up to protect the wound, and one of her own ribs was cracked, a reminder of how a praetorian had tried to disembowel her, only to be stopped when Kal had hit in the eye with a particle rifle burst.

Kal was mostly unscatched but Jack had a crushed thumb (but she was now high on morphine, so she couldn't feel it) and had a bullet wound from a collector drone wedged in her knee. Overall, alot of battle scars. Samara was unharmed; but he could see the strain on her face. She was sweating like a pig now and he could see that she just wanted to drop her arms and give in. But she didn't; and he silently thanked her.

They all turned to see more husks, abominations and collector troops advancing behind them and Marcus turned to his team, "We're out of time people! Get up that ramp and hit the door; double time! Tali, I want that door opened yesterday!"

They all ran up the ramp at full pelt, Samara getting into the best jog she could muster. She was so fatigued.  _She's done so well. Just five hundred more meters; and we'll be safe. And then you can rest._ They ran and ran and ran, never stopping, never once looking behind them except to take out a pursuing enemy who got too close. The seeker swarms never relented; they just continued to bare down on them, ready to leap on the first drop of the barrier.

Finally, they reached the door. Samara was about ready to collapse, he noticed. "Tali, door op-"

"Its already open!" Tali shouted, stopping and firing her shotgun into the horde of husks. One shot hit an abomination and it exploded, taking multiple husks and two drones with it. He could see one Harbinger possessed captain approaching from within and immediately opened the door, watching the massive blast door slide open and omit them entrance. They all rushed in, but at that exact moment, Samara collapsed, unable to hold the barrier up any longer and Marcus watched as time seemed to slow, the barrier dropping and the swarm converging.

His eyes met the back of Tali's hood and he watched her try and retreat, the seekers swarming around her.  _No._ He watched her as her shotgun fell to the ground as she struggled to free herself from the mass of seekers and without knowing it, his legs began to take him towards her, dropping his pulse rifle as he did, screaming her name as he ran towards her.

He heard Kaidan trying to yell at him to come back, but he didn't listen, he only heard Tali's struggling. But he knew she was losing; the swarm was too strong and her eyes locked with his. Even behind the mask; he saw the fear, the trepidation and how scared she was.  _You will never be safe Shepard. When you think you have won, I will take from you what you hold most dear._

The words hit him like a cannonball shot and he sprinted. He heard Tali begin to scream his name as the seekers began to lift her into the air, ready to take her away to some unknown fate. Some unknown, painful fate. But he wouldn't let it happen; not to Tali. No, never. He slammed one husk aside and leapt at the last minute, grabbing Tali's outstretched hand and clasping down like an anvil.

The seekers stopped and were unable to account for the weight of the spectre as all his cybernetic strength was drawn forth and he pulled long and hard on Tali's arm, whispering her name as she whispered his. He noticed that she did not cry.  _She's a hardened soldier; just like me. She knows she musn't show weakness. My Tali; I can't lose her. Not like this._

He heard gunfire around him and saw his crew helping to hold back the enemy, but it wasn't enough. The seeker swarm grew in strength and began to lift higher, taking Marcus with them.  _I'm going to be taken away too. Good; at least we'll die together. The chances of us surviving were always slim; just sucks it had to end this way..._

Then he realized something. He remembered Jack's words.  _"Can't you fucking well do it? You're a biotic, just like me."_

And with that, he focused on saving his girlfriend from the wreathing mass of seekers. Summoning every part of his biotic strength, he roared and exploded with biotic energy, a great explosion shaking the foundations of the corridor and sending a wave of dark energy rippling through the enemy. The force sent his squad flying through the door but the damage it did to the enemy was extrodinary.

Drones were ripped from their feet and flown away and the seekers holding onto Marcus and Tali were disintegrated immediately, the rest thrown five hundred meters away. Husks and abominations were tossed over the edge and Harbinger was vaporized on impact.  _Take this you piece of shit. I will not lose her; not to you._

They both fell to the ground, Tali landing ontop of him. Winded, he knew they had to act fast; the seekers would recover and attack again soon. He grabbed Tali in his arms, stood up and ran through the doorway, watching it close behind them. He dropped Tali, allowing her to lock the door. He let out a exhale of breath; they were safe. He looked at Tali and smiled, wanting so much to just hold her.  _I was so fucking close to losing her. So damn close._

They all turned to the opposite security door, and heard gunfire behind it.  _Garrus' team._ With the seeker swarm gone, comms would be back up, he realized. He commed Garrus, "Team Two, we're opening the door now. Standby. Tali, get it open now!"

Still traumatized, Tali hesitated before nodding quickly and rushing over to the console, hacking the door. Once again, poor firewalls allowed the quarian to hack it open without trying and the blast door slowly opened, gunfire instantly pouring through it. Samara slouched against a wall and wiped the sweat from her face, watching as Garrus entered through first, firing from the hip. His team quickly followed, everyone covered in injuries, blood and numerous other combat wounds. But they were all alive; luckily enough. Legion was the last through, and Tali quickly shut the door, locking it.

Garrus sighed, turning towards Marcus, "What the hell happened? We had to wait ages for you!"

"Tali happened," Marcus stated coldly, "I almost lost her Garrus. Fucking seeker swarms rushed in like a pair of starving kids. I'm lucky I was a biotic otherwise...otherwise..."

"What you did was reckless Shepard," Samara spoke from behind them, "You are a military commander; you understand war better than most of us and so does Miss Zorah. Sacrifices must be made. Losing Tali'Zorah would have been nothing compared to losing the entirety of second team."

"I know," Marcus stated with contempt, "But I couldn't abandon her; not when I could save her. But there's no point in talking about it now; its over," he turned to his team and motioned for them to continue down the corridor, Thane giving Samara an arm up and helping her across the corridor, carrying the exhausted asari under one arm. So they all continued their exhausting journey, moving the last nine kilometers to the control station where they could finally finish this.

It didn't take long; but they all found that the control station was located over a seemingly 900 meter long bottomless chasm where the only way to traverse was collector hover platforms. Up above and to their left were massive, kilometer long observation windows that allowed for a clear view of the black hole and the galactic core itself, along with the debris field surrounding it.

Marcus keyed the Normandy, "Joker, this is Shepard. Did Mordin and the crew make it back alright?"

Joker's response was almost instantaneous; probably communication lag, "The crew arrived safe and sound commander; and Mordin's perfectly fine. We took some fire from a pursuing praetorian squadron, but as soon as we reached the Normandy, EDI took them out with the GARDIANs. They're all safe here. The ship's also back online and ready to take off; just set this station to blow and we'll get the hell out of here."

Marcus nodded, liking the sound of that.  _We might get out of here after all. We just have to survive the final stretch. Time to find out just why the collectors are melting people and pumping them up there. And Harbinger will try his best to defend this place; we have to be ready._

**{Loading...}**

_October 9, 2185_

_0658 hours._

_Entrance to Control Station, Upper Station, Collector Base, Galactic Core._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Professor Mordin Solus, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Justicar Samara, Assassin Thane Krios, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Soldier Urdnot Grunt, Legion, Subject Zero Jack, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson._

"EDI, what's our next step?" Marcus asked.

"A collector hover platform is currently in your vicinity," the AI informed them, "With Legion's help, I have taken control of it and have programmed it to head for the control station. I have set up firewalls to stop Harbinger from attempting to retake control of it. Once in the control room, you must locate the control module and attach an explosive device to it; any yield will do. Even a fragmentation greande will suffice to trigger the right reaction. Once done, you will have ten minutes to escape before the primary reactor goes critical."

"However, there is a problem," EDI ended.

"Isn't there always?" Marcus asked, smiling, "Hit me EDI."

"Collector forces are amassing at the door to your right and will soon override my attempts to override them," the AI told him, "Their forces are substantial in size; far too much for a simple team to hold back. I recommend you leave the bulk of your force to hold the door while taking two squadmates with you to the control station. It'll be more difficult to escape if the collectors trap you in the control station with a force of this size."

"EDI's right," Garrus told him, "Leave me a sizable force and we'll keep them off your back."

Joker piped up, "I'm taking the shuttle over there. When all things are wrapped up, we'll pick you up."

"Very well," Marcus turned to the turian, sighing whilst slapping him on the shoulder, "This isn't how I wanted this to end. I wanted it to be you and Tali beside me; just like on the Citadel."

"That was when we were fighting a Saren husk," Garrus quipped, slapping him in a brotherly hug before pulling back, "This time its sticking a grenade in a module; not that exciting, I'm sorry. Not as epic either. I wish Harbinger would just pop up so we could wack him over the head. What do you humans call it...?"

"Pop goes the weasel?" He replied, smiling, "You've been learning too much about humans. Keep my back Garrus. I need you alive after all this is done. I owe you a drink."

"Archangel is buying," Garrus promised, smiling as he backed away, "But by all means, pay for it. I'm not complaining. We're bound to get paid well for saving the galaxy a second time."

"If not, I'll give the Council the middle finger," Marcus promised, moving to stand up ontop of the platform and turning to his team, "Tali, I want you with me, to be by myself as we finish this," the quarian nodded and joined him ontop and he turned to Kaidan, motioning for him to join him as well. He'd end this with the friends that were with him since the beginning; like it had always been.

When Kaidan and Tali stood by his side, he turned to the rest of his squad, who all stood behind Garrus, eagerly awaiting his speech. He smiled down on all of them, remembering their faces. He owed them all drinks for what they were doing; they all had battle scars now, and all of them were well-earned.

"The collectors, the Reapers...," he began, pacing, "They are aren't a threat to us. They're a threat to the whole galaxy. They're a threat to  _everything. Everyone._ That's the lives we are fighting for. That's the scale. Its been a long journey and noone is leaving this base without scars; but it all comes down to this moment. We win or we lose it all in these next few minutes; make me proud.  _Make yourselves proud._ Fight or die, but remember this; do it for the sake of everything you know of. For the Reaper War begins  _today_."

Everyone nodded and Garrus snapped him a final salute, "I'll see you on the other side Marcus. You'd better be there."

Marcus returned to the salute, "Be safe Garrus, and good luck."

"You too. Not that you'll need it," with that, the turian turned around and began to shout orders to the squad, Marcus turning around as the platform took off and shot towards the control station, the black hole looming over them as they moved. They all equipped their weapons, taking cover as they prepared for enemy resistance.

Gunfire was heard from behind them and up ahead; combat joining for both forces. The collectors coming from the control station were mostly light infantry however; Harbinger having sent most of its forces to deal with Garrus' team. So Marcus, Tali and Kaidan barely fought anything, just taking out what collectors came across them.

Finally, they reached the control station and rapidly approached its entrance. He contacted EDI, "EDI, can you tell me why the collectors are pumping humans into this structure? What's the purpose? Did you find anything that could tell us what?"

"The tubes are feeding into some kind of super structure," EDI reported, as the platform glided through the entrance to enter the control station main structure, "it is omitting both organic and non-organic energy signatures. Given these readings, it must be massive." They finally entered the control room; it was a huge chamber with a bottomless pit below and a tall roof. Multiple platforms connected up ahead and a huge structure stood tall over it.

"Shepard...," EDI's voice seemed genuinely full of shock and horror, "If my calculations are correct...the super structure...its a Reaper."

"Not just any Reaper," Marcus noted as the massive thing came into view. It wasn't Harbinger, it was something far worse. And truly more horrifying, "Its a Human-Reaper."

The Reaper's body was definitely in the shape of a human, but it clearly was nowhere near completion. The only section existent was the upper torso, a giant piece of cylinderical metal mass, most likely the spine, dangling. Its armored chest was covered in holes and a red mass effect core hummed in the center of its chest. Two, colossally sized arms hung from massive tubes, where human life was being pumped into it. And its face; oh god, its bloody face...it looked like the face of hell itself.

A metal skull that reminded him of the robots from that old classic, Terminators. Two red eyes dimmed, but when activated, would look demonic beyond recognition. This is why the collectors were abducting human colonies; to melt them and turn them into a life source for a giant Human-Reaper. But why? What was the point?"

Their platform connected with the main platform and they all steadily approached the human-reaper, would towered over all of them. It was at least 300 feet high and its current length.

"It appears the collectors have processed tens of thousands of humans," EDI told him, "Significantly more would be required to complete the Reaper."

"This... _thing_  is an abomination," Marcus stated in disgust, eyes moving its form. Its very existence disgusted him, "EDI; how do we destroy it?"

"The larger tubes injecting the fluid into the Reaper serve as a structural weakness and are the only thing keeping the Reaper upright," the AI told him, "Destroy them and the Reaper will fall. Due to the height of the chasm, the fall will be sufficient to pulverize it. It is currently hibernating; so it will not be people to defend itself. I will expose the tubes now."

They watched as the metal shutters covering the tubes slid open with mechanical hisses, revealing pulsing, crimson red goo being sucked through them and into the abomination that was set before them. He felt Tali's hand on his arm, "Keelah. I'm so sorry Marcus; what the collectors are doing to your people..."

"...will go no further," he firmly told her, giving her a determined gaze before turning back to the Reaper, "I will destroy it. It will not exist a second longer than it deserves to."

He motioned for his team to aim at the links and open fire. Without hesitation, they executed their orders, pistols and rifles firing in tandem as they came to connect with the weak glass that was the tubes. They shattered, red goo leaking into the abyss below. Two tubes fell, and the human-reaper tilted to its side. They heard servos running and processors humming, realizing it was waking up. With increased hurriedness, they hit the last two tubes and watched as the Human-Reaper screeched, unable to keep itself aerial and fell into the abyss below. Marcus watched as it disappeared into the darkness; an abomination forever gone.

He turned to his team and watched as EDI elevated the control module of the ground, presenting it before them. But before he could so much as make a move towards it, his omni-tool began to pulse with an incoming video-call and frowned. He held up his omni-tool and rolled his eyes when he found the Illusive Man requesting a call.

He brought the Illusive Man up, projecting him as a hologram from his omni-tool, Tali and Kaidan watching from the sidelines, the latter grimacing at the sight of Cerberus' leader. With cigarette in hand as usual, TIM smiled at Marcus' appearence as smugly as he could.

"Shepard, EDI just informed me of your progress," TIM stated, "You've achieved the impossible."

"I didn't do it alone," Marcus firmly declared, "I did it with a team; and each one of them did their duty to help stop the collectors. I hope their getting enough praise as well. Besides, I still have yet to destroy the base."

It was in that instant that he saw TIM frown, dropping his cigarette on a offscreen ash tray, "Shepard...that won't be necessary. I have a better option."

"A better option...?" Marcus trailed off, narrowing his eyes, "Our goal is to destroy the collector base.  _There is_ no other option."

"That is where you're wrong," TIM informed him, waving a hand, "I'm looking at the schematics EDI uploaded. With full access to the systems, EDI could initiate a timed radiation pulse through out the space station. It would kill every living collector on the station, but leave the technology intact. This is our chance Shepard; they were building a Reaper. That knowledge, that framework, could save us."

He was flabbergasted. After all he'd done, this bastard wanted to keep this place intact? "You're completely ruthless. You cannot seriously think we can use the Reaper's technology? I've seen what happens to those who try; they end up indoctrinated. This place has to be destroyed."

"This place is a gift!" TIM insisted, "We can't just destroy it! Listen to reason!"

"No matter what technology we find, it won't be worth it," Marcus told him, "Thousands of people were murdered in this place and its all completely tainted. I will not let a slaughter house like this stand any longer for Cerberus' personal gain."

"Shepard, I brought you back for a reason," TIM recounted, "You died fighting for what you believed. I brought you back so you could keep fighting. Some say that all the resources we poured into you was going too far; but look at what you've accomplished! I didn't discard you because I knew your value; don't be so quick to destroy this facility. Think of the potential!"

"Go to hell," Marcus spat, finally done with this. He was done working with Cerberus; TIM's ambitions just went too far over the line. He was done, completely done. This alliance was officially over, "I'll destroy this base and stop the Reapers without it. I won't let fear compromise who I am."

TIM was enraged, "Shepard! Think about what you're doing! Don't-"

He hit a button on his omni-tool and watched TIM disappear, smiling. Kaidan nodded in approval and Tali smiled at him. He smiled himself, deactivating his omni-tool and leaping over the barricade. But he needed to know something first. He commed the Normandy, "EDI, I assume you just heard what transpired?"

"I did," the AI responed.

Moment of truth, "Who's side are you on?"

"I will defend the crew of the Normandy.  _I am the Normandy._ "

"So if the Illusive Man became our enemy?"

A moment of hesitation. Then she responded, "Then he is my enemy too. Noone will hurt my shipmates."

He smiled at the AI's reaction and deactivated the comm, kneeling before the control module he fumbled for a grenade of his own, but found none. Cursing, he searched his other pouches, but was stopped as Tali kneeled next to him, grenade in her palm, "I promised myself that I'd loan you a grenade to blow up Cerberus. How about one to blow up the collectors instead?"

He smiled, letting his hand fall ontop of hers, "Why not?"

He took the grenade and primed it, watching it stick to the module before he stood up and watched it slide back into the ground. It was done; the collector base was finished. Now they just had to escape. He commed his pilot, "Joker, what's your status on that evac?"

"We're at the RV point," Joker informed him.

"Well, evac the team. We'll be right there. We just-"

A loud, high pitched screech, the familiar sound of a Reaper horn, blew through the chamber and they all covered their ears from the sound. They all looked up and their eyes widened in terror as one, colossal metallic human hand the size of three mantis gunships crashed down onto the connected platforms and gripped them. Another followed, powerful arms pulling up the huge body of the Human-Reaper; the fall had not killed it afterall.  _And it was awake this time._

Glowing, blood red eyes looked down into his and he saw, as cliche as it sounded, pure evil in them. Hate, loathing and demoncy; it was all there, in those eyes. It made a swipe at them, but they fell to the ground, avoiding it. Angered by how it missed, a red beam charged up in its eyes; preparing to rain its thanix cannons on them.

"What's going on commander!" Joker demanded as the trio rushed into cover to hide from the human-reaper's sight. Marcus was quick to respond.

"The Reaper isn't dead!" he shouted back, "Get everyone on the shuttle and save yourselves! We'll deal with this!"

"But commander-" Joker didn't get to finish as he cut the comm, turning to his team and nodding to them. They couldn't hope to defeat it conventionally; not with their puny weapons. Its armor was simple too thick and its weapons too powerful. But then Marcus felt a familiar weight on his back. He grabbed at it and pulled it off, letting it fall infront of him. And there it was; the M-920 Cain in all its glory. Their savior.

"Both of you, stay down and cover your ears," he ordered them and they complied, before Marcus stood up, rearing the Cain and pulled the trigger, watching it charge up. Ten percent. Twenty percent. Thirty percent. Forty. Fifty. Sixty. Seventy...

The human-reaper fired, and its crimson beams shot past him as he dodged them, not letting go of the Cain's trigger but continuing to aim at the Reaper's heart. Eighty. Ninety...

...a hundred!

The weapon gave a thump and he almost fell backwards at the recoil; the weapon firing a miniture rocket straight at the Reaper's heart. It looked tiny and weak; but inside it was a nuclear ordnance beyond fathoming. He dived into cover, dismissing the Cain as he dropped it and landed next to Tali, covering his own ears. Just as he did, a blinding flash encompassed the chamber and there was a deafening boom.

Three seconds later, they all stood up to look upon the Human-Reaper. They saw that the Cain had done its job, hitting dead center. Its entire chest had exploded outward from the explosions and it screamed in what seemed to be...pain? Anger? Could machines even feel pain? It didn't matter; all he saw was the glorious sight of the Human-Reaper burning; dying. All the colonies were being avenged with its death.

They all moved backwards and flinched when the Reaper reached forward. They stopped when they saw it fall short, body falling back into the abyss. But it wasn't done; its arm quickly crashed downward, ripping through the platforms and causing them to shake and collapse. They all moved to grab hold of something.

Marcus and Kaidan grabbed hold of a nearby barricade and were saved from the collapse. But as Marcus looked on, he watched the platforms tilt and fall and Tali slipped, beginning to slide into the abyss. And seeing her panicking; arms flailing about, trying to find something to grab hold of, terrified him. Reacting on instinct, he let go of his purchase and slid down towards her, arm reaching out futilely to grab hold of her.

She was too far ahead; he wouldn't reach her in time. She would soon slide over the edge and be lost to the abyss. He watched with fear and felt tears well in his eyes.  _Come on damn it! Slide faster!_ But as much as he willed his body to slide faster, it wouldn't, moving at the same sluggish pace.

_You will never be safe Shepard. When you think you have won, I will take from you what you hold most dear._

There goes those words again. But he wouldn't give up; he wouldn't watch the woman he loved slide over the edge to her death.  _We're supposed to get married. I'm supposed to give her a homeworld and build a house on it, like her father had originally promised...no...I can't lose her this way..._ And that moment, he was sure Death could go fuck himself.

Using his biotics, he shot himself forward like a rocket just enough to reach Tali just as she slid over the edge. He grabbed her wrist and held on as tightly as he could, other hand grabbing hold of the edge, to stop both of them falling off. So there they were; Tali dangling over the edge; one arm held upright as Marcus held on.

His helmet fell off, dropping into the abyss. He looked at her, smiling reassuringly at her. She reached her other hand up to grab hold of his but the entire gesture was pointless as they looked down to see the Human-Reaper give one more bellowing scream before exploding, the shockwave tearing their platform from its supports and causing it to fall forwards. The shockwave itself sent Tali flying upwards, Marcus with her, only to be both land on the same platform, Kaidan next to them, as they fell. He looked over at Tali as they lay there, air whipping past their faces. This was it.

He grabbed hold of her hand and squeezed it, "I love you Tali."

"I love you too Marcus. Keelah Se'lai."

"Keelah Se'lai."

They held hands as the darkness rushed up to meet them. Whatever they were in life, they were bonded in death.

**{Loading...}**

_October 9, 2185_

_0722 hours._

_24 Kilometers Below, Lower Station, Collector Base, Galactic Core._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko._

Dead. He had to be dead. There was no possible way he survived that fall. None of them could of. By now, Joker would have evacuated the remainder of the squad, taken the Normandy and escaped the collector base, the huge space station exploding in great bouts of flame.

But he wasn't; he realized when he felt a warm presence next to him; dead people couldn't feel things. His eyes shot open, and he immediately regretted it, the assaulting waves of light almost painfully blinding as his eyes adjusted. They finally did, and he realized that their platform had shattered on impact from the fall; but he was alive.  _I achieve the impossible indeed._ All around him was flames and burning wreck and judging by the design, they were located in the flaming wreck that had once been the Human-Reaper.

 _Harbinger wasn't even in this base; that's why it never confronted us. It must have been controlling the Collector General from dark space; well within the abilities of the Leader of the Reapers._ He fought to sat up and ignored the aching of his tired and torn muscles. He looked around him, but found no sign of Tali or Kaidan. He had been holding Tali's hand when they fell; could she have slipped out of his grip?

He looked around the debris field, not caring how they survived, but wanting to find his comrades. He found a piece of debris lying on the ground and realized it was tilted and lying on something; and that something was groaning. With all his strength, Marcus grabbed hold of the steel plate and lifted it up and over, revealing Kaidan's lying form.  _Where's Tali?_

He offered a hand and helped the alliance marine up, who cradled his side. Marcus immediately searched for Tali, crying out her name just to reassure himself.  _She's not dead, she can't possibly be dead. I won't let her die; not now, not now, not now. Fuck whatever Harbinger said...I won't let her die. Not now. Its not her time yet._

Then he saw found her, tossed against a piece of wreckage. When he reached her, she was regaining consciousness, and looked relatively fine. As he crouched next to her, he smiled stroking her hood, "You okay?"

"We're...we're...alive?" Tali asked, confused and looking around at her surroundings.

He nodded, smiling as he stood up, "We certainly are," he offered her his hand and she took it, standing and coughing as she did, still suffering a fever from their experience. Quickly remembering that they had ten minutes before the base exploded before they were knocked unconscious, he checked his chrono.  _Two minutes! Shit!_

He commed the Normandy, "Joker, this is Shepard! Do you read!"

"Shepard?" Joker asked incredulously over the comm, "EDI said you were dead!"

"So did we," Marcus replied, "Did the crew make it?"

"Everyone here is fine. Samara and Kasumi are unconscious, but everyone made it back alive," Joker told him and he sighed in relief, "We're just waiting on you. EDI's found your transponders and we're heading for you. Run for the opening! We'll pick you up there!"

He nodded and looked to his team but before he could speak, he heard Harbinger's voice behind him.

 _ **"Shepard,"**_ Harbinger boomed,  _ **"You have changed nothing."**_

He turned around to see collector troops and a seeker swarm forming and seeing them, they surged forward. He told his team to run, and run they did. Oh yes, they ran as fast as they could up the slope and out of the wreckage, heading straight for the opening Joker spoke of.

Harbinger continued taunting as gunfire sailed past them from the collectors in pursuit and he could hear the buzzing of the seeker swarms along with the screeching of a praetorian and the moaning of husks,  _ **"Your species has the attention of those infinitely your greater."**_

They rounded the corner and found the opening, immediately running for it.

_**"That which you know as Reapers are your salvation through destruction."** _

Collectors came from all angles now and husks were increasing in size. The seeker swarm was also gaining on them. And like an angel from heaven, the Normandy rose seemingly from the ground, guns bared. GARDIANs fired and rockets shot past, impacting the enemy lines and stalling them. Looking ahead, Marcus saw Tali and Kaidan were far behind, his quarian engineer urging him on. The Normandy turned on its side and bared its airlock to them.

The airlock shot open a moment later and standing there was Joker, avenger assault rifle hooked under one arm. With a war cry, he opened fire, weapon buckling in his grip as he ripped into the enemy horde behind them. Marcus watched as Kaidan leapt into the airlock first, followed quickly by Tali. They were just waiting for him now.

He sprinted but just as he was about to reach the path, a support strut collapsed from an explosion and smashed into the ground, causing it to collapse and creating more distance between him and the airlock. He had to act fast; if he didn't, he would miss his leap, fall from the airlock and plunge to his death. He couldn't do that to Tali again.

So with all the power his body gave him, he reached the edge and leapt for the airlock, arms reaching out...

...and he thumped against the edge. His arms grabbed hold of the floor and Joker retreated, letting Garrus and Legion take over as they provided cover fire. Marcus held onto the airlock for deal life, but he could feel himself slipping, slowly beginning to fall. But then Tali knelt down and grabbed his hand with both of hers, begging for help to lift him up.

Kaidan joined in, followed by Grunt and with their help Marcus pulled himself into the airlock, door closing behind them. He felt the Normandy pull away from the ledge and they all exited the small room and emptied out onto the flight deck.

The crew was back at work. Joker limped past them, heading for the pilot seat as EDI began a countdown for the base's self-destruction, "Detonation in ten, nine, eight-"

"Yeah I get the gist of it EDI!" Joker shouted her down, leaping into his seat and letting his hands dance on the controls as Marcus held onto the back of his seat, "Hold on everyone!" The Normandy then shot forward and out of the base, everybody holding onto the nearest surface for dear life.

They all watched as the orange clouds of the galactic core came back into view, as well as the black hole the station once orbitted. And as the Normandy lifted off, leaving the collector base behind, the crew cheered. They watched as the last collector cruiser attempted to escape, but it was a doomed attempt.

Now they had to escape the base's destruction themselves.

**{Loading...}**

_October 9, 2185_

_0724 hours._

_Collector Control Hub, Upper Station, Collector Base, Galactic Core._

_Collector General._

It flailed around on all four of its legs, multiple arms desperately trying to reassert order. The collector general's troops were in disarray; and even its last cruiser was trying to escape. All systems were fried and the primary reactor was reaching critical levels. There was nothing more that could possibly be done.

It approached its hub console, alight with energy, as it watched the human ship escape the base and death's jaws. It had sent everything to stop them, but nothing had helped. And now here it was, witnessing its own death. The destruction of the Collectors.

Its master's hologram appeared above the center console, alight in golden light. Its four orange eyes were the strongest source and it was shaped like the squid-design of all Reapers; but it was the only Reaper to be completely modelled after the Reaper's creators. Noone knew who they were, but Harbinger was the last image of a dead species. Everything exploded around it. And one explosion knocked it onto the forward console.

 _ **"You have failed,"**_ Harbinger declared, voice condescending and accusing,  _ **"We will find another way. Releasing control."**_

The collector general reached up an insectoid claw, but the hologram disappeared and the explosions increased. Its eyes lost their glow and the general suddenly came to a realization; the masters are gone. I can hear them no more. I am free.

So as the general faced the final detonation, it faced it with pride. It would die... _free_.

The genocide of the protheans was complete.

**{Loading...}**

_October 9, 2185_

_0725 hours._

_Cockpit, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate CAW Normandy SR-2, Escaping Collector Base._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, Soldier Urdnot Grunt, Legion, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy._

The Normandy reentered the debris field, but it was hardly necessary as the entire ship shook and the debris around them was washed away in a thunderous shockwave that took the Normandy with it. The Collector Base had finally gone critical and exploded, destroying the ninety kilometer leviathan of a space station. The shockwave wiped out the debris field surrounding it and sent the Normandy spinning out of control as it neared the Galactic Core Relay.

Finally, Joker regained control of the ship and instead began to steer it on a course for the relay. The Normandy was heavily damaged still and would require immediate repairs, but they had done it; they had destroyed the Collector Base and the collector threat. They had stopped a Human-Reaper from being completed, avenged the SR-1 and all the colonists that were murdered at the hands of the Reaper servants. And of course, put the prothean race to their final burial ground.

Marcus sighed and let go of the chair, "Get us to that relay Joker. And tell the crew to meet in the mess hall; I've got something to tell them. And if the Illusive Man calls, don't tell him to piss off. I want to give him one final goodbye before I cut ties with the bastard."

Joker nodded, tipping his cap, "Aye aye, captain."

He rolled his eyes at the adopted quarian honorific and moved to walk down the flight deck hearing the entire crew begin to cheer loudly. Grunt thumped his chest, Legion stood still, Tali took his hand and walked with him and Kaidan and Garrus bearhugged each other. The entire CIC was alive with cheering and wooing as they celebrated their victory.

And as he neared the elevator, he realized it was a victory well-earned.

But the war was far from over.

And the Reapers far from defeated.

**"I still can't believe we all survived it."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

**"But we did. And now, here's the good part, I get to tell the Illusive Man to kiss my ass."**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"Maybe you can tell Tali; but I've got to go. I run a firm business on Feros, and I can't just quit it; I'm the owner for crying out loud! But seriously, it was nice seeing you again Marcus."**

**\- Garrus Vakarian.**

**"I ain't going anywhere, you old turian. Just make sure you come back to me before you die, okay?"**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"So, one more story to finish?"**

**\- Marcus Shepard.**

**"One more story to finish."**

**\- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.**

_**A/N:** _

_**One hell of a ride. Sorry this took so long to come out; but, here it is.** _

_**Chapter 50: Future Dread will be out soon, followed by an epilogue. I hope you enjoyed this fanfic as much as I enjoyed writing it. To fill the waiting gap between Prophecy and the third installment, Requiem, I'm going to be working on a revival of a series you all know and love...what is it? Well, you'll have to find out. Try and guess in the review section.** _

_**Its been an honor my loyal fans. Its been a true honor.** _

_**Keelah Se'lai!** _


	54. Future Dread

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the present, the children of the Normandy crew become the last hope for a troubled galaxy.

**PROPHECY**

**CHAPTER FIFTY:**

**FUTURE DREAD**

_August 10, 2251_

_1713 hours._

_Main Brig, Lower Ward, Prometheus Headquarters, Unknown Sector._

_Prometheus Commander Carter Dielheart, Captain Jaris 'Siren' Paltarons, Prisoner Twelve Kaidan'Shepard pav Rannoch._

Carter watched with a grimace as Kaidan explored his non-descript cell; it was cube-shaped, with bland walls and a door so carefully concealed it look like it was part of the wall. A one-sided window allowed for outsiders to look inside, but the prisoner couldn't see them. Carter, with crossed arms, watched as Kaidan demanded answers, wanting to know why he had been let out.

Siren laughed, "Did you catch a six year old? He sounds like some of the kids I used to kill during the Post-War Apocalypse. Tell me Carter; is there a reason we're keeping this whiney brat?"

Carter turned to examine his friend, shrugging his shoulders, "Gerrel wants him under lock and key; says it has something to do with Project: Catalyst. I'd kill the kid myself, just to spite the Shepard bitch; but that would put all my efforts on the Orbit of Glass to waste."

"So we just let this idiot plague our halls with his whining?" Siren asked incredulously, pointing at Kaidan, still wearing his promethean battle armor, "He's a waste of space and oxygen. But hey, far be it from me to question our great leader. Just when can we just kill the Shepards and be done with it? The Mistress is too old to fucking walk through the streets, two of her daughters are bloody doctors and medics, this one is in a cell and the hybrid creep is just a marine; no match for me."

"Reia is with the bitch now," Carter told him, "Have patience Jaris; When the interrogation is over, we'll terminate both Shepards and then Gerrel will begin to clean house. Once that's done, it'll all be clear. Then we'll overpower the Sanctum and the Covenant and secure the galaxy for Dominion control."

"What's the point of the interrogation though?" Jaris asked, "Why do we need to know what happened in the past before killing them? Nothing we couldn't here from some dominion historian."

"Its not information I can disclose to you," Carter told him sternly, uncrossing his arms and turning to face the powerful biotic, "You're a foot soldier Jaris; you don't get to handle that kind of information."

"Bullshit," Jaris replied starkly as Carter turned back to the prisoner, "I think its because you  _don't know._  Is that it? Is poor little Carter not being kept up to date?"

"You think anger will make me tell you?" Carter asked, turning to Jaris and laughing, "You're stupider than I thought. Reia has the wits, I have the cunning and you have the brute force, but how many of us can claim to have intelligence? Not you, I should hope."

Jaris fumed, "You can't speak to-"

Carter's fist connected with Siren's face, causing him to reel back from the pain. The man cradled his broken nose before looking up at Carter and snarling, launching himself forward with a burst of biotic force. Carter turned to meet him full on, "Go ahead Jaris. Hit me. See what attacking a superior officer will get you."

Jaris stopped mid flight infront of Carter, looking down on him. Jaris definitely towered over him, as Carter was more of a commando. But Jaris was a shock trooper; and one of the best. Jaris' biotics dimmed and Carter shook his head, "You're a tool, Jaris. A useful tool, I give you that much, but that's about it. We didn't recruit you for your wits. Now get back to your duties and hopefully you'll forget Kaidan'Shepard even exists."

"I will kill-"

"If you want to keep your head, you won't," Carter replied, face stale and devoid of emotion, "Now do leave before I file a restraining order. And take a shower while you're at it; you do start to smell when you're angry."

Jaris fumed and stormed off, obviously not happy with how events had transpired. Carter watched him leave with an unimpressed expression before turning back to staring at Kaidan through the observation glass, stroking his five o' clock shadow. Finally, he called out to a guard to open the door and let him in. He had a pistol strapped to his hip, so he felt reasonably safe.

The door slid open and Kaidan immediately turned to the door, pulsing with biotics. Carter pulled out his omni-tool and pressed a button, and like a fly falling from the sky, Kaidan fell to the ground, cradling his head in immense pain. Carter didn't smile sadistically and he didn't look angry, he just kept the same emotionless look on his face.  _Kinda hard to emote when you've seen the horrors of war already. Leaves a man expecting little, and demanding nothing._

One human guard stepped inside, pulse rifle at his side, helmet tightened around his head. The helmet fully concealed his head and had a single thin slit across the front that pulsed blue. He wore full body armor that was covered in numerous straps that fastened it to his body. The guard stared motionlessly at the wall, the Promethean insignia located on the center chest, back and both shoulderpads; the insignia was a circle split down the middle, with one half being Earth and the other Rannoch to signify their unification. At the bottom was the title  _'Vester sum gladius ac scutum.'_ It was latin for I Am Your Sword and Shield.

He crouched next to Kaidan, omni-tool deactivated, "Do you know who I am?"

"A Promethean," Kaidan weakly responded, not saying anything else.

Without a nod, Carter continued, "Do you know where you are?"

"No," he responded.

"Good," Carter responded, the faintest of smiles creasing his features, "Safer if you don't. The truth is quiet scary, I assure you. Tell me; do you know  _why_ you are here?"

Kaidan didn't respond, looking blankly at the ground. Taking it as a no, Carter responded, "My leader thinks you'll be very useful. He thinks you'll serve Prometheus well."

"My mother told me that Prometheus cannot be trusted," Kaidan said softly, looking Carter in the eyes, "Especially not a man by the name of Carter Dielheart."

"Your mother is correct," the agent responded, standing up and beginning to circle Kaidan on the ground, "That is why we are so useful and why the Dominion depends on us so much. Trust is merely an obstacle to overcome my friend; a hindrance. I've found, that it can also be a motivation. If one trusts you, that means they'll be easier to trick. And someone who's easier to trick is very useful indeed. Tell me Mister Shepard, are you easy to trick?"

Kaidan shook his head.

He tsked, "Good. Only people who aren't prometheans should be easy to trick; an easily tricked agent is no agent at all. You'll make a good promethean, I should hope. Skill comes with the Shepard title, I should hope. Tell me, did you know your mother worked for Prometheus at one point in time?"

Kaidan looked at him with anger, "She would never work for you."

"For me? Of course she wouldn't. Women don't like male enigmas. They aren't sexy enough. And your mother was more loyal to a dead corpse then she was to her cunt," Carter remarked, "No, she worked for Prometheus. She enjoyed it too. Loved it; even became good at it. But just like her husband; she was too soft. When she found out about our more 'subtle' operations, she quit. Of course, she was sixty by then, so it came as no surprise."

"My mum would never work for you!" Kaidan shouted charging at Carter, but he merely sidestepped the leap, looking at it without impression.

"She clearly did as all records said she did," Carter told him, "But you should be proud of her! The things we do at Prometheus...well, no other man or woman could stomach it, I think. And in the end, she couldn't, so I guess she had to shut the door on us. But why don't you continue the legacy? All Shepards work for Prometheus eventually; I'm sure you know that."

Kaidan turned to look at him, "I want proof."

"You'll have plenty of it," Dielheart responded with appreciation, "But first you must commit your loyalty to Prometheus."

"Why do you want me so badly?" Kaidan asked skeptically, "I'm a criminal. I'm wanted by the law."

"Spectres are above the law, and Prometheus is above spectres. Spectres these days are little more than well-paid bounty hunters," Carter told him, leaning down and offering his hand, "Take my hand, and you will find yourself wiped of all criminal records. You will be a new man; a different man. That, or you can stay and rot in this cell and I'll let Jaris had a hand at you; and he sure does love dragging out his killing. But I see your usefulness; don't throw it away with a pitiful devotion to family. Your mother disowned you for your criminality; what loyalty do you owe that whore?"

Kaidan seemed to hesitate, "My mother isn't a whore."

"No she's a necrophiliac without a corpse to molest," Carter responded, "I'd say that's worse. Enough of your mother though; what about you? Your mother allowed herself to be selfish by being with the hero of the galaxy. Why can't you?"

Kaidan hesitated for a second longer, "I'd be wiped of all criminal records?"

Carter nodded, "Only the ones that involve your execution. What's the point of recruiting an agent who's on death row? That'd be not subtle enough."

With a final look at Carter's hand, Kaidan nodded, "Then I'm in."

And he took Carter's hand.

**{Loading...}**

_August 10, 2251_

_1711 hours._

_Spectre Chambers, Citadel Embassies, Presidium, The Citadel._

_Spectre Jessica Alenko._

Jesus. She couldn't believe she had failed the mission; and...whoever had been involved with the attack on the Orbit of Glass, had stolen Kaidan'Shepard from under her nose. She had reported the failure to the Senate, and they hadn't been happy, but for intents and purposes, the Praetor had seen fit to put her on probation.  _Probation!_ She should be out there trying to fine the son of a bitch, and she was sitting on the Citadel, doing nothing about it! Maybe she could ask for leave to visit Earth...

She shook that thought from her mind as she approached her locker and began to unbuckle her armor. The spectres were about as rare as the justicars had been years ago now, as apparently the New Council, subsequently renamed the Galactic Senate, had decided they had no use for them in a galaxy wrought with conflict, and decided only a few were needed. Jess was one of the last now; the last of a dying breed.

The door behind her opened as she finished unbuckling her armor and placing it in the rack and she turned to see who it was. She sighed heavily as she saw some quarian guy walk in and she turned back around to head for the weapons locker to put her rifle away. The quarian called out to her, but she ignored him. Probably one of the Senate's watchdogs.

"Are you Spectre Alenko?" The quarian asked, hands clasped behind his back.

"I'm the only human in the spectres, so I guess I must be," Jess replied harshly, roughly fastening her rifle into the locker and clasping it shut. She turned to the quarian, arms crossed under her breasts, "Just what do you want?"

"Its not what I want. Its what you want," the quarian hurriedly told her, looking around for cameras. She didn't like the look of that; its like the quarian was afraid of what to tell her.  _He's not Senate, is he?_ Come to think of it; he wasn't wearing formal clothing; he just looked to be wearing a simple T-shirt, jeans and a cap.

"Who are you and what do you mean?" Jess demanded.

"Can't say right now. People watching. Follow me," the quarian told her motioning for her to follow him out of the spectre chambers. Jess hesitantly followed, remembering she had a combat knife at her hip if the quarian tried anything; but he didn't seem that type. She followed him, not sure of what to think. She wasn't even sure how a non-senate member could gain access to the spectre chambers without spectre authorization.

Once outside, they made their way down a corridor leading into the Citadel Embassies, the quarian leading them to an elevator. Jess just followed, not wanting to cause a scene and blowing whatever cover they had and they entered the elevator, Veetor hitting the button for the Purgatory lounge. With the door closed, Jessica turned to him, "I want to know who you are right now."

The quarian raised his omni-tool and quickly disabled all cameras in the elevator. Positive they were deactivated, he turned to the spectre, a stern look on his face, "My name is Ambassador Veetor'Nara; and I'm trying to save your life. You are being constantly monitored and have promethean agents following you."

Jess widened her eyes and looked at the disabled cameras. She didn't know whether to kiss him or or not, "I should kiss you right now; thank you. Sorry for the earlier distrust."

"I'd rather you not. My dead wife might come back and haunt us both," Veetor quipped, looking back at the door, "Just do everything I tell you and we'll both get out of this alive."

"Why Purgatory?" Jess asked curious, "That club is full of people."

"Prometheus won't risk a firefight in a club that could lead back to them," Veetor explained, "Everything with them is shadowy; keep it discreet, or don't do it at all. But there's a different reason why they want you dead; its because of your father."

"My father?" Jessica asked, confused, "But he's dead! Why come after me if they want to hurt him?"

"They don't seek to hurt family members. They seek to eliminate potential threats," Veetor told her as the elevator arrived and they moved outside to approach the Purgatory bar. A stunning view of the Presidium was presented below with daily traffic speeding by, "They're cleaning house. Everyone who's ever had a link to Prometheus is getting targetted and terminated one by one. All except Tali'Shepard; something which I find very suspicious. All records show she's under house arrest, although the records don't say why."

"But why?"

"Quiet now," Veetor told her, "See those two humans at the door?"

Jess discreetly glanced two women laughing at a joke one made, both bodies rocking with mirth as they socialized, "Yeah. What about them?"

"Prometheus agents," Veetor told her, "They waste no time. They seem to predict my moves before I make them. Bosh'tets. Keep moving into the bar, try and look oblivious. We don't want them to catch on."

They moved into the bar and the head pounding music assaulted their ears immediately, both of them moving into the crowd and towards the bar on the left side of the club. Once mingled, she grabbed Veetor and turned him to face her, " _Why_ do they want me dead? I never did anything to them!"

"Because you're colleteral damage," Veetor hissed, leaning closer, "You're related to Kaidan Alenko, the man that served Commander Shepard and helped him destroy a certain pro-human organization."

"Cerberus?" Jess asked incredulously, "But they're gone. Why does Prometheus care?" It was then she hit a sudden realization. Veetor seemed to see this and just grabbed her arm, pulling her through the crowd and towards the bar. As he did, Jess caught a glance of the two women at the door; and they were trying to reach the two of them through the crowd. Veetor was right.

_Prometheus is Cerberus. But how is that possible? The Illusive Man is dead! There's no way Cerberus could still be operating! My father helped destroy them himself! Or maybe one of the cells survived...and they must have discreetly infiltrated our government and pledged fealty under a different name. Fuck. Cerberus was under our noses all along and noone noticed it!_

A gunshot rang through the club and the music stopped, people screaming as Veetor cradled his side, blood dripping from a wound. Jess turned around to see a prometheus agent, pistol raised and smoking. The other woman raised her weapon at Jess, but she was faster. Grabbing her combat knife, she swatted the weapon aside and blocked a kick from the agent, before burying her knife into the agent's chest.

The agent yelled out and fell back, allowing Jess to spin around and face the other agent. But she was faster; grabbing Jess' wrist and twisting it, causing her to drop the knife in pain. But just as she moved to finish Jessica off, Veetor came from behind and buried his own hidden knife into her throat, blood spitting out from the wound to coat Jessica's face. She let go and picked up her knife, following behind Veetor as they ran for the safety of the bar.

Machine gunfire rang out and impacted the bar just as Veetor and Jessica rolled behind it, causing glasses to explode and the turian bartender to fall down dead. Jessica cursed and knelt to peek over the stop of the bench. There, standing on a catwalk, was a krogan holding an old typhoon heavy machine gun. He wore the Promethean black and white armor and as they looked on, multiple agents appeared, the crowd dispersing and running. They all held rifles and shotguns and wore the same black and white armor.

She leaned back down at Veetor with an exasperated look, watching him apply medi-gel to his wound, "You said they wouldn't dare start a shootout in a crowd."

Veetor looked at her with the same look, "This is not the usual Promethean MO; they're far more discreet than this. Some idiot must be tugging the command chain."

"Either way; we've got wall of heavily-armed agents to fight through and one pistol," Jess pointed out, grabbing at the pistol she had picked up from the dead agent, "I'd say we'd better get to work."

"You propose we fight our way out? Are you crazy?" Veetor asked, incredulous.

"Not crazy," Jess smiled, "I'm fucking insane."

**{Loading...}**

_August 10, 2251_

_1720 hours._

_Cockpit, Paradise-Class Interceptor, Inbound for Hoc Relay, Leaving Orbit over Virmire._

_Staff Sergeant Reby'Reegar pav Rannoch, Lance Corporal Thane'Shepard pav Rannoch._

"That was fun."

"Fun?  _Fun?_ " Reby asked incredulously, fingers dancing over the flight controls, "That was not fun. Ash's husband mocked me. Mocked  _me_. Keelah, if it hadn't been for the fact that she's your sister's husband, I'd have put him down right there. Noone mocks the daughter of Kal'Reegar pav Rannoch.  _Noone!_ "

Thane guffawed, trying not to laugh too hard for Reby's sake. The quarian turned around and gave him a piercing glare. But upon seeing it, he cracked up again and she just rolled her eyes, turning to paying attention on flying the interceptor. They were inbound for Earth at the moment; reassignment purposes. Reby would miss working with Thane, but he had been reassigned to a different squad to help fight off pirate attacks on the outer colonies while Reby would serve as private escort for Praetor Faringar. Fun.

Thane finally stopped laughing, "Seriously, her husband mocks you so you you lose your shit?"

Reby looked at him with narrowed eyes, "I  _did not_ lose my shit, merely returned the insult in kind."

"Does 'returning the insult in kind' translate into, 'Mock me again and the only sex you'll have with your wife is oral. I won't warn you again'. Seems beyond a simple 'return of the insult', if you ask me."

"Noone was asking you," Reby deadpanned, turning back around, "And he's hardly the first man I've threatened to have his balls chopped off."

"What about that guy in that bar?" Thane asked, amusement suddenly gone from his voice, "Did you threaten to chop his balls off too? Or did you promise to suck them?"

Reby stopped for a second, placed the interceptor on autopilot, and turned towards Thane, where he sat in the co-pilot seat, "Promise to...are you jealous, Thane?"

Thane seemed suddenly uncomfortable, shifting in his seat, "No, I'm not. Merely worried for your safety; that's all. You're my best friend. We're practically siblings."

Reby smiled, deciding that the answer was good enough, and quickly turned back to look out the cockpit window, retaking control, "Yes we are Thane; and I thank you for being so protective, but I can handle myself. I wasn't going to have sex with him; merely kill him. On that account, you have no fear, I promise."

Thane nodded and zoned out, just leaning back in his seat. He thought about his family; how much better life would have been with his father around. His mother wouldn't have been so miserable and their lives alot greater. Maybe the galaxy wouldn't be in the degenerate state it was today. Life would have been so much-

Reby's panel began to beep rapidly and Thane leaned to look over her chair to see what it was. "What's wrong?" Thane asked.

Reby turned to look at him and their heads bumped. Both of them rubbed their sore temples, while Reby looked at him, "Sit back and buckle up. A Prometheus corvette just exited cloak right infront of us and has a weapons lock."

"Weapons lo...but we're on the same side!" Thane stated, sitting back and fumbling for his seat belt. Finding it and strapping himself in, he quickly back forward, "Tell them we're on the same side!"

"Apparently not," Reby deadpanned, "Otherwise they wouldn't have locked onto us without warning. Hold onto something," and with that, the quarian exited a barrel roll to evade a missile fired by the enemy corvette and continued to evade more consistent shots. Thane held onto the chair for dear life, hoping they would survive this encounter.

It was a hopeless kind of optimism.

**{Loading...}**

_August 10, 2251_

_2320 hours._

_Master Bedroom, Shepard Residence, Savior's Canyon, Rannoch._

_Mistress of the High Senate Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch, Interrogation Subject Marcus Lee Shepard._

She couldn't sleep. That was the case for most of these days; she simply couldn't sleep. And it wasn't nightmares that kept her awake at night; it wasn't the imminent threat of Reia possibly coming to slit her throat as she slept. Keelah, she'd probably welcome death at the moment. No, it was the man on the ground next to her bed, sleeping snuggly in a sleeping bag on the floor. He looked so comfortable...so peaceful.

She smiled wearily. Marcus had chosen to sleep on the ground himself and upon landing on the ground, he was asleep instantly. Legion stood in the corner as a guard; if Reia tried anything, the geth platform would act. There was also Moses outside and the geth dropship nearby. She felt as safe as any sane woman dared.

But is that what she truly wanted? To be feel safe? Or did she want her husband, who slept so peacefully on the ground, to be safe? She was in her nineties and well on her way to death. Why did she care so much if she died? Did she care? Questions she wanted to answer, but as much as she seeked the answers, she just couldn't find them.

So instead of stressing her weak, feeble mind over it, she simply just gazed on Marcus, watching his slumbering form. Garrus had left yesterday, heading back for Feros. He had started a weapons trading corporation with Prometheus; manufacturing weaponry and vehicles for the shadowy organization. She hadn't heard from Liara in a while, so it was clear that the Shadow Broker was either busy or out of reach of contact.

Eventually, after just gazing at Marcus, she pulled back and looked aimlessly up at the ceiling. She found solace in being where she was; seventy years ago, she thought Marcus had died, but had gradually gotten over it for the sake of their children. But decades later, with Marcus alive? Was she so ready for death now?  _You're over ninety years old. You may not want death now, but you're far too old to renew the old days and far too close to death to control your fate. Would he want to live after watching her die? Would he want to die with her?_

He could do it. Their children didn't know Marcus was alive and they were definitely old enough to look after themselves; their mother dying was expected and Marcus, yet again, they didn't know; their deaths would go unnoticed. They would be able to spend the rest of their lives together in the afterlife...if there was one.

She sighed and brought the covers up to her neck, before turning to the window, diving into the softness of her pillow. A strand of grey hair got caught in her face and she blew it away, not wanting to move her hands. She closed her eyes, hoping for sleep. Instead all she could hear was Marcus' snoring and the sound of the wind whistling outside.

She thought about what tomorrow would bring. Marcus would finish the tale of defeating the collectors and they would move onto...other things. She smiled at the thoughts.  _The final moments before the Reaper War fell upon us. The requiem..._ she remembered that as well, how destroyed Marcus had looked and she cringed at the thought of it. She also remembered how...how he...how he had left her...

Sleep found her somehow. She just hoped that in the morning, when they continued the interrogation, it wouldn't be too gruesome.

She wanted to prepare herself for the times to come.

_**A/N:** _

_**Short chapter?** _

_**I call it 2551 epilogue. My epilogues are short; deal with it. :)** _

_**Epilogue coming up and that's me done with Prophecy. Don't bother following this story at this point, as there's really nothing to follow; the story's finished, and now we move onto the next part of our journey: Requiem.** _

_**Also...cliffhangers! What will happen to Jessica Alenko and Veetor? What will happen to Thane and Reby? Find out in Requiem!** _


	55. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Normandy crew stands united, even against their former allies.

**PROPHECY**

**EPILOGUE**

_October 9, 2185_

_1740 hours._

_Debriefing Room, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate Normandy SR-2, Inbound for Omega 4 Relay, Galactic Core._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard._

As usual, and for possibly the last time, Marcus stood firmly still as he stepped onto the quantum entanglement communicator and waited for it to scan him. He put on his biggest grin as he did; looking forward to seeing the reaction on the Illusive Man's face. The Collectors were destroyed, Harbinger's plans thwarted, and a Human-Reaper in the midst of construction reduced to space dust along with the colossal collector space station. And now he was cutting all ties with Cerberus and taking the ship away from them. This day was fantastic.

He also noticed how much of a mess the conference room was; there was a huge dent in the table where a beam had hit it and a steel beam had even collapsed across the entrance, Marcus having to move it out of the way to gain entrance. Wires hung from the roof and sparks flew from ruptured consoles. This ship was in for much needed repairs.

He watched as the Illusive Man's office came into view. The same pulsing star, the same chair surrounded by consoles and the same dark room. The Illusive Man stood up immediately upon seeing Marcus; the spectre having since removed his armor and weapons, seeing no need for them at the present moment.

"Shepard," he said softly, giving the man a glare, "You're making a habit of costing me more than time and money."

Marcus crossed his arms, shaking his head, smile suddenly gone, "Too many lives were lost at that base; I'm not sorry its gone."

"The first of many lives," TIM responded, placing his cigarette in the ashtray next to him, "The technology in that base could have secured human dominance; against the Reapers and beyond."

Marcus scoffed, disgusted by the man's ideals and waved a dismissive hand, "Human dominance? Or just Cerberus?"

"Strength for Cerberus is strength for every human. Cerberus  _is_ humanity," TIM deadpanned, leaning back in his chair and shaking his head, "I should've known you'd choke on the hard choices; too idealistic from the start."

"Too idealistic?" Marcus quoted, laughing, "Coming from the Leader of  _Cerberus_ , that's quite a compliment. But I'm certainly not looking for your approval; Harbinger is coming, and he won't be alone. Humanity needs a leader who's looking out for them. From now, I'm doing things  _my_ way, whether you agree or not. Either get in line or be swept aside,  _ **but do not get in my way.**_ " The last part was said with pure ice in his voice, a hidden threat under his tone.

TIM moved forward desperately, "Don't ignore me Shepard! I brought you back; you owe me."

"Joker, lose this channel," Marcus ordered and walked away, cutting the connection. The Illusive Man merely watched the empty space, unhappy with how events had gone.  _You fool. That's why you have the Tajikistan on standby. Well, its time to rein him in. But maybe I won't need to; if I can get EDI to bring the ship to me...I'll put a leash on Shepard._

He turned to his chair, sat down in it and accessed EDI's records and set up a communication. A few seconds later, EDI's voice responded, "Yes, sir?"

"Shepard has gone rogue," TIM informed her, "I want him reined in. Bring the Normandy to Minuteman Station immediately."

"I'm afraid I can't do that sir."

"Excuse me?" He asked, surprised.

"I am the Normandy," EDI told him, "These people are my crewmates and I owe Shepard my life. The Commander is my friend, my comrade. I will not betray him. I will not report this communication to him; just do not try and order me again. Goodbye, sir," with that EDI disconnected the call, and somehow managed to erase itself from the core. He cursed, bringing up his last option. Miranda.

Miranda's voice popped up, "Sir?"

"Stop Shepard and regain control of the ship," TIM began, "I want-"

"Go to hell sir," Miranda responded coldly, "I don't take orders from you anymore. Consider this my official resignation. Goodbye," and with that, Miranda was gone as well. He cursed as he reaffirmed his options. EDI and Miranda had betrayed him, and Jacob wasn't loyal to him to begin with, which meant he lost that option too. The crew most likely heralded him for saving them from the base, so that option was out as well. There was only one thing left to do.

He commed his new second-in-command, Geoff, "Lieutenant, get in contact with Captain Nepal of the Tajikistan. Tell him that as soon as the Normandy comes through the relay, he has permission to strike. Remember to not harm the crew; only neatralize them; tranquilizers will be necessary. Just get the Normandy back in Cerberus hands."

With that, he cut the comms and looked back out at the star that bore down on his station. He shook his head, taking another whiff of his cigarette.

**{Loading...}**

_October 9, 2185_

_1752 hours._

_Mess Hall, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate Normandy SR-2, Inbound for Omega 4 Relay, Galactic Core._

_Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, Professor Mordin Solus, Senior Assistant Lia'Vael nar Ulnay, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Assassin Thane Krios, Justicar Samara, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Soldier Urdnot Grunt, Mercenary Veteran Zaeed Massani, Subject Zero Jack, Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner, First Lieutenant Miranda Lawson, Legion, Yeoman Kelly Chambers, Power Engineer Kenneth Donnelly, Propulsion Engineer Gabriella Daniels, Chief Medical Officer Karin Chakwas._

"Everybody listen up!" Marcus called out, stepping up to stand ontop of the stairs leading up to the sleeper pod deck. The entire mess hall was a bustle of activity, the entire crew gathering in the large space. Noise was heard as they mingled, talking, laughing, shouting. Marcus called out numerous times until he finally got there attention and they all looked at him. Tali, Garrus and Kaidan stood behind him, along with Miranda at his side, as was her duty as executive officer.

"I'd like to thank each and everyone of you for your duty," Marcus thanked them, "The Normandy has been a learning experience for all of us, and I've come to know many new people as my friends and comrades. We've bled, suffered and lost, but we've also gained and loved and cherished. The Normandy is no normal vessel; and all of you, alien or not, have come to realize that. The campaign against the Collectors has been long and hard and full of calamities, but its finally over. Our enemy is no more. We have won."

"But the war is far from over. The Reapers are still coming and they bring with them the power of technology this galaxy has never before witnessed," Marcus told them, voice rising as he paced, "The fight is far from over, but for many of you, it will be as crewmen of the Normandy. I come here today to inform you that I have severed all ties with the Illusive Man and Cerberus; this is my ship now and we run independently from others. So I ask you..."

"...why are you loyal to?" Marcus asked, "Are you a Cerberus man or mine? Make your choice; noone will judge you for it. If you wish to stay with Cerberus, you may leave when we arrive on the Citadel. If not, you'll be welcome on the Normandy as a crewman forever; this ship will be your home. So tell me, which will it be?"

Kelly moved forward first, still shaking from her experience on the station and still looking like a zombie, but she gained the courage to speak up, "I-I-I've seen what Cerberus has done; how they are so willing to play with our lives. If it hadn't been for you, I would've died on that base. I'm-I'm with you She-shepard."

"Aye to dat," Ken spoke up in his thick scottish accent, "I'm stayin here with ya. To hell with Illusive."

"And I'm staying with Ken," Gabby declared firmly, "He'd be useless without me."

"Hey!" Ken exclaimed, slapping the woman's hand off his shoulder, "I'm perfectly fine without you, woman!" Everyone just laughed, as did Gabby.

"Me too. Someone's gotta keep you all fed," Gardner declared, "Besides, the Illusive Man thought we were expendable; you came to save us. I know who I'd rather be loyal to, and it ain't those assholes."

"My answer should be obvious enough," Chakwas smiled, leaning against the wall.

"And I, Mister Creaky Cripple, will never leave my baby for some AI to fly," Joker snapped a sarcastic salute, "Hell no. Not while I walk and talk."

Marcus smiled down at all of them, "Thank you. All of you,"  _How is it, that I'm able to inspire such loyalty? Is it just a gift I grew up with?_ "Now, about the people who made it happen on the ground? Are you hanging around. I only recruited you so you could stop the collectors; but they're gone now, and you're all free to go."

"This platform would like to continue to observe organic behaviour and build trust with the creators," Legion declared, "We will stay, if Shepard-Commander will permit it."

"I've got nowhere else to go," Jack shrugged, "Might as well hang about."

"Vido's dead and burning and in part thanks to you, you goddam bastard," Zaeed complimented, "These Reaper scumbags seem like a terrible bunch; I think I'll help you shove a few nuclear warheads up their arses. Might be fun."

"My place is with my battlemaster," Grunt boomed, slamming his fists together, "I have no other purpose. I will stay; if my battlemaster continues to find me worthy foes. These Reapers seem worthy enough of my attention."

"Many things to do. Good lab. Large placement. Lots of cures to formulate. New experience. Interesting crew," Mordin spoke, "Seems enjoyable."

"My pilgrimage is far from over yet and I still have no gift to present. Besides, working Doctor Solus has been enlightening for me. I like it here."

"Any commander worthy of his stripes is a man I serve," Jacob snapped a salute, "I'm here to stay, commander."

"Someone's gotta command this ship if you're not around," Miranda declared, giving a quirky smile.

"Buckethead needs me to remind her that she's a woman; otherwise she'll forget and play engineer all day long. Besides, I like the set up, Shep. Its nice. I'll stay."

"My mate needs me, but the Migrant Fleet doesn't. Those bosh'tets on the Admiralty can wait as far as I'm concerned. To hell with them."

"My code dictates I must uphold justice and protect the innocent. These Reapers would bring doom upon us all and must be stopped. The code compels me to stay and fight."

"My  _siha_ is forever gone, but I still have a son who loves me. I will spend time with him, but only once my service is complete. The Reapers must be stopped."

The entire squad was staying, so he turned to the trio behind him, a knowing grin on his face, "And you guys?"

"Here till the end," Kaidan replied, grinning lamely.

"Someone needs to calibrate that big gun back there," Garrus pointed to the gun battery, smiling.

"And I will never leave my mate's side," Tali stated, nodding to him and smiling. Garrus sighed and Kaidan fluttered his eyes repetitively to imitate a dazzled schoolgirl. Marcus gave them both a glare and they pretended not to notice. He rolled his eyes, took Tali's hand, and turned back to the squad, smiling down on all of them. He made the team; but they won. The victory was  _theirs._

They still had trials to face, to be sure, but...

...that was all part of the Prophecy.

_**...To Be Continued in Requiem.** _


End file.
